How Carl Nassib’s coming out may be a starting point to alter ‘macho’ NFL attitudes
Summary
Footballer Carl Nassib's decision to come out as gay on Monday makes him the first active player in the NFL's history to do so. Others have come out only after they retired or left the game. Nassib, however, is a five-year veteran defensive lineman, currently playing for the Las Vegas Raiders.
Five Facts
Who
is Carl Nassib?
Where
does he play?
What
happened to Michael Sam?
Why
is his story different than Nassib’s?
When
did the first NFL player come out as gay (in retirement)?
How
does columnist L.Z. Granderson see Nassib’s decision to come out as impactful? What does he anticipate in the near future?
Focus Questions
Why do you think Nassib is the first active player to come out?
What might be some of the ways that leagues like the NFL could be more inclusive and welcoming to players?
Media literacy:
In this piece, the content is primarily delivered by an interview with L.Z. Granderson. What additional perspectives do you think could have been added to further your understanding? What other forms of media could also have been used to deliver information?
For More
To learn more about the LGBTQ community and athletics, see these pieces from PBS NewsHour:
To read more about the history of LGBTQIA+ male professional athletes, read
this article
on the MLB and
this article
on the NFL
"I think his story could be inspirational not just to African Americans, but to everybody. I think we all have felt voiceless at a point in time." – Yaba Baker, fourth great-grand child of potter David Drake
