Jocks 2: Coming Out to Play

by Dan Woog

 

Jocks 2: Coming Out to Play

Dan Woog

Alyson Publications

 

Dan Woog’s Jocks 2: Coming Out to Play, was released by Alyson Publications as a sequel to Woog’s landmark, Jocks: True Stories of America’s Gay Male Athletes, which dared to take a look past the locker room door at gays in the world of sports.

Athletes of all types, 32 in fact, share their stories in this 253-page paperback. Some play(ed) on the field, such as University of Pittsburgh left offensive tackle Ed Gallagher and professional snowboarder Ryan Miller. Some play(ed) behind the scenes, such as Oberlin’s Athletic Director Michael Muska and ESPN.com Assistant Editor Bill Konigsberg. This anthology also gives voice to the high school athlete, the fan and those men who practice their skills in the various gay sports organizations.

“When my book, Jocks: True Stories of America’s Gay Male Athletes, was published in 1998, reaction was surprisingly intense,” Woog wrote in the sequel’s introduction. “My premise - that there were far more gay athletes and coaches than anyone suspected - proved to be true. The book struck a chord with a broad range of gay men. Some had spent years, even decades, as closeted jocks, always believing they were the only ones; at last they were thrilled to learn they were not alone. Others, younger, drew inspiration from the fact that they might come out and still be able to run, swim or play hockey or soccer. Still others had liked sports as youngsters but turned away from athletics because the locker room and playing fields were too homophobic to bear. And, of course, there were men who had never thrown a pass or batted a ball but always dreamed about gay jocks. They were excited to discover that some of their fantasies might actually be true.”

Woog, a resident of Westport, Conn., is a journalist, educator, soccer coach and gay activist. He is the author of 11 other books, including Gay Men, Straight Jobs and Schools Out. His articles and essays have appeared in The New York Times, Sports Illustrated and USA Today, and he is a contributing writer for The Advocate magazine.

Jocks 2: Coming Out to Play continues the evidence that gay men play sports too, and quite well, we may add. Perhaps these 32 stories are but the tip of the iceberg of the athletes that are homosexual, whether they admit it to their teammates or not.

(as published in Family & Friends Magazine, January 2003)