Tessa: Hey … I’ve got a question for you to ponder.

Frank: Alright, shoot.

Tessa: Is it better that John Amaechi waited until he was no longer playing in the NBA to come out as opposed to coming out while he was still an active player?

Frank: I think it is better that he came out now as opposed to while he was an active NBA player. For the simple fact that he’d run the risk of getting isolated from his teammates as well as the franchise itself.
Tessa: Well I hate to break it to you but I think the exact opposite. I think he should have worked up the guts to be true to who he was back when he was playing in the league.

I mean why now? Why does he suddenly feel the need to tell the world he is gay? It makes it look like a publicity stunt.

Frank: Well, OK, I agree there. Why now? I think it’s just publicity for his book. I think if he really wanted to come out for different reasons other than publicity for his book, he would’ve come out right after his retirement. Why wait four years? Oh and what a coincidence, he also happens to have a book coming out soon.

Tessa: (lol) Nobody really knew who he was until now and now he will forever be “that NBA player who was gay.” I still think he should have come out while playing. His reputation still would have suffered the same even coming out while he was still an active player. He would have been remembered the same way he is going to be now “that gay NBA player.”And by coming out he would have forced his teammates, the franchise he was playing for, and the league to make a statement. He would have broken a ton of stereotypes about gay men.

Frank: True, but it also could have cost him his job. He was never more than a role player and for that, I think teams wouldn’t have been penalized for letting him go. They’d have the PERFECT cover of saying he is just a five-minutes-a-night expendable guy…

Tessa: Yeah, but even then could you imagine what a hero he would have been? The man that had the guts to come out even though he is a pro-athlete.

Frank: Hero? He would be a hero ONLY in the gay community, not overall.
Tessa: No, there you are wrong. His story would capture the hearts of people from all walks of life. Anyone who has ever felt like they were overlooked or not given a chance because they were different would relate to John Amaechi.

Frank: Come on … he comes out as a gay man and then gets let go of by the team he plays for. How many people would actually sympathize with the franchise for letting him go?

Tessa: Not the majority. The majority would see that as discrimination. So one team would pick him up just to be called the team that overlooked all of that; the team that didn’t discriminate, the team that stands for choosing based on how the player plays and not whether or not he prefers to kiss men or women.

Frank: Yeah, but that’s a risk that only maybe three teams would take and those three teams probably wouldn’t have a spot for him. That is what it would turn out to be, like they might be willing, but don’t have the capacity to do so. John Amaechi would be left without a job and it’s not like he was making millions either so he really needed his job, so I believe he played it smart. I still think that if he was really “coming out” he would have done it sooner instead of waiting four years after he retired.

Tessa: He took the easy way out … plain and simple.

Frank: Yup.

Tessa: I think it would have been more commendable had he just retired last season. I still think he is sending a negative message to the world. He is saying that gay athletes should keep their sexuality hidden and not have the courage to be proud of who they are.

Frank: We will never know how this Amaechi situation will help or worsen today’s gay population when it comes to pro sports all we can do is wait for the next player to come out, and whether he’s a superstar or a deep bench player will determine where the situation goes from there, it’s a waiting game.

Tessa: Yeah, it is going to be interesting to see what happens from here.