Josh Ouellette
By Josh Ouellette
Move over Jason Collins, you have been usurped.
That’s right folks, Collins’ is a liar, he’s a fake, he’s not the guy who should have been on a magazine cover.
He’s now sitting at home silently wishing that he came out just a little bit sooner, like maybe right before the last game of the season. Because if he had, then Collins really would be the first gay athlete currently playing a professional sport, he is now sitting on the sidelines again.
Instead, he will never hold that title. It belongs to a 5’10” winger from Huntington Beach, California. His name is Robbie Rogers, a professional footballer—soccer player—who had retired and came out at the same time this past February 23rd.
Rogers initially left the sport and announced his sexual orientation on his own personal blog stating that, “Football hid my secret, gave me more joy than I could have ever imagined… I will always be thankful for my career. I will remember Beijing, The MLS Cup, and most of all my teammates. I will never forget the friends I have made a long the way and the friends that supported me once they knew my secret.”
Rogers quickly stated that he wanted to come back stateside and play after his time at the famed British club, Leeds United, didn’t work out so well.
Back at home in California a couple of months ago he came out and said if he did come back he wanted to play close to home with his friends and family around him.
Shortly after that he began training with the Los Angeles Galaxy. Then the Galaxy traded for Rogers (the Chicago Fire owned the rights to Rogers), losing fan favorite, Mike Magee. Magee was the team’s leading scorer on the season, but also is a native of Chicago; he too was a little homesick.
That brings us to this past Sunday, the day that Rogers wore the number 14 shirt and came onto the field in the 77th minute and made history.
Granted, the Galaxy already held a four-goal lead over the Seattle Sounders and Rogers didn’t have to do much.
Sure, he only had five total touches, went 3-for-3 on his passes and he won the only duel for a ball he faced all night.
It doesn’t matter because he did what no man has ever done in any professional sport in America. What Rogers did Sunday night will always be remembered. But what should be taken away is how he went about doing it.
There was no Sports Illustrated cover for Rogers. There was no Jimmy Kimmel interview before the game. There was no big press event the day after he announced he was gay like Collins had.
No, what Rogers had was a short press conference after the game. Rogers didn’t want to talk about the day, but the game, his training and the season ahead.
“We won, which was most important. My family was here and my friends, my grandparents who live in Palos Verdes… I’ve kind of been on this huge journey to figure out my life and I’m where I’m supposed to be,” Rogers told reporters after the game.
“It was just good to be back and get my feet wet,” Rogers said, when he was talking about playing in the biggest game of his life.
“Obviously, I’m not naïve, I know people are watching,” Rogers admitted when he was asked if he recognized the significance of his 13 minutes on the pitch at the Home Depot Center.
“I guess historically this is a big thing, but for me this is just another soccer game,” Rogers made very clear.
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