Doug Saffir

There’s a world ahead of us that doesn’t exist yet, but many of us are looking forward to.

It’s the world where the fact that a professional athlete is gay is not a story. We won’t dedicate wall-to-wall coverage to their coming out, we won’t question whether it will impact their personal play or  their team’s play, and we won’t wonder whether fans, teammates, coaches, or league executives will freeze him out because of his sexuality. In that world, homosexuality isn’t news.

It doesn’t exist yet, but it’s closer today than it was a mere 48 hours ago. Jason Collins has taken us on our first step on the long journey to acceptance.

Collins, a journeyman center in the NBA, came out on Monday as the first openly homosexual, active professional athlete in the United States. His courage in doing so is unquestionable. He’s risking everything – his career, his friends, his mental and physical health, etc. – in the hopes of changing the way the world of sports perceives homosexuality.

While his bravery is valiant and laudable, the impact of his decision is what matters now.

He opened the door for others to follow suit, and the odds are extremely good that there are others. It’s just a matter of them joining Collins in demanding acceptance – in demanding the acknowledgement that homosexuality does not mean inadequate, but rather that sexuality has no impact whatsoever on athletic ability.

The world where that acceptance and acknowledgement are widespread is not here yet. And so, Jason Collins is a story. Members of the media will report on him and wonder what the future holds now that he’s started us on this journey. And I’ll join them, knowing full well that talking about Collins’ decision and others like it is a temporary thing.

Because while his actions may be a story this week, the actions of others making the same decision won’t be in the world we aspire for.

That world might not exist yet, but it’s coming, and I’m glad we’re finally moving toward it.

Image via Frrole