The homosexual sports community in the United States has one of the highest levels of acceptance and support in the world[1][2][3] and is rapidly growing as of 2020.[4][5] General public opinion and jurisprudence regarding homosexuality in the United States has become significantly more accepting since the late 1980s;[6][7] for example, by the early 2020s, an overwhelming majority of Americans approved of the legality of same-sex marriages.[6]
In regard to sports in the United States, in 2002 researcher Eric Anderson found "more openly gay runners and swimmers than football and baseball players."[8] He then hypothesized that this occurred because gay men likely abandoned some sports in favor of sports that were more accepting of homosexuality.[8] In 2006, a Sports Illustrated poll of roughly 1,400 professional athletes found that a majority would be willing to accept a gay teammate. As well, professional ice hockey (NHL) athletes seemed to be the most accepting of such teammates as 80% of its players approved of having a gay teammate.[8]
Individual sports
Golf
In 1996, Muffin Spencer-Devlin became the first LPGA player to come out as gay.[9]
In 2018, Tadd Fujikawa came out as gay, becoming the first male professional golfer to do so.[10][11]
Squash
In 2018, Todd Harrity came out as gay, thus becoming the first openly gay professional male squash player in the world. At the time he was ranked No. 1 in the United States out of all male squash players.[12][13]
Tennis
American tennis player Billie Jean King acknowledged her relationship with Marilyn Barnett when it became public in a May 1981 palimony lawsuit filed by Barnett, making Billie Jean the first prominent female professional athlete in the world to come out.[14]
Team sports
Basketball
In 2002, Sue Wicks came out as gay, making her the first openly gay person playing in the WNBA.[15] Many female players have since come out as gay; for example, Sheryl Swoopes came out in 2005, Brittney Griner came out in 2013, and Elena Delle Donne came out in 2016.[16] However, Swoopes later married a man.[17]
In 2013, Jason Collins publicly came out as gay.[18] President Barack Obama contacted him offering his support.[19] In 2014, Jason Collins played for the Brooklyn Nets of the NBA, making him the first openly gay athlete to play in any of the four major North American professional sports leagues.[20][21][22]
Flag football
In 2002, the National Gay Flag Football League was founded.[23]
Football
In 1975, former football player David Kopay became the first professional athlete from a major team to come out.[24]
Football player Alissa Wykes of the Philadelphia Liberty Belles became one of the first active American athletes to publicly come out as gay when she announced that she was a lesbian in an article in the December 2001/January 2002 edition of Sports Illustrated for Women.[25][26][27]
In the 2014 NFL draft, the St. Louis Rams drafted Michael Sam in the seventh round, the 249th of 256 players selected,[28] which made him the first openly gay player to be drafted into the NFL.[29][30] However, on August 30, St. Louis released Sam as part of a final round of cuts to reduce their roster to the league-mandated 53 players before the start of the regular season.[31][32]
In June 2021, Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib came out as gay via Instagram, making him the first openly gay active player in the NFL.[33][34] He later became the first openly gay player in an NFL playoff game on January 15, 2022.[35][36]
Hockey
In 1985, the Los Angeles Blades was organized as the first gay hockey team in the United States.[37]
In 2021, Canadian Luke Prokop, who was drafted by the Nashville Predators in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, became the first active player signed to a National Hockey League contract to come out as gay.[38][39][40]
Rugby
In 1998, the Washington Renegades RFC was formed as the first gay rugby team in the United States.[41]
Soccer
In 2013, Robbie Rogers publicly came out as gay.[18] President Barack Obama contacted him offering his support.[19] Thierry Henry, at the time playing in Major League Soccer, was quoted in a column for New York Daily News as saying "he (Rogers) is a human being, first of all. And that’s good enough."[19] Later in 2013, Robbie Rogers became the first openly gay man to compete in a top North American professional sports league when he played his first match for the LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer.[42][43][44]
Many female soccer players have been openly gay while actively playing for American teams, such as Joanna Lohman[45][46] and Megan Rapinoe.[47][48][49] Megan Rapinoe came out in 2012, while a midfielder for the Seattle Sounders and while on the United States women's national soccer team.[50][51]
