Off Season Workout

 Let's get this clear out of the gate: I am not a Raiders fan. Not when they were in Oakland. Or in Los Angeles. Or in Las Vegas. For me, they are the football franchise approximation of green eggs and ham. Not in a box. Not with a fox. Not on a boat. Not with a goat. On any given Sunday, my favorite team is the one that is playing against the (Insert City Name Here) Raiders. The bitter rivalry that exists to this day between the team of my youth, the Denver Broncos, and the meandering Raiders has been the stuff that making arbitrary pronouncements is all about. For all their whining about "The Tuck Rule" and "The Immaculate Reception," this group of silver and black bad boys have made the most of their reputation for playing on the razor's edge of what is legal in the sport. Hence their exalted leader's exultation, "Just win, baby."

That being said, I figure I can carve out a little bit of respect for at least one member of their roster: Defensive End Carl Nassib. Carl chose the middle of Pride Month to post a video of himself on Instagram in which he announced, “I just wanted to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while now but finally feel comfortable enough to get it off my chest. I really have the best life, I’ve got the best family, friends and job a guy can ask for.” And, if you happen to be keeping score at home, Carl is the very first active National Football League player to come out. Ever. 

David Kopay, a running back who played with the San Francisco Forty-Niners for eight seasons, was the first NFL player to come out publicly, but he did so only after his retirement. That was way back in 1975. In 2018, former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Jeff Rohrer was married to Joshua Ross, thus becoming the first NFL player to have a same-sex marriage. 

So, if you're doing the math and thinking that this is a pretty tiny percentage of a sample that is quite large, you might understand why this is a big deal. The stigma of being "that guy" in the macho world of professional sports is a heady thing, even in the evolved world of 2021. To their credit, the Los Vegangeloland Raiders responded from their Twitter account, saying "We're proud of you, Carl," and then a big black heart emoji.  

For now, we'll just go ahead and call this a win, baby.