For those gay men and straight women who want full equality, there is at last a swimsuit edition featuring men - move over Sports Illustrated. Outsports.com has created their first 'swim suit edition' online! Plus an added bonus you get to see the first rate new redesign of this great site. Enjoy!
Yesterday at the prelims for the Daytona 500 there was a brutal crash involving a number of cars. Parts came flying into the stands and at about 35 seconds on this video you can see the tire that landed on a spectator. Over two dozen people were injured including two people critically.
Ever since the Coliseum was built for the gladiators in Rome, cities have attempted to define themselves by their sport palaces. Increasing they are put under constant pressure by the owners of major league sports franchises for better facilities. At times, as soon as a new edifice is built the owners are already threatening to leave a city without a team unless a new stadium is already being planned by architects.
Los Angeles has hadn't a National Football League team in years because of this battle between franchise owners and taxpayers.
24/7 Wall Street has picked the ten cities that pay the most to keep their teams happy and in place. Here are the top five:
1. Green Bay
- Public per capita stadium cost: $1,114
- Population: 309,469 (152nd largest)
- Number of major league teams: 1
- Number of stadiums:1
Green Bay only has one professional sports team, the Green Bay Packers. The Packers play in Lambeau Field, which was originally built in 1957. The 2003 renovation of the stadium cost of $411 million, of which $241 million, or 59%, was paid by taxpayers. With ongoing costs included, the price tag for taxpayers on the renovation rose to $334 million through 2010. To pay for these renovations, Brown County taxpayers approved a half-cent sales tax, while ticket holders were charged a one time seat user fee by the city, the team and the NFL. In 2011, the team issued stock shares that have allowed it to pay for further improvements to Lambeau Field.
2. Indianapolis
- Public per capita stadium cost: $598
- Population: 1,777,684 (35th largest)
- Number of major league teams: 2
- Number of stadiums: 2
Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts, opened in August of 2008 to replace the RCA Dome. The stadium cost $749 million to build, with 89% of that price tag funded by the public. Including ongoing costs, taxpayers have spent more than $764 million on the stadium–more than any other single facility in the U.S. The facility has a retractable roof and seats approximately 67,000 fans. Lucas Oil bought the naming rights to the stadium for 20 years for $122 million. Since the stadium opened, the Colts have made the playoffs in all seasons except for 2011, when the team won just two games. This most recent season, the team went a respectable 11-5. Lucas Oil also hosted the Super Bowl in 2012, where the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots.
3. Cincinnati
- Public per capita stadium cost: $543
- Population: 2,137,735 (27th largest)
- Number of major league teams: 2
- Number of stadiums: 2
The total cost to the public for building and maintaining Cincinnati’s two stadiums was close to $1.2 billion through 2010, behind only the much larger cities of Houston, Phoenix and Dallas. Great American Ballpark, built in 2003 and home to the Cincinnati Reds, cost the city $489 million through 2010. But an even worse deal for taxpayers was Paul Brown Stadium, which hosts the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals, on which the public spent $706 million as of 2010. This was the most spent on any NFL stadium except for Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium. According to a 2011 report by The Wall Street Journal, Hamilton County is responsible for almost all operating costs and structural improvements. The county also agreed to “foot the bill for high-tech bells and whistles that have yet to be invented, like a ‘holographic replay machine.”
4. Cleveland
- Public per capita stadium cost: $517
- Population: 2,068,283 (28th largest)
- Number of major league teams: 3
- Number of stadiums: 3
As of 2010 the public costs of all three major sports facilities in Cleveland was just under $1.1 billion, with 75% of the funds needed to build the stadiums coming from the public. The most expensive to build was Cleveland Browns Stadium, which cost $441 million. The other two facilities, Progressive Field and Quicken Loans Arena, were built in 1994. The cost of those facilities was $399 million and $328 million, respectively. Cleveland’s professional sports teams, however, have struggled to compete. The last major professional sports team in the city to win a title was the Browns, who won the NFL Championship in 1964.
5. Milwaukee
- Public per capita stadium cost: $468
- Population: 1,562,216 (39th largest)
- Number of major league teams: 2
- Number of stadiums: 2
Milwaukee has two major professional sports stadiums. The BMO Harris Bradley Center, where the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks play, was built in 1988 with largely private funding. The city’s MLB stadium, Miller Park, was completed in 2001 mostly with taxpayer money. Through 2010, the stadium had cost taxpayers $681 million — more than any other stadium in baseball. In 2004, former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson accused former owner and now baseball commissioner Bud Selig of misrepresenting the team’s finances in order to receive public funds for the stadium. Currently, Milwaukee is again debating building a new publicly financed sports facility, this time for the Bucks.
One of the biggest soccer stars in the United States came out of the closet today and then immediately retired from the sport at the age of twenty-five. While there is joy at another person finding the personal freedom and courage to come out, personally there is some real disappointment.
Soccer Star Robbie Rogers already has distinguished himself on the field of play. He represented the United States on the 2008 Olympic team. Roberts was a player in Major League Soccer (MLS) and was a star player for the Columbus (Ohio) Crew. The team went on to win the MLS Cup when Rogers played for them.
In addition, he was known around the world for skills on the field and played for Leeds United in England.
The disappointment was that he retired as soon as he came out of the closet. Wouldn't it have been extraordinary that the twenty-five year old could have played just for one year as an out player. What a ground breaking moment that would have been. Instead it gives the appearance of him coming out and leaving his passion for sport because he is gay.
Trust me, I am thrilled for him and wish him well but can't help but go "If only if......".
Rogers was raised in Southern California and has over 75,000 Twitter followers.
Calling all closeted major league baseball players! You can now find courage in the story of Sean Karson who is a star player on the MIT baseball team. Sean just came out to his team mates and coaching staff. The Florida native is a third baseman who is hitting .350 and is Co-Captain of this year's MIT team.
The chemistry major felt the time had long pass for coming out. The junior in college was disturbed by the lack of open LGBT players in the major leagues. He wanted the younger generation of jocks to have a good role model. Who knows, maybe a major league will draft him and he might just become the first out major league player!
Karson joins University of Maine baseball player James Nutter who recently came out to his team.
The Boston Herald reported:
A couple of days ago, during an indoor practice at MIT, Karson asked coach Andy Barlow if he could say a few words to his teammates.
“I had no idea what he had in mind,” Barlow said. “He had just returned from a conference in California, so I assumed he was going to talk about his company.”
Instead, Karson took a deep breath, and told his coaches and teammates that he’s gay.
“They came up and gave me high fives and said they’d have my back and everything,” he said. “It was so supportive, it was ridiculous.”
Karson did notice a couple of teammates held back, but got emails from them afterward saying "how much they respected me, but that they needed to collect their thoughts first."
So deeply emotional was Karson’s decision to come out that later that night, during an interview at his MIT dorm, he was still welling up with tears.
“I barely held it together,” he said. “I was probably not the most coherent person when I was giving that speech, but that was the third time I cried in the past week. And this is the fourth, I guess.”
Karson is bright, ambitious, breezy and outgoing, but he was surprised by the crying, something he says he did very little of through the years.
“I have never been myself up until very recently,” he said. “Everything’s been just sort of cold and calculated. I’ve been in this fortress, I guess, and haven’t let my emotions out at all.
“I worried that I had no emotions, that I didn’t feel much about anything. It was really weird.”
After dwelling so long about his decision to come out, he’s marveling at how easy it was. And while we have yet to have an active male athlete come out in professional team sports, Karson thinks it’s going to happen soon. Real soon.
“I think it’s going to happen in the next month,” he said, boldly. “Nobody’s going to throw at you if you’re the gay person on the team. I feel great. I’m not scared.”
Thanks to Andy Towle of Towleroad.com.
In 1973, Washington Redskins tight end Jerry Smith help lead his team to Super Bowl VII. Smith who was in the closet was one of the best football players around. In his career he caught 421 passes and make 60 touchdowns. He had 5,496 yards receiving! Smith was named "All-Pro" twice and made a number of National Football League records.
Smith was a star player at Arizona State University where he was team captain in 1964. The football giant played for the Washington Redskins from 1965 to 1977. The football player is a member of Arizona State's "All Time" rooster and also in the Redskin Hall of Fame.
Most importantly, I had the opportunity to meet Smith a number of times and he was one of the most decent and kind individuals I have ever met. He was this masculine, massive and soft spoken football giant who struggled with his sexuality.
The handsome football star was 6'3" and 208lbs.
Smith kept his homosexuality a guarded secret although he had a relationship with David Kopay who was the first person to ever come out after playing for the National Football League.
In 1985, Smith at 43 years old was diagnosed with having HIV/AIDS. While never coming out of the closet about being gay he was open about having HIV/AIDS. In his final days the football giant weigh only 140lbs and was kept alive by intravenous feeding for the last four month of his life.
The Chicago Tribune wrote of Smith's last days:
``It took tremendous courage for Jerry to do what he did, [coming out about his HIV status]`` former teammate Brig Owens said, alluding to Smith`s public disclosure of his illness. ``But that`s Jerry. He was a team guy right to the end.``
Owens was Smith`s training camp roommate for 12 seasons. When Smith retired in 1977, he said: ``Of all the good things football has done for me, one of the best is my relationship with Brig.`` They remained best friends over the years.
Owens visited Smith almost daily the last few months. He was at Smith`s bedside two weeks ago, along with the Rev. Tom Skinner, the Redskins` former team chaplain, when Smith said he had made his peace with the Lord.
``He told us not to feel bad for him,`` Skinner said. ``He said he had a great life and many wonderful friends. He said: `When my time comes, I want you to tell everyone that. I don`t want them to be sad.` ``
Jerry Smith died Oct. 15 in Holy Cross Hospital in suburban Washington. Skinner delivered the eulogy at the funeral service last week.
Jerry's football jersey number was 87. This Super Bowl weekend if you can find a jersey with 87 on it wear it in memory of one of our greatest gay sports figures and a damn decent man.
The Advocate ran an article about the best LGBT friendly Super Bowl Ads. However there was on Doritos commercial that never made it to the television screen. Watch it and you will understand why!
Surfer Garrett McNamara, the world record holder for surfing the biggest wave, has broken his own record. In 2011, he rode a 78 foot high wave in Nazare, Portugal. This week he broke that record and rode a wave of 100 feet in height! Northern Portugal is known for its huge waves. If he had wiped out in the 100 foot wave he could have been seriously injured or killed. Enjoy!
For the first time, Super Bowl XLVII will be remembered for more than the victory of either Baltimore or San Francisco. Adding to the momentum of the epic struggle for full LGBT equality will be many of the players on both teams standing strongly in the corner of full equality.
Dave Zirin of The Nation magazine reports:
"In August, the 49ers became the first NFL franchise to film an “It Gets Better” video to combat anti-LGBT bullying in schools. The team was compelled to produce the public service announcement when a diehard Bay Area fan named Sean Chapin initiated a Change.org petition asking the 49ers to break the NFL’s conspicuous silence. He received 16,000 online signatures and the team responded. Several players were featured with the most stirring comments coming from hard-hitting safety Donte Whitner who said, “The San Francisco 49ers are proud to join ItGetsBetter.org, to let all LGBT teens know that it gets better. On behalf of the entire 49ers organization, we are on your side, and we promise it gets better.”
As for the Ravens, they are the team of linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo, who is part of a new wave of outspoken athletes for LGBT rights. Ayanbadejo aided the successful referendum for marriage equality in the state of Maryland in November while braving disagreements from teammates, criticism on sports radio and even a Maryland state delegate requesting that team chief executive Steve Biscotti “take the necessary action, as a National Football League owner, to inhibit such expressions from your employees.” But the Ravens took no such action and Ayanbadejo hasn’t stopped expressing himself, and won’t stop this coming week.
After Baltimore beat the New England Patriots to go to the Super Bowl, the Ravens linebacker typed out what he is calling his “Jerry Maguire e-mail” at 3:40 am. He wrote to the founder of New Yorkers for Marriage Equality, Brian Ellner, and the political director for media mogul Russell Simmons, Michael Skolnik. Ayanbadejo’s message was that the Super Bowl, the shiniest, most watched event in all of North American sports, could be a remarkable podium to make the case against homophobia. He wrote, “Is there anything I can do for marriage equality or anti-bullying over the next couple of weeks to harness this Super Bowl media?”
After the e-mail went public, Ayanbadejo spoke to Frank Bruni of The New York Times about why he reached out in the wee hours of the morning. “It’s one of those times when you’re really passionate and in your zone,” he said. “And I got to thinking about all kinds of things, and I thought: how can we get our message out there?”
Ellner, who saw the impact athletes like Steve Nash and Michael Strachan had in the New York fight for marriage equality said, “He understands that as a straight biracial player in the Super Bowl, he can have a huge impact on the future of this issue.”
Ayanbadejo also told Bruni that he’s been in contact with Hudson Taylor, who founded the organization Athlete Ally to challenge anti-gay bigotry on all levels in professional sports. “He’s so excited and ready to take a stand in whatever way he can,” said Taylor. “He is leveraging the biggest sports stage in the world.”
Howard Bragman's "Gwissues" is becoming one of the most popular LGBT sites on the Internet. The show already has covered openly LGBT journalists, prospects for Obama's second term, interview with Chely and Lauren Blitzer-Wright and the latest is on homosexuality in sports.
In this show he visits with former major league baseball player Billy Bean, sports journalist Cyd Zeigler and pop culture and media activist Conor Gaughan.
Bragman's new Internet show is a great service public service for the LGBT community. Take a look.
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