Gay hockey players are changg the sport’s atavistic culture - Outsports

gay hockey player in nhl

Le Prokop said feels much longer than a year sce he beme the first player unr ntract to an NHL team to e out as gay.

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JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS' KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE COACH TO COME OUT AS GAY MAJOR U.S. SPORTS

Jacksonville Jaguars ach Kev Maxen, who joed the team last year, me out publicly as gay an terview wh Outsports published on Thursday, beg the first ach a U.S. men’s profsnal league to do so" emprop="scriptn * gay hockey player in nhl *

The NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars strength ach, Kev Maxen, has e out as gay — makg him the first male ach a U. While Maxen is believed to be the first male ach to have e out publicly as gay, there have been a few female ach U. When to players, there have only been 16 the history of the NFL to e out as gay or bisexual as of September 2022, per Outsports.

20-year-old Prokop, the first openly gay player wh a ntract unr the NHL, penned a thoughtful msage about players the league who have opposed wearg pri jerseys or g rabow stick tape durg their teams' annual pri events. Prokop me out as gay 2021, one year after beg selected by the Nashville team the 2020 NHL Draft. "Today I am proud to publicly tell everyone that I am gay.

OPENLY GAY NHL PROSPECT LE PROKOP CALLS OUT LACK OF 'INCLN' AFTER PLAYERS BOYTT PRI NIGHT

Bayne Pettger, NHL's first openly gay hockey player agent, says the league's recent cisn to ban teams om donng Pri jerseys uld alienate the queer muny and disurage their participatn and support the game. * gay hockey player in nhl *

Provorov’s polarizg cisn is remiscent of Tampa Bay Rays pchers who were labeled "bigots" for clg to wear gay pri patch durg an LGBTQ celebratn June. He poted out that the NHL has never had a sgle openly gay player history. Canadian sports pund Sid Seixeiro lled on the NHL to fe the Flyers "$1 ln, " NHL Network senr reporter EJ Hrak suggted the Rsia-born Flyer player should go back to his homeland and jo the fight agast Ukrae if participatg Pri events is "that problematic for him, " ESPN senr NHL wrer Greg Wyshynski lled out Provorov for prevly participatg the Flyers' ary appreciatn event and a plethora of other high-profile punds have nounced him as, who is gay, feels the pivot om simply tryg to make the game more clive to force-feedg activism on athlet has a negative impact.

CALLG PRI JERSEYS A DISTRACTN IS SENDG THE WRONG MSAGE, SAYS NHL'S FIRST OPENLY-GAY AGENT

Bayne Pettger, NHL's first openly gay hockey player agent, says the league's recent cisn to ban teams om donng Pri jerseys uld alienate the queer muny and disurage their participatn and support the game. * gay hockey player in nhl *

Casey Flor, a gay Republin activist, believ attempts to embrace the LGBTQ muny are often "exclnary" bee voic of relig mori aren’t nsired.

"I'm really disappoted, as a gay man wh that, bee we all have to get along. "What the left miss is that this is the greatt untry the world and this is the greatt untry the world to be gay . We n marry, we n adopt, and we nnot be fired for beg gay, and I don't know what more they want, " Flor ntued.

CALLG PRI JERSEYS A DISTRACTN IS SENDG THE WRONG MSAGE, SAYS NHL'S FIRST OPENLY-GAY AGENT

Prokop, who was drafted by the Nashville Predators last year, me out as gay wh a heartfelt statement to fans this week, an admissn he said he hoped would improve gay visibily wh the hockey muny. * gay hockey player in nhl *

Dpe his profsnal succs, however, the 36-year-old says he feared he uldn't be accepted as a gay man the sport.

"There was always this fear that I uldn't live my te life — to be accepted as a gay man — and also be a succsful young executive the game. The first openly gay NHL agent, Bayne Pettger, dropped by the CBC Victoria stud to share his NHL has always had this stereotype of beg an old boys club, not beg able to grow. Wnipeg LGBTQ advot disappoted followg NHL's cisn to ban themed jerseysYou are the first openly gay NHL agent, and I know you work wh many players, but you're also iends wh many players this league.

Jt keepg foced on the posive, bee we n go down that rabb hole of five players of 700 … that's not a player's boytt of team's Pri night tribute 'disrpectful' to gay muny: agentCan you take back three years ago to what that was like for you on a personal level, given the role you play a huge league like the NHL, to e out? I had a massive fear that I uldn't be succsful hockey and be gay, bee I didn't see anyone before me dog that.

NHL PROSPECT LE PROKOP OUT AS GAY, A FIRST FOR THE LEAGUE

* gay hockey player in nhl *

Unwele spotlight falls on NHL team Pri night eventsMy biggt fear was that I uldn't work hockey and be succsful and be gay, but fact 's been que the oppose.

If a certa percentage of the populatn is queer, we need to have those seats at the table of Hockey 's Pri nights lli wh LGBTQ+ polil climateEveryone always asked me when we were gog to see the first gay NHL player.

There's an agent and a player that are gay and thrivg hockey, so why n't I? The power of visibily shows young LGBTQ athlet ’s possible to thrive as their te selv, spe the prevalence of sual homophobia and other anti-gay attus some rners of the sports world. Gat wr about how hearg “faggot” on the ice was a mon occurrence growg up, and that “llg someone gay was as much a part of youth hockey as parents yellg about a missed penalty.

NHL PLAYER'S BOYTT OF TEAM'S PRI NIGHT TRIBUTE 'DISRPECTFUL' TO GAY MUNY: AGENT

Many gay male hockey players and officials me out on Outsports this year. Together, they’re makg the sport’s culture more clive. * gay hockey player in nhl *

But that msage is unrcut when players don’t buy , and teams pulate to their homophobia.

PROKOP REFLECTS ON YEAR SCE G OUT AS GAY

Natnal Hockey League prospect Le Prokop me out as gay via a heartfelt statement to fans Monday, sayg he hoped would improve gay visibily wh the hockey muny.

“I hope that sharg who I am I n help other people see that gay people are wele the hockey muny, as we work to make sure that hockey is tly for everyone, ” he wrote. Prokop hasn’t played an NHL game yet, but if he do, he’ll jo que a small club: There have only been two openly gay active players the four largt US sports leagu – Carl Nassib of the NFL’s Las Vegas Rairs, who me out last month, and Jason Colls, an NBA veteran who me out 2013 and retired the followg season.

GAY MALE HOCKEY PLAYERS ARE G OUT DROV, AND CHANGG THE SPORT’S CULTURE

Homophobic language is often ed among ach and players on youth sports teams. This n evolve to lastg homophobic attus or e gay players to hi their sexualy om their teammat, said Erik Denison, a behavral scientist and lead rearcher on the Sport Incln Project at Monash Universy Atralia, a June terview wh CNN.

"'Wearg Pri lours shows rpect': You Can Play rponds to Provorov boytt of Flyers' tributeBayne Pettger, a Toronto-based NHLPA certified player agent who me out as gay 2020, said he was disappoted by Provorov's cisn to e his platform for "sentially a prott" that sends a msage to hockey fans and his teammat who did take part the warmup. "I found selfish and ankly disrpectful towards the gay muny.

REPORT: NHL ACTUALLY HAS HAD HUNDREDS OF OPENLY GAY PLAYERS FOR YEARS

"He says the NHL has ma great stris when to makg the sport more clive — the league's Hockey is for Everyone iative enurag teams to celebrate the diversy that exists their rpective markets — but Provorov's actns signal somethg prospect Le Prokop announc he's gay"I get asked all the time, 'When is an NHL player gog to e out? The play-by-play broadster for Uti, the New Jersey Devils' Amerin Hockey League affiliate, publicly me out as gay October 2021, fluenced by Prokop's cisn.

"I want to be the first openly gay player to play the NHL, " he said. A slew of players me out, and wh each announcement, showed gay people belong on the ice. Gay former hockey player Brock McGillis spoke to Outsports multiple tim this year about the prevalence of homophobia locker rooms.

Durg the quiet of the sprgtime sports shutdowns, two well-known NHL players, Stanley Cup champn Dt Penner and wger Brendan Leipsic, were ught postg horribly homophobic and misogynistic msag on social media.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* GAY HOCKEY PLAYER IN NHL

Prokop reflects on year sce g out as gay | .

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