American soccer player Robbie Rogers has openly announced that he is gay. It is a piece of news that can rock sports fans to the core, given the high testosterone, high adrenaline nature of the world he moves around in.
Rising Star in Soccer
Rogers was the former midfielder of the US national team. His most recent play was for Stevenage, a 3rd division English team, amid screaming fans – mostly females who are most certainly shocked to hear Rogers’ most recent revelation. The sad part about this is that the athlete will be turning his back against the sport to discover himself. He also did not give a definite time frame as to how long his leave of absence will be, or if he’s ever coming back at all.
Rogers has had an impressive run so far, having played 5 seasons for the US team in Major League Soccer. He gave Coach Jurgen Klinsmann his first goal in 2011. Jim Buzinksi, a founder of OutSports.com said Rogers’ exit from the field is disappointing because of the circumstances.
Acceptance from Soccer Fans
Rogers used his personal blog to make the announcement. He also talked about his fear of being rejected by family and loved ones who may not be able to accept who he is and what he wants to become. The 25-year old athlete said he lived his entire life in fear. It seems though that his decision to leave the sport indefinitely is still being propelled by his fear of being looked at differently by his fellow players.
While Rogers wallows in uncertainty, his announcement was received with open arms by other athletes who have come out before him. Former professional soccer player David Testo, who announced he was gay in 2011, is one of them. Testo came out after finishing his career with the Montreal Impact. Fellow athletes sent Rogers tweets of support. Former US defender Eddie Pope, lauded Rogers for being brave. Benny Feilhaber, Rogers teammate in the 2008 United States Olympic team, tweeted him a message saying he was proud to call Rogers his friend.
While the sports community appears accepting and supportive of Rogers announcement, his family has decided to keep mum about it. His sister Alicia Nunn declined to be interviewed and refused to make a comment about the news. Rogers’ younger brother Timothy, for his part, said they are extremely proud of Robbie and everything he has accomplished.
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