I came out to my two martial arts schools in Atlanta this year. Despite all of my nervousness at the possible homophobia that could manifest after I came out, particularly in the form of malicious sparring, I found that no one cared. In fact, many congratulated me on coming out and took me out to dinner. At any rate, thank you discussing this issue. It's nice to know that there are others out there.
Many gay people drop out of team sports because of the homophobia.
Witness the athletes that have tried to commit suicide. That's why I dropped out of high school team sports, where I played hockey and lacrosse. I discovered martial arts later, and feel lucky to feel another athletic activity that I love. However, I still miss the camaraderie of team sports, and wish that American sports could value the gay athlete as much as any other. I'll take Darrell Green as a hero who lives an exemplary life off the football field and is willing to speak his mind about an aberrant lifestyle.