Dennis Rodman Thinks 10-20% Of Pro Athletes Are Gay, Says ‘It’s Cool People Are Coming Out’
Dennis Rodman is making headlines again, and this time it’s not for his relationship with North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un.
Rodman was making the rounds promoting the ESPN 30-for-30 documentary "Rodman: For Better or Worse" when he talked about homosexual athletes with Business Insider.
He believes 10 to 20 percent of professional athletes are gay and says it’s time for more gay athletes to come out.
In the four major men’s professional sports there are no currently active, openly gay players.
Rodman thinks they are there and should be allowed to live openly and freely.
"I don't know why people haven't came out before. It's cool that people are coming out being, you know, gay or homosexual or whatever, lesbian and stuff like that."
The “why” is fairly simple.
The locker rooms and culture surrounding men’s professional sports have not been kind, to put it mildly, to the LGBTQ+ community in the past.
The fear of being ostracized and one's livelihood being taken away is what has stopped athletes from coming out.
During Rodman’s playing career, many people questioned his sexuality.
There was the infamous 1995 Sports Illustrated cover story, where he gave his thoughts on sexuality.
He opened up about dressing in drag, partying at gay clubs, and having sexual fantasies about men.
Many assume he is gay.
"I was, you know, doing all the drag clubs, I was dressing in drag. I was dressing in women's clothes, I was doing lingerie and stuff like that, and people in the gay community started embracing me. If you're gay, I didn't give a damn."
Rodman says he’s not gay, but ultimately that doesn’t matter. The larger point is that people should feel safe to be themselves.
Rodman believes 10-20% of players in the NBA and all of pro sports are gay.
"I wouldn't be surprised, literally, I've said it all along, if 10% or 20% of people in the NBA, or any sports, [are] gay. I wouldn't be surprised. It wouldn't shock me at all. I think today, it wouldn't shock anyone. I think that'd be more acceptable now than anything.”
