Bleacher Report - Articles by Onalee Carson

Acceptance of Gay Athletes Increasing?

Onalee Carson — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:07:00 -0400

Casually flipping through the Sept. 29 issue of Sports Illustrated, you may or may not have caught the blurb about the new reality show on Logo—Shirts & Skins.

The show follows a gay basketball team, The Rockdogs, what the typical reality confessionals. While the topics expected to come out of this show concern homosexual issues at hand for non-athletes, SI writer Adam Duerson writes, "the Rockdogs have talent, and the show's basketball action is strong." The producers of Shirts & Skins may know something the rest of us don't—is the sports world becoming more accepting of homosexual athletes?

Not so fast.

According to Outsports.com, a website dedicated to becoming the most informative gay sports community, recently published an article starting that out of the 10,708 athletes of the Beijing Olympics, only 10 are publicly gay.

Considering the number of homosexuals in the entire population, doesn't this number seem unusually low?

Outsports.com writer Jim Buzinski makes it clear that those 10 athletes are the only ones determined to be "publicly out" or "having discussed their sexuality openly in some manner."

However, Buzinski suggests that if the percentage of homosexuals in sports mirrors that of the entire population, the number of gay athletes who participated in the Beijing Olympics should have been between 107 and 1,070 athletes (the percentage of homosexuals within the entire population is between two and ten percent.)

It is clear that the low amount of "publicly gay" athletes at the Olympics may be due to a still hostile sports world where homosexuality isn't accepted—but those numbers don't seem to match either.

In 2005, Sports Illustrated released a poll about homosexuality in sports in which 979 people among the general population were interviewed. None of the information collected in this poll seemed to jump out in a negative way—no overwhelming consensus banning gay athletes from the world of sports.

While 78 percent agreed that it is okay for gay athletes to participate in sports, even if they are open about their sexuality, 68 percent did say that it would hurt an athlete's career if he or she was openly gay.

Now the Beijing numbers are making sense (it is hard to believe that the numbers from the SI poll would change the dramatically over three years.)

While there isn't a movement to discriminate gay athletes who participate in sports, there seems to be discouragement against being open about one's sexuality.

But is that any different than an athlete's shenanigans off the field negatively affecting our view of him or her? While this seems to be another debate along the lines of whether an athlete's private life should be of any interest to fans, it's interesting that the way we're exposed to publicly gay athletes is not through the sports clips, but through a reality show.

WWE Raw: Sport? Maybe Not, But That's Not the Point

Onalee Carson — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:14:21 -0400

Even as a huge sports fan, I never thought I would find myself at the FedEx Forum last Monday night sporting a "Show Me Kofi" poster, booing wrestlers, and just generally screaming my head off along side die-hard fans.

Yes, I was at WWE Raw.

I'm not going to lie, Raw was my first real experience with professional wrestling apart from memories of boys in sixth grade pretending to body slam each other on the playground. And—that's kind of how I see it still.

While I know I am probably not alone in my possible misunderstanding of this organization, I also know that FedEx Forum was full of individuals that would likely challenge me to a cage match if they heard me say that WWE is nothing more than entertainment with athletic components—or would they?

Like me, many bash professional wrestling for its fake matches, bogus personalities, and contrived drama. However, those of us who automatically shun WWE because we don't see it as a sport forget that maybe others see it that way too. One of the announcers called WWE "the largest traveling entertaining juggernaut" in America.

What I saw Monday night was more than entertainment, it was a culture. Entire families were present, all walks of life, all ethnicities—it was amazing.

While I can't say that I am now a convert to professional wrestling, I can now take it for what it is—entertainment—and quit bashing it for not being something I think it should be.

Joe Mather: A Presence in the Memphis Redbirds' Clubhouse, Even When on the DL

Onalee Carson — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 02:13:42 -0400

Coming into a fresh season, Joe Mather offers a definite presence in the Memphis Redbirds’ clubhouse, and I’m not just talking about the presence linked to his size (the guy is 6’4”!)

Mather commanded the attention of the Cardinals’ organization when, after being stranded below Double-A for six seasons, he emerged as a possible Major Leaguer this Spring Training.

Joe made it onto the Cardinals’ radar after a stand-out season at Double-A Springfield where he hit .303 with 18 home runs and 46 RBI.

Mather was promoted to Triple-A Memphis on June 20 of last summer. After taking some time to adjust, Mather ended up with a Triple-A average of .241 with 13 home runs and 31 RBI.

He was added to the 40-man roster in November and knew coming into Spring Training that he would be working with the big league club.

“I mean I knew I was going to be going to camp by about mid-offseason, so I pretty much prepared myself to come out and try to do as good as I could early, and I remember Tony told me early in camp that he was going to try to get me some ABs in the first couple of weeks. It was kind of my opportunity to do something , luckily I got some pitches and some opportunities.”

With the release of Scott Spiezio at the beginning of Spring Training, there seemed to be a legitimate reason for the Cardinals to give Mather a chance.

In fact, on many forums and fan sites, it was argued who had more upside: Brendan Ryan or Mather. While they are two totally different players, I’d venture to say that Mather is the one with the upper hand, especially in the long run.

Mather’s versatility is a large reason why the guys up North might be interested.

Joe, currently an outfielder, was originally drafted as a SS and played short and third quite a bit his first couple of seasons. He also has significant experience playing first.

“I think I’ll probably take ground balls for the rest of my career whether I’m playing there or not on the team I’m at just knowing that people look at guys that can play more than one position, infield or outfield…the more positions I can play the more opportunities happen.”

That experience—the elevation of his career—seems to put Mather at ease in Memphis for the start of this season.

There is something different in the way Joe Mather carries himself around Autozone Park this year, and that something different is confidence.

“In Double-A I was one of the older guys, and I came up here and I was by far one of the younger guys…I didn’t really know what was acceptable because our team in Springfield was a bunch of kids and I was the older guy like ‘calm down a little bit.’ I feel a little bit more so in a leadership role, not a leader by any means, but more so in a leader role than some of the other guys because I was here last year…[I] probably [have] a lot more confidence.”

Joe points out that his improved confidence isn’t the only thing that has changed from last year’s team. The 2008 Redbirds are pretty different from last year, and Mather notes the potential in this years’ younger team.

“It’s different, we have more young guys…and the older guys seem to be taking a liking to that. It kind of takes them back to when they were younger, and it’s just a good atmosphere in the clubhouse. It’s just more fun. If you’re having more fun, you’re going to do better individually…if you do better individually, the team’s going to be better.”

I have no doubt that Joe’s theory is correct—that the success of the team is tied to the attitude of the players.

I look forward to watching the more energetic Redbirds bring some wins to Memphis this summer—especially if those wins are a result of Joe’s big bat.

Mather is currently on the DL with a sore back, and I know his teammates are just itching to have him back in the lineup—and matching last year's numbers.

Kansas Jayhawks Silence Memphis... Both the Team and the City

Onalee Carson — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 12:01:36 -0400

As a Kansas girl living in Memphis, last night's game was entirely too stressful for me. I love the city of the blues, but I wasn't quite eager to trade my Jayhawk blue for Tiger blue (although they really don't differ in color). I must admit that I remained indifferent towards either team until I actually turned the game on last night. While I might be from Kansas, I have always rooted for K-State over the Jayhawks. Along the same lines, I didn't feel like hopping on the Memphis bandwagon even though everyone else in the city was. However, as soon as I flipped the tv channel, my roots started pulling at me and I found myself chanting "Rock Chalk Jayhawk, K-U" while my roommate quarantined herself in her room to watch the same game (she was rooting for Memphis).

Overall, the game was so intense that I had to move all objects that could possibly stain our white carpet out of arms length. When Chalmers launched the trifecta with 10 seconds to go, I didn't want to celebrate too loudly. I heard the sounds of frustration from my neighbors when Joey Dorsey fouled out and when CDR and Derrick Rose missed their foul shots. By the end of the game, I had heard enough screams of anguish from my neighbors in the next building that I knew gloating was out of the question for the morning. That was confirmed when there seemed to be a thick cloud in the air as I left for class; the city was silent and no one wanted to talk about the night before. No longer was I a Jayhawk fan excited about the team's win, but in a way I felt for my fellow Memphians.

The whole city of Memphis was riding on this team, and many have said that the city needed the win just as much or more than the university. I read somewhere that the city identified with this team: seemingly never given credit for the good things accomplished, being perceived as made up of "thugs," etc. I don't know if I agree with this statement, but I could see where many in Memphis might. It is unfortunate that Memphis was so close, so very close; but in retrospect I feel like the path to the championship is way more important than the outcome...and that's what Tiger fans need to turn to. Memphis had a Cinderella season, but midnight struck a few seconds too soon.

I'd venture to say that Coach Cal will be running free throw drills from now until eternity.

Give 'em the Old Razzle Dazzle: A Chat with Colby Rasmus

Onalee Carson — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:41:04 -0400

Photo courtesy of Jeff Roberson with Associated Press.

The minute I walked into the Cardinals' complex in Jupiter, FL I knew that I was unlike any of the other media members. Yes, I was a girl; yes, I was the youngest one by about 20 years; but the real reason: I was a fan. For the week of spring break, I was able to be the ultimate baseball bum with an inside peek, watching workouts, batting practice and the odd down time between practice and the daily games. What more do fans want to know about their favorite players than what they do and talk about in the down time of Spring Training? Or more interestingly, don’t fans, especially Cardinals fans, want to know about the future of their team? Therefore, I bring you inside information on one of the most intriguing Cardinals names: Colby Rasmus.

Colby Rasmus is the number one prospect in the Cardinals organization, and is expected to be the next coming of Jimmy Ballgame. Many fans were hoping that Rasmus would make the rare jump from Double-A to the Majors this spring; however, Rasmus has recently been sent down to minor league camp, and is expected to be the starting centerfielder here in Memphis. For many Cardinals fans living in Memphis, the first half of the Redbirds season (hopefully Rasmus will be here at least that long) with the myth of Rasmus patrolling the outfield will be more incredible than Rick Ankiel’s stint here last season. While at Spring Training, I gladly interviewed Colby Rasmus in the hopes of learning more about the one referred to as Razzle Dazzle.

Rasmus is only 21 years old and is the oldest of baseball-fanatic family of four boys (his younger brother Cory is a pitcher within the Braves organization). Due to years of a barren crop of prospects in the Cardinals organization, to most fans, Colby feels like a myth. Rasmus hails from Phenix City, AL and was drafted in the first round by the Cardinals right out of high school. As a pitcher in high school as well as a centerfielder, Rasmus was once clocked throwing 90 mph from centerfield. As the story goes, the Yankees tried to pick up Rasmus as a pitcher, but he was determined to pitch no more; he turned down the Yankees and said that he was not going to be drafted as a pitcher, no matter what. Cardinals fans are now rejoicing over the then 18 year old’s boldness.

Rasmus knows what he is capable of, and there is no denying the hint of an ego when talking to him; however, he does say that he is still having a difficult time talking about himself all of the time. He was more apt to talk about his parents and brothers than himself. However, I was able to get some interesting tid-bits out of him.

“I’m from Alabama, and I don’t hunt,” said Rasmus of something most people don’t know about him. This was really funny because the day before I had had an extended conversation with pitcher Ryan Franklin about hunting. Rasmus says that he isn’t a redneck at all, and rather than driving a truck like the typical Alabaman, he drives two BMWs. In his downtime, Rasmus likes to play Halo…doesn’t sound much different than a lot of 21 year olds. However, it is clear that Rasmus has always thought he was going to play professional baseball. “I’d probably be sitting on the couch right now,” said Erasmus when asked what he would do if he wasn’t playing baseball. I prodded him with questions of college and other careers, but baseball is undoubtedly his life: “I guess I’d be in school. I guess I would be a P.E. coach or something…coach baseball most likely.”

The question of Colby’s life outside of baseball is far beside the point for die-hard Cardinals fans…everyone is hoping that this confident baseball player turns out to be the real deal. The good thing is that those of us here in Memphis will get an up-close look at this exciting prospect who will likely be a mainstay in St. Louis for years to come.