Former National Soccer Team Player Comes Out

[+ sam.fitzpatrick]

As a season ticket holder of the Columbus Crew, I have been a Robbie Rogers fan for several years. Today, he announced he is gay and stepping away from soccer to focus on his life.

 

http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/15/former-u-s-international-robbie-rogers-gay-retires-and-comes-out/related/

 

Great to see a young, pro athlete come out, but sad that he feels he needs to step away to understand your life. Best wishes to Robbie and whatever his next steps in life may be.

[Frequentflier]

As a season ticket holder of the Columbus Crew, I have been a Robbie Rogers fan for several years. Today, he announced he is gay and stepping away from soccer to focus on his life.

 

http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/15/former-u-s-international-robbie-rogers-gay-retires-and-comes-out/related/

 

Great to see a young, pro athlete come out, but sad that he feels he needs to step away to understand your life. Best wishes to Robbie and whatever his next steps in life may be.

 

Wow, I've followed Robbie in the press for a couple of years and always thought he was great looking, talented and had a good personality. He has a blog as I recall and I think you can find it linked in the above article. Wonder if he likes older men in their 50's I'd give up my "bi" side for that man

 

Thanks for sharing the news.

[RockCreekRunr]

Now, here's somebody who really has balls, both literally and figuratively. Good for him, and hopefully it will give some courage and encouragement to all LGBTQ youth.

[JackTwist]

Glad to hear Robbie is playing for "our" team...Good for him! I wish him well.

[JackTwist]

Robbie's a handsome young man. Love those blue eyes!

 

 

 

http://imageshack.us/a/img4/5231/robbierogers.jpghttp://imageshack.us/a/img837/7380/tumblrl5qvji1ylh1qci3y4.jpg

 

http://imageshack.us/a/img33/5853/robbierogersnota.jpg

 

http://imageshack.us/a/img541/2568/robbierogers591x450.jpg

[+ purplekow]

 

Great to see a young, pro athlete come out, but sad that he feels he needs to step away to understand your life. Best wishes to Robbie and whatever his next steps in life may be.

 

From what I have read, and though I follow many sports, soccer is not one of them, his athletic career had taken a marked downturn. He had been traded, then sent to the lower leagues after an injury and there his performance was not good. So it was likely that his coming out was arranged to coincide with his retirement rather than his retirement coinciding with his coming out.

[operalover21]

From what I have read, and though I follow many sports, soccer is not one of them, his athletic career had taken a marked downturn. He had been traded, then sent to the lower leagues after an injury and there his performance was not good. So it was likely that his coming out was arranged to coincide with his retirement rather than his retirement coinciding with his coming out.

 

And that's the problem with coming out and professional sports. That's the only time it happens, if then. We need more athletes (assuming there are some) to come out in the prime of their careers while still playing. That's the only way we'll see some real acceptance in the locker room. Consider what that moron 49ers player recently said. That's what gay players are up against.

 

Wishing this guy well, however, and I must say ... absolutely adorable and yummy. Perhaps he'd like to escort? We can wish, right?

[fedssocr1]

I am hoping that "stepping away from football" means a short sabbatical, not permanent retirement. I believe he could still be a useful contributor in MLS. And I think he would be generally very welcomed. All of the things I have been reading in reaction are full of support from old teammates, coaches and fans alike who have generally been asking "why is he retiring?" more than anything. Best of luck to him whatever he ends up deciding to do. But I think having that weight off of his shoulders would make him a better player.

 

This helps explain things a little bit though

"Hailing from a conservative Christian family and playing a professional sport at a high level (he just missed out on the 2010 World Cup team), Rogers carried that secret through a treacherous world. Fearing rejection at home—“Try explaining to your loved ones after 25 years you are gay. Try convincing yourself that your creator has the most wonderful purpose for you even though you were taught differently,” he wrote—and conditioned to acknowledge the locker room as a haven of heterosexual machismo, Rogers surely was exhausted both by the vigilance and discipline required to maintain the façade and the fear it would fall."

http://aol.sportingnews.com/soccer/story/2013-02-15/robbie-rogers-gay-us-national-team-player-retires-after-announcing-homosexuality

[Toulouse]

All that I've read about Robbie today indicates he is a genuinely sweet young man and well-liked by his colleagues (both his teammates and opponents). I hope his conservative family's response to his "coming out" is as positive and supportive as the general reaction of his fans and associates has been.

[anotherjohnindupont]

As said before on here and other threads, the more we come out the better for us.

 

I think gay men live more responsible and successful lives then the general straight man.

[+ Gar1eth]

As said before on here and other threads, the more we come out the better for us.

 

I think gay men live more responsible and successful lives then the general straight man.

 

I agree with your 1st statement whole heartedly. But can you really be serious about the second? It reminds me of a therapist I had who said he knew he was gay at the age of 8, had always been glad of being gay, had never wanted to be straight, and thought gay men were better than straight men. As a gay male still having trouble accepting being gay- although I'm doing better I emailed my siblings last year and had one of them tell my Mom because I was too chickensh-t to do it- but you can see how the therapist and I might not have fit well together.

 

I'm not willing to say most gay men are worse than straight guys- but c'mon there are good guys of both denominations. Neither has a lock on goodness or badness. And in fact my father, uncle, brother, male cousins, and nephew are all stand up family guys devoted to their families. I wish I were as stand up a guy as they all are.

 

Gman