The proud father and retired NBA great says his daughter is “a leader.”
US: What happened to the openly gay athlete?
US: One openly gay player in NCAA men's basketball tournament
The final NCAA men's basketball tournament matchup CBS announced Sunday night made history.
CBS' Greg Gumbel revealed Seton Hall as a sixth seed, and immediately, Derrick Gordon stood up with hundreds of fans behind him at Walsh Gym and yelled into his phone: "We are going to the tournament. We are going to the tournament."
When the Pirates (25-8) face 11th-seeded Gonzaga (26-7) at 9:57 p.m. ET on Thursday, Gordon will become the first athlete who has announced publicly he is gay to play in the NCAA men's basketball tournament. The game will be broadcast on truTV, and the announcers will be Andrew Catalon, Steve Lappas, and Jamie Erdahl. The game is at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Read more via OutSports
NBA Referee Comes Out After Gay Slur
Bill Kennedy, one of the NBA's top referees, has revealed he is gay.
"I am proud to be an NBA referee and I am proud to be a gay man," Kennedy told Yahoo Sports on Sunday night. "I am following in the footsteps of others who have self-identified in the hopes that will send a message to young men and women in sports that you must allow no one to make you feel ashamed of who you are."
Kennedy declined further comment on his announcement. NBA commissioner Adam Silver delivered a statement of support for Kennedy. Read more
US: College sports officials will reconsider cities chosen to host championships
Amid a national debate over civil rights protections based on sexual orientation, the Indianapolis-based NCAA apparently will reconsider sites already chosen to host its championships — including Indianapolis, the NCAA announced.
“We’ll continue to review current events in all cities bidding on NCAA championships and events, as well as cities that have already been named as future host sites, such as Indianapolis,” Bob Williams, NCAA senior vice president for communications, wrote. Requests to speak to NCAA leaders for more information were denied.
Among the Indianapolis events that could be in jeopardy is the NCAA’s richest showcase — the men’s basketball Final Four — slated to return to the city in 2021. The same event held here this year pumped an estimated $71 million into the local economy, according to Visit Indy. Indianapolis also is scheduled to host first- and second-round games in the 2017 men’s basketball tournament.
The NCAA statement about future and scheduled sites comes after Houston voters this month repealed an ordinance that banned discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. Read more via IndyStar
Why 'The Gay Athlete' should be Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year
No story dominated the sports year from January to December like conversations of LGBT issues in sports, and no one embodies the year of 2014 in sports like gay athletes. No individual or group of people deserves to be named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year more than The Gay Athlete.
In January, Conner Mertens made headlines when he came out publicly, making him the first publicly out LGBT active college football player. He went on to finish second on the team in scoring and second in the conference in field goal percentage - all as a freshman.
February was a seminal month for the movement, with the coming out of Michael Sam, Jason Collins' first NBA game after coming out and the Winter Olympics that made LGBT issues a centerpiece of our national sports conversation. Ireen Wust, the out Dutch speedskater, led all athletes with five medals.