Openly Gay Basketball Player Makes NCAA Tournament History

(Photo by Frank Franklin II, AP)

Derrick Gordon of the Seton Hall Pirates is the first openly gay NCAA Division 1 basketball player. The Pirates won the Big East tournament on Saturday, and I confess I was cheering for them despite the fact that they were playing Villanova, my alma mater. Now they head into March Madness, as do the Wildcats. ThinkProgress reports.

Derrick has shone since coming out at UMass Amherst. His transfer to Seton Hall gave him a chance to play for a top team. The embrace of him by both schools’ teams is a reminder that collegiate athletes are a lot more advanced in accepting gay players than the guys in the offices at professional sports teams. The new generation gets it. Their elders have some learning to do.