Mark Cuban not only applauds Magic Johnson for supporting his gay son and welcoming a gay player on his Los Angeles Dodgers, the billionaire Mavericks owner said he would do the “exact same thing.”
In an interview with TMZ, Cuban said, “I would do it the exact same way. I’ve been saying the same thing for years. There will be somebody who comes out. It’ll be a great moment for sports.”
He added, “I would be honored if he was on my team.”
Cuban acknowledged that the sporting world is still wrestling with the acceptance of homosexual culture, but “things have changed, significantly, in that the players would accept him.”
“All professional sports have had their homophobic missteps along the way, it’s a new era, a new generation and the player would be accepted. I think we are starting, at least on the edges, to break down those barriers,” he said. “I applaud Magic for being willing to step out and show leadership like he always has.”
Yesterday, the Lakers legend told TMZ about his love and support for his gay son EJ, who recently went public with his reported boyfriend.
Meanwhile, advocate Brendon Ayanbadejo says up to four NFL players will come out as gay in the near future.
“I think it will happen sooner than you think,” the former Ravens special teams ace, who was cut this week, told the Baltimore Sun on Friday morning.
“We’re in talks with a handful of players who are considering it. There are up to four players being talked to right now and they’re trying to be organized so they can come out on the same day together.”
Ayanbadejo said that if multiple players came out it would be a lot easier to deal with some of the negative reaction that could come from around the league and from the outside the sport.
“It would make a major splash and take the pressure off one guy. It would be a monumental day if a handful or a few guys come out,” said Ayanbadejo, who was honored, along with Vikings punter Chris Kluwe, at a Straight for Equality Gala in New York on Thursday night.
“Of course, there would be backlash. If they could share the backlash, it would be more positive. It’s cool. It’s exciting. We’re in talks with a few guys who are considering it. The NFL and organizations are already being proactive and open if a player does it and if something negative happens. We’ll see what happens.”