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| Chuck doesn't care what you're into as long as you win. |
On Mike Wise's radio show, Barkley said: "First of all, every player has played with gay guys. It bothers me when I hear these reporters and jocks get on TV and say: ‘Oh, no guy can come out in a team sport. These guys would go crazy.’ First of all, quit telling me what I think. I’d rather have a gay guy who can play than a straight guy who can’t play.” Barkley's comments came in response to Suns President Rick Welts' admission that he is gay.
Barkley's words stand in stark contrast with other current and former NBA stars who have made remarks that would discourage anyone from coming out. In 2007, ex-player Tim Hardaway said he hates gay people. That same year, LeBron James said he couldn't trust a gay teammate who wasn't open about his sexuality. In 2011, Kobe Bryant was fined $100,000 for using a gay slur toward a referee.
It's hard to say what Barkley's comments will mean for the future of gay athletes, but it marks the first time that a high profile hall of famer has dismissed homosexuality in sports as not being a big deal. Sir Charles is many things - laughably bad golfer, erstwhile Alabama gubernatorial candidate and amusing television analyst. What he is not is a liar. Barkley has said a lot of ridiculous (and sometimes offensive) stuff over the years, but he always seems to mean what he says. This could prove a watershed moment for acceptance in all sports, or it could be forgotten next week - swept away by the flow of hourly news cycles. At the very least, gay athletes will know that one very large (in every sense) former star athlete doesn't have a problem with them. And that is a big step.
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