A basketball player in the United States made history this week. Jason Collins became the first man in any of the four major North American professional sports—the National Hockey League, the National Basketball Association, the National Football League and Major League Baseball—to announce that he is gay while still an active player.
Mr. Collins just completed the NBA season as a member of the Washington Wizards and is now a free agent. There is no guarantee that he will be with be with an NBA team when it visits Toronto next season to play the Raptors, Canada’s only franchise in the league. Most observers believe he will. He has made a reputation as a fierce competitor and a team leader. He is not a star but can play a valuable role on any team he is with. It’s quite likely Mr. Collins will play in Toronto.
It will be interesting to see both how Toronto fans greet him should he play and how his declaration will affect athletes in the other sports, especially hockey, which houses a culture more similar to the military than basketball, football and baseball.
Mr. Collins’s declaration raises many intriguing questions for Canadians—both fans and players: how would hockey players treat a gay teammate? What happens should a gay player score the Stanley Cup winning goal? Would it make a difference to anyone?
Hypothetical questions all since Mr. Collins only came out this week.
But sooner or later, a Toronto Blue Jay baseball player is going to announce that he is gay. Sooner or later, a rough-and-tough hockey player is going to make a similar announcement. How will Canadians of all stripes react?
For some perspective RCI contacted Bruce Dowbiggin, one of Canada’s foremost sportswriters and columnists.
Terry Haig spoke with Mr. Dowbiggin from his home in Calgary, Alberta.
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