“I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay.”

NBA forward Jason Collins announced to the world Monday, in the form of a Sports Illustrated front page story, that he is gay.

Outside of the fact that this is a 12-year veteran who has played for six different teams in his career, the most surprising part of the story is how smoothly it has gone over. Besides the immediate explosion in the Twitterverse, the NBA, the players, the fans and the media have caught this in stride, with nearly no hitches. This story has not been filled with commentators putting their feet in their mouth — except for ESPN’s Chris Broussard saying it was rebellion against God — or players making enemies with Collins, something he addressed would be answered with a few “hard picks” in the future.

This is something the NBA, and the sports world, was ready for. After months of talk of who and what sport would result in the first active openly gay major sport athlete, Collins leapt out and was instantly accepted and surrounded by praise from everywhere.

CELEBRITY SUPPORT SURROUNDS ANNOUNCEMENT

Kobe Bryant tweeted, “Proud of @jasoncollins34. Don’t suffocate who u r because of the ignorance of others. #courage #support.”

Encouragement has also stemmed from the White House with President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama calling Collins in support.

This moment was huge for sports, not just because of Collins’ coming out, but because of the backing that has rallied behind him.

This could not have been a more perfect person to come out from the NBA’s standpoint. He is one of the most respected players in the league and has made a point that this is not going to change anything about his career — and I believe him.

RESPONSE A REFLECTION OF THE TIMES

Now let me make clear that I do not agree with a lot of what Collins states in his article. His claim that he has no choice in his sexuality is something that I do not find biblically accurate, but I respect the way he went about this. I respect that he did not come out just to gain attention, but to clear the demons that haunted him. I understand it, but above all, I respect the way the NBA and sports world has gathered around Collins and shown love to a man who we can all agree is going through a potentially lonely, yet relieving time. It shows how far we have come in a society that has a history of rejecting those proclaiming themselves as different.

As much as I do not agree with the lifestyle Collins is supporting, I respect him for standing for what he believes. It hurts me that this is a society where such an announcement is one that garners so much support, but this is where religion and sports need to stay separate.

Sports are not a place to make political or religious fights, but a place to compete in an athletic environment.

This coming out should cause us to think no differently about the way we view Jason Collins as an athlete. At the end of the day he is a basketball player at heart and that is what should continue to define him, just as we should not let Tim Tebow’s outspoken Christianity cause us to view him differently as a football player. Collins’ homosexuality is a part of his personal life for a reason; it is personal. And it is separate from his game on the court, something he made excruciatingly clear in his Sports Illustrated article.

Although I do not support the lifestyle he is advocating or his stance on homosexuality, what I will remember most from this event is the way the NBA and fans have supported a man that put himself out there. This is something that should resonate with athletes in the future who dare to step out for a cause.