On April 29 2013, a story appeared on the Sports Illustrated website that began with the words: "I’m a 34 year-old NBA center, I’m black. And I’m gay."
The piece was written by Jason Collins and with those simple twelve words, Collins became the first male athlete to come out as gay while still playing on a major sports team.
Within the media storm that predictably followed, there was an important element of the story that was submerged under the apparent amazement that a top tiered athlete could be gay. It was the fact that he also publicly proclaimed his Christian upbringing and faith.
Welcome to this week’s All Together, the podcast dedicated to exploring how ethics, religion and spiritual practice impact our daily lives. You can download All Together on iTunes, or Stitcher.
In his Sports Illustrated piece, Jason Collins wrote: "I’m from a close-knit family. My parents instilled Christian values in me. They taught Sunday School and I enjoyed lending a hand. I take the teachings of Jesus seriously, particularly the ones that touch on tolerance and understanding."
A couple weeks ago, Jason Collins spoke with Cornel West at Union Theological Seminary and today we are talking with Jason Collins about where his faith is today, how spirituality functions in sports and to ask the question that many are wondering -- is he is still single?
Today’s All Together was produced by Katelyn Boguki and edited by Jorge Carona
Just as Jason Collins is inspired towards tolerance and understanding by his Christian faith, let’s all look deep into our own spirituality to understand and celebrate people from every walk of life around the world. Until next week, be well.
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