| |||||||
| |||||||
Billy Bean's recent cameo as himself on HBO's Arli$$ -- advising a fictional gay athlete to stay in the closet to protect his career -- has gay sports fans at each others' throats.
Some want ''gay excommunication'' for Bean, the San Diego Padre outfielder who quit Major League Baseball in 1995 and came out of the closet three years later after moving to South Florida.
'I have to wonder aloud why he has become the self-appointed Mother Superior dispensing well-intentioned but poorly reasoned -- and ultimately, detrimental -- `blanket advice' for every gay athlete in professional sports,'' writes ''Fielderschoice'' on Outsports.com, a popular Internet discussion site for gay sports fans and athletes.
Others are sympathetic toward Bean, who travels the country speaking about how being a closeted gay man in professional sports nearly ruined his life.
''What if Billy Bean's opinion is his honest, unvarnished take on things?'' responds ''BoSoxRudy.'' ``You can attack his credibility all you want, but he's played Major League Baseball, and (I'm guessing) you never have and never will.''
Bean, 38, takes the controversy in stride, a bit surprised by the fallout from his two-minute July 21 appearance on Arli$$.
The former baseball player said he was simply ``trying to give people a realistic image of what would happen on July 21, 2002 . . . for someone coming out.''
''Overnight, [New York Mets catcher] Mike Piazza wouldn't be able to play at a certain level, if he was gay,'' said Bean, who expects to soon announce a book deal about his own experiences. ``If people put pressure on one superstar athlete whose coming out experience is negative -- let's say his career ends -- then it will have a negative effect on hundreds or thousands of people.''
No male professional baseball, football or basketball player has ever publicly come out of the closet while still active.
Several months ago, the Arli$$ team invited Bean to guest on the show.
''They called me, of course,'' Bean said. ``They wanted to see what I looked like.''
Bean then had several discussions with series executive producer Robert Wuhl, who also stars as sports agent Arliss Michaels.
''I said, if I'm playing myself, I want to know what's coming out of my mouth as written,'' Bean said.
The episode's premise: A star baseball player wants to come out of the closet and Arliss seeks advice from Bean, who warns that the athlete's career will be ruined if he announces he is gay.
Arliss decides to support the athlete whatever his decision, but the ballplayer chooses on his own to stay in the closet, after hearing teammates make homophobic comments.
''It's funny, Arliss seemed more supportive than Billy about this,'' said Jim Buzinski, chief executive officer of Outsports.com. ``The straight agent was cool about it, but the gay player was dumping water on it.''
Buzinski, a former sports editor for The Long Beach Press-Telegram in California, launched Outsports.com in 2000. In June, the site counted about 750,000 webpage views by Internet surfers.
Outsports' Bean discussion board is ''the most popular one of recent vintage,'' Buzinski said.
''It's still rare to have the subject of gays in pro sports discussed (on television),'' Buzinski said. ``To have an openly gay former player on the show portraying himself was unique. The writing on the show was provocative enough to have people feel strongly on both sides of the issue.''
Buzinski, 42, one of the country's few openly gay sports editors, said he was disappointed by Bean's scripted advice to the gay player.
'If someone said, `I wanted to do this,' it would be nice to hear words of encouragement,'' Buzinski said. '[Bean] simply says `Career suicide. Shouldn't happen.' ''
That's fine, according to Bean, but not realistic.
Gay Major League Baseball players who come out stand to lose millions of dollars in income, he said.
''[Gay athletes] are trying to make a living. Sometimes, you just have to keep your private life private,'' said Bean, a Miami Beach resident who lives with his partner of seven years, restaurateur Efrain Veiga.
''They don't pay you when you come out of the closet,'' said Bean, who dabbles in acting and now makes a living selling real estate. ``There's no social system that supports you if something bad happens.''
To contact Steve Rothaus, call 305-376-3770, or send him faxes at 305-376-5287. Notices can be mailed to: Steve Rothaus, 1 Herald Plaza, Fifth Floor, Miami, FL 33132. The column is online at www.miami.com Click on the 'Gay South Florida' link.
Close Window to Return to TBC Web Site
