The Blog

The purpose of this blog is to raise the awareness of the gay rights movement as it relates to the sports industry.  Ultimately, I want to do what I can to make it possible for athletes to not fear being openly gay while they participate in the sports they love.  I want this acceptance to permeate all types of sports and all levels of competition: professional, collegiate, recreational, and youth.  I hope to provide whatever assistance I can and support every type of athlete until they know that their sexual orientation makes them no less passionate, no less talented, and no less important to their teams.  If this blog helps progress to that point, even in a small way, then it is well worth my effort.

The sports industry presents a unique avenue for advancing gay rights.  Although the industry is often the beacon for homophobic fears and misconceptions, an athlete’s place in society as a potential role models is significant.  Once the homophobia is overcome or challenged, an active professional athlete that is openly gay will have the incredible opportunity to change perceptions throughout all of society.

Logistically speaking, the topics covered on this page will relate to sports, gay rights, and politics.  I hope to focus on how they intersect, but be prepared for the occasional diatribe solely on a sport or political matter.  As I have considered writing this blog for a while, there will be some past events that I would like to revisit now that I have a suitable forum to do so.  Mostly, however, I will focus on present-day events while always considering the effect they have on the future, especially the goals I presented above.

Lastly, for the non-NFL fan, you may wonder where the term “Wide Rights” originated.  Wide right, simply speaking, is the common description for a field goal attempt in football that misses to the right.  However, that common call became infamous when uttered by ABC commentator Al Michaels to describe Scott Norwood’s last second miss in Super Bowl 25.  If you ever want to irritate a Buffalo Bills fan, just mention that kick.  Now, by no means do I want to rub salt into a 17-year-old wound, rather, I appreciate how the call, when pluralized to become Wide Rights, can be both a reference to sport and to human rights.