The Battle of Being a Gay Athlete

Mike Pucillo is a 3-time All American NCAA Champion wrestler. He is also gay. As a wrestler for Ohio State, Mike had struggled with his sexuality for years. He states, "you've been told that homosexuality is a bad thing your entire life...you hear it from your teachers, you hear it from your friends, you hear it from your coaches, you hear it from your parents" (Ohio State NCAA, 2015, para 3).

Mike wants to be an example for young male athletes, showing them that it is O.K. to embrace their sexuality and live life comfortably. He believes that the more stories people hear, the more likely people are to accept and embrace the idea of homosexuality. Mike spent one year as an assistant coach for the OSU wrestling team before stepping down. He was afraid that athletes would quit the team once they knew that he was gay. Mike questioned whether parents would want their son to be at a school where one of the coaches was gay. He stated how he heard coaches say, "if I ever had a gay kid on the team...it's not like we would kick him off the team, but we would do whatever we could to basically run them off" (Ohio State NCAA, 2015, para 12).

Mike also addresses how the

sport of wrestling is difficult for gay athletes because it involves a great deal of physical contact. He expresses that" it's two dudes rolling around on a mat. People who don't know wrestling call them leotards. It's a joke, but it creates a built-in mechanism to say: 'I'm not gay. I'm too manly to be gay. I'm too tough to be gay" (Ohio State NCAA, 2015, para 15).

I believe that Mike is extremely brave for sharing his story and being so blunt about his experiences. His willingness to open up about his struggles with being a gay wrestler will not only allow him to live a happier life, but will allow other athletes to witness a stepping stone in the right direction for gay athletes. Wrestlers often get taunted because of the extreme physical contact that is the nature of the sport. For an athlete to come out as gay, while being one of the best wrestlers in the nation demonstrates a significant level of courage. Why do you think there is a reputation of being gay in wresting opposed to football or basketball? Do you think that by Mike coming out, he perpetuated the stigma of wrestlers being gay? What ethical issues might Mike face now that he has come out as gay?

Kali Morgenstern

References: 
Ohio State NCAA wrestling champ Mike Pucillo comes out as gay. (2015, March 28). Retrieved from http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/ohio-state-ncaa-wrestling-champ-mike-pucillo-comes-out-gay280315