Received this from a most loyal fan who is also a sports enthusiast , and didn’t get it posted in a timely manner, but it seems meaningful today.

Though her mention of religion might have rubbed some observers the wrong way, it gave players, fans and others at the university a sense of who she was. But in women’s athletics, where there’s often an undercurrent of homophobia and a sense that female players and coaches need to “prove” they’re straight, Pingeton’s comments, along with what she said a few minutes later, seemed to be sending a message about more than just her faith.

“I’m very blessed to have my staff here,” she said. “This is something very unique, I think, for Division I women’s basketball to have a staff that the entire staff is married with kids. Family is important to us and we live it every day.”

One of those things that just grates on me, and I have to use every fiber of my being to stay calm, is when someone suggests that LGBT’s “throw their sex into everyone’s faces,” as if that never happens with heterosexuals. Get’s me so angry. We often think of men’s sports when the issues of homosexuality comes up, but there are intersections where the players personal lives, and homophobia collide at all levels and for both men and women.

Sports, in general, is almost the “new religion,” and these collisions receive some air time, but little thoughtful commentary. Perhaps because I’m not a basketball fan, but I have no idea why the sexual orientation of the players or the coach would have any affect on how well a team played.

What do you think? Why is Sports an arena- and Women’s Sports in particular- where issues of straight vs gay are played out ?

via News: (Heterosexual) Love and (Women’s) Basketball – Inside Higher Ed.