A wave of gay athletes are coming out of the closet in both college and professional sports, but does it matter in this day and age? Does sexual -orientation matter in sports?

Brooklyn Nets center Jason Collins came out as the first openly gay athlete across the four major North American professional sports.

After Collins came out, we saw former University of Missouri lineman and SEC defensive player of the year Michael Sam come out as gay. He enters the NFL draft in May and if drafted, he will be the first openly gay pro-football player.

We also saw University of Massachusetts guard Derrick Gordon become the first openly gay Division I basketball player last week.

It’s inspiring to see these people come out and publicly embrace their sexuality. But have we come to the idea that sexual orientation is more important than the game?
I hope not.
We should praise someone for scoring the most touchdowns in a game or the most 3-pointers scored on the court – not for their sexual orientation.
We should think about the message we’re sending to children. Yes, it is OK to be gay. You’re born gay. Hopefully that children are not getting the idea that just because you’re gay, the whole world should praise you. That’s not right.
If people would get over the thought that not being straight is a sin, and open their eyes to see everybody is the same, maybe being openly gay wouldn’t matter.
I love gay people just as much as straight people. They are unique like everybody else. So let’s praise them for the awesome people they are and the things they do on and off the court.