Athletes coming out and how the media responds

It is rare to see any professional athlete "come out" as lesbian or gay. So when someone does, it is usually a huge deal. But I noticed that when a female athlete comes out, public response is not as large as when a male athlete comes out. It is almost as though the public expects it a little more when a female althete comes out. For example, former NBA player John Amaechi revealed to the media that he is gay after his career in playing basketball. Response to this was mixed around the NBA but I noticed that the media was covering this story very thoroughly. This was about a year ago, and I can remember every channel covering this story at the top of thier headlines. And all because a man "came out of the closet." On the other hand, Cherryl Swoops, three-time Olympic gold medalist and WNBA MVP, also revelealed to the media that she is lesbian. However, public response was not as large when this occured. The news barely coverd this story and it seemed to be a minor headline compared to the Amachi case. Also, she was a much more recognizable and successful athlete than Amaechi. I think this shows that people are much more surprised when any male athlete comes out and not so surprised when a female athlete comes out. When Amaechi came out, it stirred up a lot of controversy and opinions, but when Swoops came out it seemed to be stated as a mere fact. It's sad to say, but I think it is more expected from female athletes, which makes no sense at all.

- Huy KIN 338