Jason Collins, 1978-2026

On February 23, 2014, the Brooklyn Nets beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 108-102 at the Staples Center (now the Crypto.com Arena) in Los Angeles. Jason Collins played 10 minutes and 37 seconds for the Nets, and he didn't score any points. He did, however, have an offensive rebound, a defensive rebound, and a steal.

This appearance made Collins, who, in the off-season, publicly revealed that he is gay -- also known as "coming out of the closet," or "outing yourself," and was not, at the time, signed to any team -- the first openly gay athlete in major league sports in North America.

Presuming, of course, that you do not include MLS, Major League Soccer, as "major league." Robbie Rogers had already played for the Los Angeles Galaxy since coming out. So far, the reaction to him has been positive. But in the traditional "Big Four" North American sports, Collins was the first. And it appeared that, on that night, the L.A. fans -- presumably, many of whom had cheered Rogers -- treated Collins no worse than they treated any other opposing player.

A few other athletes have come out after retirement. Collins, knowing that he could still have a shot at signing with a new team, but also that teams might shy away from signing him if they knew, chose to be honest, and let them know. The Nets decided that it didn't matter, that it wasn't an indication of bad character, and that he might still be able to help them win, and they signed him.

Born on December 2, 1978 in Los Angeles, Jason Paul Collins was an All-American center at Stanford University. He had previously played with the New Jersey Nets from 2001 to 2008, before their 2012 move to Brooklyn. He played the 2nd half of the 2007-08 season with the Memphis Grizzlies, 2008-09 with the Minnesota Timberwolves, 2009-12 with the Atlanta Hawks, most of 2012-13 with the Boston Celtics, and the end of that season with the Washington Wizards. He ended up playing 22 games for the Nets, starting only 1, and never played again.

In that 1st game for the Nets, he wore Number 46. For his remaining games with the Nets, he wore 98, as he had with the Celtics and the Wizards. He wore it in memory of Matthew Shepard, a University of Wyoming student who was murdered for being gay in 1998. Having proven his point, he announced his retirement on November 19, 2014.

Glenn Burke, who played baseball in the 1970s, didn't "come out" while he was playing, because, in his own mind, he was never "in." Baseball fans at large didn't know he was gay, but his teammates knew, and most of them didn't care. Unfortunately, he played for 2 bigoted managers, Tommy Lasorda and Billy Martin. Lasorda ordered him traded away from the Los Angeles Dodgers; and Billy Martin, with the Oakland Athletics, had him sent down to the minors, burying him and prematurely ending his career.

One day, people who are gay will not have to face the choice of announcing it, or keeping themselves in the closet because they're afraid of repercussions. One day, we will hear that someone is gay, and we'll say, "So what? It doesn't make a difference. It's his (or her) business, not ours."

Until then, anyone facing the choice that Jason Collins and Robbie Rogers have made -- not being gay, but revealing it -- will need more Collinses and Rogerses, to move people's hearts and minds forward. Such people will advance our society in the same way that Jackie Robinson did on race, to the point where the only thing that matters is, "Can he play?"

If a player is a good player and a good teammate, then I don't care if he's a purple Buddhist from Mars in a ménage-a-trois with a college kid and a teddy bear: His personal life doesn't matter, and he can play on my team. If a player is exactly like I was as a young man, except with talent, but not enough to make it at the major league level, then I'd cut him.

I'd rather have a gay player on my team than an anti-gay player.

Jason Collins died of cancer today, May 12, 2026. He was only 47 years old. 

February 23, 2014: Jason Collins Becomes the 1st Out U.S. Athlete

February 23, 2014, 10 years ago: The Brooklyn Nets beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 108-102 at the Staples Center (now the Crypto.com Arena) in Los Angeles. Jason Collins played 10 minutes and 37 seconds for the Nets, and he didn't score any points. He did, however, have an offensive rebound, a defensive rebound, and a steal.

This appearance made Collins, who, in the off-season, publicly revealed that he is gay -- also known as "coming out of the closet," or "outing yourself," and was not, at the time, signed to any team -- the first openly gay athlete in major league sports in North America.

Presuming, of course, that you do not include MLS, Major League Soccer, as "major league." Robbie Rogers had already played for the Los Angeles Galaxy since coming out. So far, the reaction to him has been positive. But in the traditional "Big Four" North American sports, Collins was the first. And it appeared that, on that night, the L.A. fans -- presumably, many of whom have cheered Rogers -- treated Collins no worse than they treated any other opposing player.

A few other athletes have come out after retirement. Collins, knowing that he could still have a shot at signing with a new team, but also that teams might shy away from signing him if they knew, chose to be honest, and let them know. The Nets decided that it didn't matter, that it wasn't an indication of bad character, and that he might still be able to help them win, and they signed him.

Born on December 2, 1978 in Los Angeles, Collins was an All-American center at Stanford University. He had previously played with the New Jersey Nets from 2001 to 2008, before their 2012 move to Brooklyn. He played the 2nd half of the 2007-08 season with the Memphis Grizzlies, 2008-09 with the Minnesota Timberwolves, 2009-12 with the Atlanta Hawks, most of 2012-13 with the Boston Celtics, and the end of that season with the Washington Wizards. He ended up playing 22 games for the Nets, starting only 1, and never played again.

In that 1st game for the Nets, he wore Number 46. For his remaining games with the Nets, he wore 98, as he had with the Celtics and the Wizards. He wore it in memory of Matthew Shepard, a University of Wyoming student who was murdered for being gay in 1998. Having proven his point, he announced his retirement on November 19, 2014.

Glenn Burke, who played baseball in the 1970s, didn't "come out" while he was playing, because, in his own mind, he was never "in." Baseball fans at large didn't know he was gay, but his teammates knew, and most of them didn't care. Unfortunately, he played for 2 bigoted managers, Tommy Lasorda and Billy Martin. Lasorda ordered him traded away from the Los Angeles Dodgers; and Billy Martin, with the Oakland Athletics, had him sent down to the minors, burying him and prematurely ending his career.

One day, people who are gay will not have to face the choice of announcing it, or keeping themselves in the closet because they're afraid of repercussions. One day, we will hear that someone is gay, and we'll say, "So what? It doesn't make a difference. It's his (or her) business, not ours."

Until then, anyone facing the choice that Jason Collins and Robbie Rogers have made -- not being gay, but revealing it -- will need more Collinses and Rogerses, to move people's hearts and minds forward. Such people will advance our society in the same way that Jackie Robinson did on race, to the point where the only thing that matters is, "Can he play?"

If a player is a good player and a good teammate, then I don't care if he's a purple Buddhist from Mars in a ménage-a-trois with a college kid and a teddy bear: His personal life doesn't matter, and he can play on my team. If a player is exactly like I was as a young man, except with talent, but not enough to make it at the major league level, then I'd cut him.

I'd rather have a gay player on my team than an anti-gay player. 

Jason Collins, the Nets, and the Heat

Jason Collins played for the Brooklyn Nets last night, against the Los Angeles Lakers, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. He previously played for the New Jersey edition of the Nets from 2001 to 2008.

It was hard enough for me to care about the Nets when they were representing my home State. But now that they've completely embraced their new identity in Brooklyn, to me, they are just another basketball team. And not a very good one.

How good was Collins last night? Well, he played 11 minutes, and he didn't score any points. He did, however, have an offensive rebound, a defensive rebound, and a steal. He had a plus-8 rating. That means that, while he was on the court, the Nets scored 8 points more than the Lakers did. And the Nets beat the Lakers, on the road, 108-102. That's 6 points, meaning the Nets were 2 points better with Collins than they were without him. (Deron Williams had the most impact, scoring 30 points.)

So, at least for 1 game, he helped.

This appearance made Collins, who came out in the off-season, while not currently signed to any team, the first openly gay athlete in major league sports in North America.

Presuming, of course, that you do not include MLS, Major League Soccer, as "major league." If you don't, well, that's a choice, and it is a repulsive lifestyle. But in the traditional "Big Four" North American sports, Collins is the first.

Robbie Rogers has played for the Los Angeles Galaxy since coming out. So far, the reaction to him has been positive. And it appears that, last night, the L.A. fans -- presumably, many of whom have cheered Rogers -- treated Collins no worse than they'd treat any other opposing player.

A few other athletes have come out after retirement. Collins, knowing that he could still have a shot at signing with a new team, but also that teams might shy away from signing him if they knew, chose to be honest, and let them know. The Nets decided that it didn't matter, that it wasn't an indication of bad character, and that he might still be able to help them win, and they signed him.

In today's New York Daily News, Mike Lupica quotes NBA legend, now ESPN analyst, Charles Barkley making an interesting point:

Everybody knows the Miami Heat need a big man to help them go up against the Indiana Pacers, who've got guys like Roy Hibbert and David West. If Jason can still play, how come the Miami Heat didn't make a call? How come he didn't end up with a contender instead of with the Nets?

Interesting question. After all, there are cities in this country that are known for having a prominent gay community, and Miami is one of them.

Granted, for the moment, the Heat are good enough to not have to pander to any community within their metropolitan area by signing anyone like them. Not that there's too many 70-year-old Jews originally from New York, or Cuban exiles even older than that, who can still play basketball.

But if talent is the only thing that should matter, then why didn't the Heat go after Collins? Did they think he wasn't good enough?

It seems to me that, if Collins is as good as he was last night -- and no better, which would be understandable, given that he was never really a star, and that he's now 35, not exactly a young guy by NBA standards -- he could still be "the last piece of the puzzle," the guy who can put a contending team over the top. And before you tell me the Heat have won the last 2 titles and the last 3 conference titles, let me remind you that every new season is a new story, and the Heat reaching the NBA Finals for a 4th straight season is by no means a given.

Right now, the Pacers lead the Heat by 1 game in the loss column for the top Playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. If the current standings hold, the Nets will have the 6th seed -- but they're only 3 games in the loss column behind the Toronto Raptors for the 3rd (and 1st place in the Atlantic Division), and 2 behind the Chicago Bulls for the 4th -- and getting either of those would mean home-court advantage in the 1st Round.

If the Heat end up losing a series because they won 3 home games but lost 4 on the road -- or, through any combination, getting to a Game 7 on the road and losing it -- while we'll never be able to prove it, it could be because they had a chance to sign Jason Collins and chose not to.

Which, unlike being gay, is a choice.

One day, people who are gay will not have to face the choice of announcing it, or keeping themselves in the closet because they're afraid of repercussions. One day, we will hear that someone is gay, and we'll say, "So what? It doesn't make a difference. It's his (or her) business, not ours."

Until then, anyone facing the choice that Jason Collins and Robbie Rogers have made -- not being gay, but revealing it -- will need more Collinses and Rogerses, to move people's hearts and minds forward. Such people will advance our society in the same way that Jackie Robinson did on race, to the point where the only thing that matters is, "Can he play?"

If a player is a good player and a good teammate, then I don't care if he's a purple Buddhist from Mars in a ménage-a-trois with a college kid and a teddy bear: His personal life doesn't matter and he can play on my team.

If a player is my exact duplicate... well, if we're talking exact, then he wouldn't have the talent to play anyway. Especially at my (our) age.

I have no stake in whether Jason Collins succeeds in the NBA from this day forward. I am not gay, nor am I (any longer) a Nets fan, so he does nothing to represent me.

But I love a good story. And a team failing because it refused to sign the NBA's 1st openly gay player is every bit as good a story as a team succeeding because they signed a player without caring that he was openly gay.

Bumps and Kicks

Ordinarily, taking 2 of 3 on the road, especially against a good team like the Tampa Bay Rays, would be considered a good thing.

But things happened in this weekend's series that draw concern.

Friday night was a mostly encouraging night. David Phelps started, and took a perfect game into the bottom of the 5th inning before James Loney doubled.

The Yankees led 8-0 at that point. In the top of the 2nd, Travis Hafner stroked a ground-rule double. Curtis Granderson struck out, but David Adams beat out a grounder for an infield single. Lyle Overbay doubled them both home. Jayson Nix singled Overbay home.

In the 4th, with 2 outs, Chris Stewart singled to left, and Brett Gardner hit a home run, his 4th of the season. (The season is about 1/3 over, so at that pace, he'd hit 12 homers. Good for a leadoff man.) In the 5th, Curtis Granderson was hit by a pitch, Adams singled, Overbay singled to load the bases, and Nix drew a walk to send Grandy home. Stewart singled home Adams. Robinson Cano was hit with a pitch -- I'm presuming, for the time being, that both HBPs were accidental, especially the 2nd, since it forced home Overbay.

Phelps got into the 8th, but ended up allowing 4 runs. He's really not ready to go more than 7 yet. Fortunately, Boone Logan (incredibly) got the last out in the 8th, and Shawn Kelley got the last out in the 9th. The Yankees picked up another run in the 7th, when Nix hit a triple to left, and scored on a wild pitch.

Yankees 9, Rays 4. WP: Phelps (3-2). No save. LP: Roberto Hernandez (2-5).

The worrying part, aside from Phelps proving he wasn't ready to go 8 innings, was that Granderson eventually had to leave the game. Getting hit broke the pinky on his left hand. It was just his 8th game of the season, after starting on the Disabled List, and now he'll be out for another month. Brennan Boesch has been called up from Scranton to replace him.

*

Saturday's game was a big test. Vidal Nuno pitched for the 1st time since giving up a walkoff homer in Baltimore. He showed no ill effects, going 6 innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and just 1 walk. But he would not figure in the decision, as he was taken out after 1 batter in the 7th. Nor would Kelley, who also pitched to just 1 batter in the 7th. Nor would Logan, who pitched to 2 batters in the 7th -- that's 4 batters in the 7th, and no outs. Preston Claiborne came in, and put out the fire, and pitched a scoreless 8th, too. David Robertson pitched a scoreless 9th. But they wouldn't factor in the decision, either.

The Yankees got a run in the top of the 1st, on a Hafner single driving in Gardner. But they didn't score again until the 9th, trailing 3-1. They were down to their last out.

But Overbay worked a walk. Cliche Alert: Walks can kill you. Joe Girardi sent Boesch up to pinch-hit for Austin Romine. It worked: Following a balk that moved Overbay to 2nd, Boesch doubled him home, and then Gardner singled Boesch home to tie the game. But Gardner tried to put the potential winning run in scoring position by stealing 2nd, and was caught.

The Yankees got nothing in the top of the 10th. In the bottom of the inning, we saw the return of Ivan Nova. And he allowed a leadoff single to Ryan Roberts. Uh-oh. He struck out Luke Scott, but then he allowed a single to Evan Longoria and a walk to Ben Zobrist. Bases loaded, 1 out, the winning run can score without a hit. And Loney was up, and he usually hits the Yankees well. Oy vey...

Nova showed us what he was showing us before he tailed off last season: He struck out Loney, and got Matt Joyce to ground out. Whew.

In the 11th, Overbay again came through with 2 outs, hitting one out to right field. Thanks a lot, Nova, now sit down and let Mariano Rivera do his job. He did: One, two, three.

Yankees 4, Rays 3. WP: Nova (2-1). SV: Rivera (18 for 18). LP: Josh Lueke (0-2).

*

Yesterday's game had CC Sabathia on the mound. With the ace on the mound, I was figuring the sweep was in the bag. But, ever since taking a no-hitter into the 8th inning a few years back, CC has had trouble at Tropicana Field, and he did again. He allowed 2 runs in the 2nd, 2 more in the 3rd, and 3 more in the 6th.

This is the most worrying thing for the weekend's series: CC has not pitched well lately, and is now 4-4. Although the Yankees scored 3 in the 9th, including Gardner's 5th homer, it wasn't enough. The Rays won, 8-3. WP: Alex Cobb (6-2).

*

On the other hand, the Yankees are in good shape. Technically, they and the Boston Red Sox are tied for 1st in the AL east, but the Sox trail by 1 game in the loss column. The Baltimore Orioles are 3 1/2 back (4 in the loss column), the Rays 5 back, and the Toronto Blue Jays 9 1/2 (10) back.

New York Daily News columnist Mike Lupica, one of the biggest Yankee Haters in the media, said in his column yesterday, "I will tell you something right now: If the Yankees get a couple of more injuries, the rest of the American League is going to be in real trouble."

*

There was action at Yankee Stadium on Saturday: English Premier League teams Chelsea of West London and Manchester City completed a 2-game "friendly" series. The 1st game was at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Thursday night. Chelsea jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but Man City came back to win 4-3. In The Bronx, Man City won, 5-3.

Former Arsenal player Samir Nasri, the selfish turncoat known as "The Lesbian" for his striking resemblance to TV journalist Rachel Maddow (if only he had her honesty), scored twice for Man City in Yankee Stadium. So I'm glad I didn't see it. Former Gunners Gael Clichy (Man City) and Ashley Cole (Chelsea) did not play. Eight days earlier, to promote the game, Man City executive and Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira had thrown out the first ball before a Yankee game.

Saturday was also the UEFA Champions League Final. Bayern Munich won the tournament, formerly known as the European Cup, for the 5th time. They previously won in 2001, and 3 straight, 1974-75-76, led by Franz Beckenbauer, who then moved here to play for the New York Cosmos.

Like the Super Bowl, the site of the CL Final is chosen years in advance, and this year's was at Wembley Stadium in London. But both teams were German: Bayern beat Borussia Dortmund, in a thriller with Dutch striker Arjen Robben hitting a late goal to win it, 2-1.

On Sunday, the New York Red Bulls avoided an embarrassing defeat away to the Columbus Crew, when Jamison Olave scored in injury time (or "stoppage time," if you prefer).

Also in Major League Soccer action, Robbie Rogers, recently signed by the Los Angeles Galaxy, took the pitch and got a huge cheer. This made him the first openly gay male athlete in North American sports, as he had not played since publicly coming out. Nor has basketball player Jason Collins, although he will most likely be signed by someone before the next NBA season starts in November.

Robert Hampton Rogers, a 26-year-old winger from Los Angeles County, who has played most of his career for the Crew, but has played in Europe for Heerenveen in the Netherlands, and Leeds United and Stevenage in England, came on for his hometown team as a substitute in the 77th minute, in a 4-0 Galaxy win over the Seattle Sounders, at the Home Depot Center in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California.

Rogers came on for Vitor Gomez Pereira Junior, a Brazilian player known as Juninho (which means "Little Junior"). Not to be confused with Antonio Augusto Ribeiro Reis Junior of the Red Bulls, or Osvaldo Giroldo Junior of Brazil's 2002 World Cup team, both of whom are also known by the single name Juninho.

People who don't like the Galaxy have nicknamed them the Gals -- and having had "metrosexual" David Beckham for a while didn't help. I guess, by adding Rogers, they wanted to get more masculine.

L.A. won the game thanks to a hat trick from Robbie Keane, the Ireland star who used to play for Tottenham. The Galaxy have won the last 2 MLS Cups, meaning that Keane has won as many league titles in the last 2 seasons as Tottenham have won in their entire 131-year history.

I support gay rights, but, as an Arsenal fan, I have say that supporting Tottenham is a deviant, repulsive lifestyle.