Scouring the Internet for sports news about a week ago, I encountered a story about two Nebraska wrestlers who posed for nude pictures and videos on the gay pornographic website Fratmentv.com.
My immediate reaction?
I laughed. Very hard. Such a situation, I figured, could not possibly be explained easily to any inquiring party.
The story’s postscript caught up to my immaturity: Not 24 hours after the story hit, Nebraska dismissed both wrestlers from the program. In a statement to the media, coach Mark Manning said, “The history and behavior of these men, including the current matter, does not reflect the standard of excellence we aspire to on and off the mat … I want to personally apologize for any embarrassment that may have been caused for our athletic department, the university and our fans.”
Both senior Paul Donahoe and junior Kenny Jordan had prior run-ins with law enforcement – both for alcohol violations and Jordan for assault – but this incident is so singular in nature. And these are quality athletes Nebraska just lost; Donahoe was the 125-pound national champion in 2007, and Jordan made it to nationals last year. Donahoe and Jordan received money for their services, according to an Associated Press interview with the website operator, and the website offers subscriptions for a monthly fee, meaning that the pictures and videos were made in violation of NCAA rules. Still, this could drastically alter – and maybe ruin – their lives.
Regardless, what if this incident had never made it to press as quickly as it did? What if Nebraska was able to act upon it without a thousand eyes upon its wrestling program?
And, tangentially, what if Donahoe and Jordan are, actually, gay men?
Not to say that homophobia played a role in their dismissal.
Wait, never mind. I am saying that. I believe that Nebraska and the wrestling program may have acted in part on the basis of homophobia. Heaven forbid a Cornhusker wrestler is flung out of the closet by the hawkish media in such a fashion.
Only in the context of sexuality does two men grappling with each other on a mat raise a level of disgust in the average person. Sports fans never have to deal with gay men in sports. Any athlete in the three major professional sports comes out after retirement – John Amaechi in the NBA, Esera Tuaolo in the NFL, and Billy Bean in MLB – and those players don’t exactly have Hall of Fame accomplishments. Active gay athletes remain in the closet, and don’t think they’re not out there; over 2,500 men play in the NFL, NBA, or MLB. The odds are favorable.
The institution of sports is regarded as a testosterone-fueled culture where homosexuality is a sign of weakness. Playing the sexuality card in trash talking is the ultimate debate zinger, the “you are no Jack Kennedy” of the sports lexicon. Even hinting at homosexuality can turn the tide of public opinion in a hurry.
This is 2008. Where gay rights are concerned, we have come a long way and we have a long way to go. There exists a notion that, one day, a male professional athlete in a major sport will come out of the closet while still playing. The sports world – and, arguably, the rest of the nation, since sports is considered a final frontier of society – will talk it over and accept him on the basis that sexuality makes no difference in athletic performance. You can be gay or straight and still play terribly.
I don’t want to do something about it, though. I’d rather sit back and wait.
An active professional athlete will be outed in my lifetime. Athletes encounter so much exposure in their daily lives that someone, somewhere, will reveal themselves in the eyes of the media. Or their teammates. It’s going to happen. The first person in line will, most likely, have difficulties and discrepancies with teammates and fans. It will be tough. Change, in this case, is inevitable. And once one player comes out, more and more players will become more comfortable with disclosing their sexuality. Once more people come out, the novelty will wear off and professional sports will retreat back into the sanctity of gamesmanship and performance, where it always does.
In the meantime, I hope that Donahoe and Jordan are able to transfer to another school and wrestle. I’d welcome them to Oregon, but the athletic department has erased the program, pending a lawsuit.
I would, however, advise both of them to read the NCAA rulebook more closely.
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