Sheryl Swoopes, tell me it ain't so.

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Anton Bruckner

Puritan Board Professor
Sheryl Swoopes, tell me it ain\'t so.

WNBA star Sheryl Swoopes comes out: 'I'm tired of having to pretend'
October 26, 2005

NEW YORK (AP) -- Houston Comets forward Sheryl Swoopes is opening up about being a lesbian, telling a magazine that she's ``tired of having to hide my feelings about the person I care about.''

Swoopes, honored last month as the WNBA's Most Valuable Player, told ESPN The Magazine for a story on newsstands Wednesday that she didn't always know she was gay and fears that coming out could jeopardize her status as a role model.

``Do I think I was born this way? No,'' Swoopes said. ``And that's probably confusing to some, because I know a lot of people believe that you are.''

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Swoopes, who was married and has an 8-year-old son, said her 1999 divorce ``wasn't because I'm gay.''

She said her reason for coming out now is merely because she wants to be honest.

``It's not something that I want to throw in people's faces. I'm just at a point in my life where I'm tired of having to pretend to be somebody I'm not,'' the 34-year-old Swoopes said. ``I'm tired of having to hide my feelings about the person I care about. About the person I love.''

A release from ESPN The Magazine about the story did not disclose the identity of Swoopes' partner.

A five-time All-Star and three-time Olympic gold medalist, Swoopes is the WNBA's only three-time MVP. She played for the Comets during their run of four championships from 1997-2000, but missed the 2001 season with a knee injury.

She said her biggest worry about her revelation is that people will be afraid to look up to her.

``I don't want that to happen,'' she said. ``Being gay has nothing to do with the three gold medals or the three MVPs or the four championships I've won. I'm still the same person. I'm Sheryl.''

Swoopes led the WNBA in scoring last year, averaging 18.6 points. She also averaged 4.3 assists and 2.65 steals while making 85 percent of her free throws and playing a league-high 37.1 minutes a game.

She said it ``irritates'' her that no one talks about gays playing in men's sports, but that it's become an issue in the WNBA.

``Sexuality and gender don't change anyone's performance on the court,'' she said. ``Women play just as hard as guys do. We're just as competitive.''

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[Edited on 10-26-2005 by Slippery]
 
as horrible as this sounds the reality is that she will garner much more honor and praises for being an exceptional "gay" athlete. can someone say, money, money, money.

I always admired the woman as a player during her college years and when the WNBA inaugurated in 1996. But what I can't understand is how she can go from being happily married to now being, "officially gay"?

Surely, they must be something in the water in Houston. Maybe the smoke from the Oil refineries has her thinking a little off.

As for me, my opinion is that she is not gay. She simply got addicted to an immoral lifestyle. I'm sure that it was the other person who introduced and influenced her unto this path, just like how irresponsible friends introduce others to drugs, booze and other vices.

[Edited on 10-26-2005 by Slippery]
 
Interesting thing is she says she wasn't born that way, she turned that way. She will be schooled immediately I am sure on the honosexual party line regarding that.
 
and fears that coming out could jeopardize her status as a role model.

Ya think?! Of course it should.




Sexuality and gender don't change anyone's performance on the court.

So now our talent excuses our immorality. Well, I bet it doesn't with God. She is losing the most important race.

(1Co 9:24) Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.

(1Co 9:25) And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

(1Co 9:26) I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:

(1Co 9:27) But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
 
No, talent doesn't excuse immorality . . . but I don't think that there's anything intrisically wrong with recognizing that someone who is blatantly immoral does have talent. Saying that someone is a great basketball player (even though she's a lesbian), isn't really that different than me saying that a certain professor is a great teacher (even though the professor is an atheistic pagan, who says a lot of stuff I disagree with).
 
Originally posted by Richard King
Interesting thing is she says she wasn't born that way, she turned that way. She will be schooled immediately I am sure on the honosexual party line regarding that.

I would laugh if it weren't so sad. (But true)
 
Originally posted by Puddleglum
No, talent doesn't excuse immorality . . . but I don't think that there's anything intrisically wrong with recognizing that someone who is blatantly immoral does have talent. Saying that someone is a great basketball player (even though she's a lesbian), isn't really that different than me saying that a certain professor is a great teacher (even though the professor is an atheistic pagan, who says a lot of stuff I disagree with).

That is not a great teacher! He may be famous, but not great.

Einstein was famous and used of God I am sure but if you were taken away from God by his teaching it is not great.

[Edited on 10-27-2005 by puritancovenanter]
 
'Sorry folks, maybe I'm just a chauvinest but...
I remain convinced that, regardless of all the hype, a good boys varsity high school team would dog any women's pro basketball team.
When I think of "great" athletes women just don't make the list.
 
Originally posted by SmokingFlax
'Sorry folks, maybe I'm just a chauvinest but...
I remain convinced that, regardless of all the hype, a good boys varsity high school team would dog any women's pro basketball team.
When I think of "great" athletes women just don't make the list.

I too find it very humorous to hear about how "fundamentally sound" the WNBA is and how great the athletes are. I would rather watch paint dry.

There was a study done (which was carefully buried by the Stern propaganda machine) that showed that the "fundamentally sound" WNBA had more travelling, lower field goal percentages, more turnovers, and just about worst statistics in every single "fundamental" category. But when your athletes can't dunk, and don't have the excitement that the men do, you have to cling to something.
 
The WNBA has been marketing itself to the lesbian community officially since 2001 and, frankly, I am as surprised to hear about lesbian WNBA players as I was to hear about actresses Ellen Degeneres or Rosie O'Donnell. Not.
 
The only reason this was a story to me is I thought Swoopes was the heterosexual in the WNBA.

In the ESPM story she said this:

I'm content with who I am and who I'm with. Whether people think that's right, whether they think it's wrong, I don't care. We shouldn't and can't judge each other. I am a Christian, and my biggest dilemma is when people start throwing in the whole religion thing: you're going to hell for this or that. I think that's the hardest thing for my mom to deal with, too. She's into the Bible and church, and I'm concerned about how she's going to deal with her church friends. What are they going to say? What are they going to do?
I
 
Originally posted by puritancovenanter
That is not a great teacher! He may be famous, but not great.

Einstein was famous and used of God I am sure but if you were taken away from God by his teaching it is not great.

Okay, I don't think I explained myself very well, sorry.

I wasn't talking about being famous (necessarily).

Leading someone away from God is definately not a great thing - agreed. :)

When I said "a great teacher", I was thinking about a person's ability to communicate and explain. Someone can be very good at that, and be dead wrong about what they're saying. (And the consequences of that could very well not be great).
So someone could have a lot of athletic ability (be a great athlete), yet be very wrong about other things - not necessarily someone you could call a great person.
 
If you work with young folks much you will find that experimenting with lesbianism is the 'in' thing with female athletes.
 
and these women find encouragement in these activities from men. Many men have warped affinity for bisexual women.
 
Originally posted by Slippery
and these women find encouragement in these activities from men. Many men have warped affinity for bisexual women.

As I was reading the latest Wired magazine there was an article in which appeared a photograph of a man with a T-shirt that said "I like women that like women".

The times they are a' changin.
 
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