Gay In The MLB, Governor Walker’s Record On Local Control, Waukesha Water Debate

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On the campaign trail Governor Scott Walker has promoted shifting power to local governments, but what does his track record say? Our guest breaks down the governor’s policies on transferring control to communities. We also hear both sides of the debate over Waukesha’s Great Lakes water diversion proposal, and talk about Brewers minor leaguer David Denson’s decision to come out publicly as gay, marking a first in MLB history.

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  • Brewers Minor Leaguer Becomes First Openly Gay Active Player In MLB History

    First baseman David Denson with the Milwaukee Brewers’ minor league affiliate in Helena, Montana made baseball history when he came out publicly as gay on Saturday. He is the first-ever active player associated with Major League Baseball to do so.

    Denson came out to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, saying, “There was that stereotype stuck in my head that there would never be a gay player on a team. I was thinking that once they found out, they would shut me out or treat me different.”

    However, according to Denson, both his teammates and coaches were supportive of his announcement and the club published a statement of support.

    “David is a highly respected member of the Milwaukee Brewers family, and he is a very courageous young man,” the statement read. “Our goal for David is to help develop him into a Major League player, just as it is for any player in our system, and we will continue to support him in every way as he chases that dream.”

    Denson told his teammates about a month ago during an impromptu clubhouse conversation sparked by another player jokingly referring to him using a derogatory term for a gay male. Although that kind of language may be commonplace in male sports, Cyd Zeigler, a writer and co-founder of Outsports.com, said it’s not necessarily an indication of homophobia.

    “The biggest distraction that hurts the team is an athlete staying in the closet and having to deal with the internal struggle and having to hear some of the, what we call, causal homophobia that gets tossed around the locker room,” he said. “When a teammate comes out, they quickly get rid of that language because they don’t actually want to hurt anyone and don’t actually have these homophobic ideas.”

    Contrary to popular belief, according to Zeigler, athletes and coaches are usually accepting of their gay teammates.

    “We at Outsports, we’ve written about, I don’t know, 200-300 LGBT athletes who have come out to their teams over the last 15 years. And every single one of them says the same exact thing: That they were scared because they had been told for so long that sports isn’t the place for gay people, but that when they found the courage to come out to their teammates and their coaches, they were embraced and treated exactly the same, if not better than before they came out.”

    Zeigler largely blames adult leaders of youth sports and the media, not athletes themselves, for the atmosphere that prevents gay athletes from coming out.

    “The coaches at the youth level create and perpetuate this environment that is not inclusive of LGBT people, using anti-gay slurs and allowing that kind of language and allowing that kind of heterosexist environment to pervade sports,” he said. “So as soon as young boys enter sports in little league or peewee league, they get taught this stuff about the environment of sports. And then the media continues to (perpetuate) this idea that all of sports is desperately homophobic.”

    Even after athletes overcome the initial hurdle of coming out, the hype surrounding professional sports can create challenges. Denson’s announcement came only a day after Michael Sam, the first openly gay player to be drafted into the NFL, announced that he is stepping away from football due to mental health concerns. Zeigler suggested that the public and media response to his coming out likely led to Sam parting with the sport.

    “I think maybe when Ellen DeGeneres came out 20 years ago you could point to something that was similar to Michael Sam. The incredible attention and reaction that Michael experienced and has experienced for the last 18 months, I think it was, it was a lot,” said Zeigler. “It’s tough to put my head around because if Michael hadn’t come out as gay, he would be in the NFL right now.”

    According to Zeigler, in spite of Sam’s experience, athletes and coaches are ready for gay players.

    “At this point if you still believe that athletes or your teammates are inherently homophobic, you are just willfully ignorant of the truth,” he said.

  • Milwaukee Brewers Affiliate First Active Player To Come Out Publicly As Gay In MLB

    Brewers minor league player David Denson made baseball history this weekend when he became the first active player affiliated with a Major League organization to come out publicly as gay. He came out to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel after talking to his teammates and his parents.

    The Brewers responded with this statement: “David is a highly respected member of the Milwaukee Brewers family, and he is a very courageous young man. Our goal for David is to help develop him into a Major League player, just as it is for any player in our system, and we will continue to support him in every way as he chases that dream.”

  • Does Governor Walker Favor Local Control Over Federal?

    As Governor Walker delivers his message to would-be voters on the campaign trail, our guest takes stock of the question: does the Governor favor local control over federal when it comes to his track record in Wisconsin?

  • Debate Over Waukesha's Great Lakes Water Diversion Proposal

    On Monday and Tuesday, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is holding public hearings on a proposal to allow the City of Waukesha to use water from Lake Michigan. Waukesha says it needs a new sources of water to address water quantity and quality concerns. But opponents say this proposal doesn’t meet the standards set by the Great Lakes Compact. We get two different perspectives on the issue.

Episode Credits

  • Veronica Rueckert Host
  • Galen Druke Producer
  • Veronica Rueckert Producer
  • Amanda Magnus Producer
  • Cyd Zeigler Guest
  • Jason Stein Guest
  • Dan Duchniak Guest
  • George Meyer Guest