A recent survey shows that America is ready to fully support and embrace gay professional athletes.
In 2014, we witnessed some exceptional and groundbreaking moments for gay athletes in professional sports. Believe it or not—2015 has the potential to be even better.
In a recent survey conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), roughly 73 percent of Americans said they would support a professional sports team signing a gay or lesbian athlete, while a mere 19 percent would oppose. Surprisingly, a majority of all religions polled said they would support a professional sports team signing a gay and lesbian athlete. Political affiliation was also taken into account and proved to be a non-factor.
Think about that for a moment.
Nearly three-quarters of Americans polled are ready to fully embrace a professional sports team signing a gay or lesbian athlete. That means that 2014 wasn’t just an anomaly. It means that the floodgates have been opened, and this year (as well as the years to come) could result in an overwhelming amount of gay and lesbian professional and amateur athletes coming out. More importantly, as the professional sports world continues to evolve, it means that coming out won’t be such a big deal anymore. There won’t be big press conferences like the one former NBA player Jason Collins had, and there won’t be a media circus or a need for documentaries like the one Michael Sam had when he was trying out for the NFL. Gay and lesbian athletes will be able to just play—play the sport they love without any restrictions, fears or expectations.
What a refreshing thought.
Granted, the survey size did not represent the country as a whole. But it does show a growing trend of acceptance on the playing field, which has really picked up the pace over the past five years. According to the survey, 56 percent of Americans believe that gay and lesbian athletes still face discrimination of some kind. As with any social evolution, there’s always room for improvement.
In addition to gay and lesbian athletes, the PRRI survey also polled participants on a variety of other issues in professional sports, including: domestic violence, football fandom and safety, and religion’s role in sports.
For more information on the PRRI survey, click on the link below: