Fair Play

February 22, 2016
This important and accessible book about the evolving treatment of LGBTQ athletes in organized sports should be required reading for anyone involved in the playing, coaching, and administration of organized sports. Zeigler, an expert in LGBTQ athletics and cofounder of the online magazine Outsports, revisits key moments that have shaped sports participation for openly LGBTQ athletes. The book includes a profile of Fallon Fox, a transgender mixed martial arts fighter, as well as one on NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin, who became an advocate gay rights to honor his deceased older sibling, who “had been either transgender or a crossdressing gay man.” Zeigler describes the moment in 2007 when former NBA first-round draft choice Tim Hardaway told a talk radio host that he “hate gay people” as “the day the homophobes lost the culture war in sports.” The author debunks the myth that having a nonstraight athlete on a team’s roster is a “distraction” and shares positive stories of younger athletes at high school and college levels who have come out to coaches, teammates, and family members. Zeigler argues that the dominant emotion holding back LGBTQ athletes is fear, reminding them and everyone else that courage is contagious.

April 15, 2016
Outsports.com founder Zeigler gives an account of the great strides LGBTQ athletes have made in the sports world over the last 15 years. Before 2000, most professional LGBTQ athletes remained closeted for fear that revealing their homosexuality would end their sports careers. However, as the author documents in this overview, "the last decade has been colored in rainbows by young athletes...who [have] dared to be themselves." In the 1970s, a few individuals, such as tennis legends Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King, came out. By the turn of the century, other professional athletes, such as baseball player Billy Bean and defensive lineman Esera Tuaolo, also did so, but only after they had retired. Not until NBA basketball player John Amaechi publicly disclosed his homosexuality in 2007 did gay athletes and the issues pertaining to them come to the fore of mainstream professional sports. In this book, Zeigler tells stories of the fears and anxieties that both college and professional athletes have faced along the path to acceptance by their teammates. He reveals how language used among otherwise tolerant heterosexual athletes to denote weakness compounds the intensity of the inner struggles of their gay counterparts. At the same time, he points to examples of straight individuals like football Hall of Famer Michael Irvin who have actively supported the gay sports movement by speaking about the need for "equality for all." While Zeigler believes it is imperative that more LGBTQ athletes come out, he also makes clear that public outing is not justified if an individual is not ready to deal with the ensuing media exposure. Lively and provocative, the book not only offers a much-needed perspective on what until recently has been one of the last bastions of heterosexism. It is also significant for its conscious consideration of how current developments will impact LGBTQ athletes of tomorrow. An informative, necessary work.

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April 15, 2016
Zeigler is the cofounder of the online magazine Outsports, and he is a vocal and respected advocate for the LGBT sports community. Here he pens a series of essays about athletes who have come out, noting the misguided homophobia in the locker-room culture of sports, and the important role that straight athletes can play in the gay movement. He harshly criticizes former NFL coach and TV commentator Tony Dungy not only for his homophobic statements during Michael Sam's coming out in the NFL but also for his adamant stance against gay marriage. He lauds NFL players such as Michael Irvin and Ahman Green for their enlightened view of gay athletes and their argument for inclusiveness rather than banishment. Zeigler also recounts inspiring stories of high-school athletes coming out and finding acceptance from their local communities. Well researched, timely, and provocative, Zeigler's book provides readers with candid personal accounts of the struggles and triumphs of LGBT athletes across a wide spectrum of the sports world.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)