Playing A Sport Is Tough Enough As It Is, Things Such As

Playing a sport is tough enough as it is, things such as training, potential for injuries, mental preparation and making sure the team reaches their full potential are all factors. Now, imagine not feeling like a part of that team because of the person you want to love. I was fortunate enough to be able to get a first hand look into what being a gay athlete is like. My ex teammate and friend Ryan Houchen, great athlete, even better person. Ryan himself is a homosexual athlete, he played hockey for Metro State as well as the University of Colorado Denver. He, as well as others, are seeing that more and more gay athletes are emerging and as Ryan says, â€Å"Things are definitely on the up†. What he means by this is that it is becoming more†¦show more content†¦These are shocking statistic really, when asking Ryan about his comfort level with his team he said, â€Å"It was okay, I never felt physically threatened...†. He did say however, that he did never feel qui te like a part of the team due to his sexuality. Another aspect of homophobia affecting gays in sports is the homophobic slurs used in the locker room and on the field, granted, Ryan said that even in day to day life he never felt harmed or hurt by homophobic slurs. However, it is still a major problem in sports. 89 percent of homosexuals heard or felt targeted by homosexual slurs, according to the study. In my interview with Ryan I asked him if the culture of the locker room needed to be the first thing to change, he said â€Å"Absolutely, sometimes it has to start from within a team and then that positive and encouraging attitude can go on to others.† In my interview with Ryan, he said he never felt targeted but he did hint at the fact that at times the slurs could be excessive, he aimed responsibility of the needed culture change on the coaching staff. He spoke about the coaches on one of the teams he played for previously, who used slurs towards the opposing team, â€Å"Kinda shocked me, but I recognized it was a motivating factor†. Coaches in the sports are ones who need to step up to the plate and make the world of sports more comforting and help homosexuals feel less threatened. Most coaches have or atShow MoreRelatedTough Times Don t Last, Tough People Do912 Words   |  4 PagesTough times don’t last, tough people do. About 200,000 people have this injury every year. It’s the most non-contact injury in sports. If its not taken care of, it can lead you to not being able to play sports ever again. Injuries like these are very serious. Many people don’t always come back from this type of injury. I t can either have you come back better than ever or make you want to give you want to give up. I started playing basketball when I was four years old. 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