Amaechi: "Symposium could be starting point of new era"

Four years after his NBA career, John Amaechi published his autobiography entitled "Man in the Middle", providing a candid and self-assured review of his experiences as a homosexual athlete at the top level. Hailing from England, he remains the only Basketball player to have come "out of the closet" to date.

Aged 41 today and having plied his trade with, amongst other clubs, the Orlando Magic, Utah Jazz, and Cleveland Cavaliers, Amaechi is the keynote speaker of a two-day discussion forum hosted by the German Football Association (DFB) and attended by some 60 participants at the Hennef Sports and Coach Education Centre near Cologne.

In an interview with senior DFB.de writer Thomas Hackbarth, Amaechi (who, post-career, majored in psychology and now works as a consultant and London Olympics ambassador) talks about why sport seems to have a difficult relationship with gay professionals - and about how the Hennef symposium might ring in a new era.

DFB.de: John, "Man in the Middle" came out in 2007 - would you say it was your big "coming out?"

John Amaechi: Yes, but only vis-à-vis the general public. My family, close friends and all the other important people in my life had known for a long time I was gay.

DFB.de: What triggered your decision to place your sexual orientation under public scrutiny?

Amaechi: At the time, political debate in the U.S. about homosexuality was becoming ever more negatively fraught, and I was convinced that my Coming Out would provide a positive contribution leading to less discrimination and more tolerance.

DFB.de: For five years, you were a professional in the NBA, arguably one of the most popular and best-marketed leagues in world sports. How did you fare as a homosexual?

Amaechi: For decades, the unwritten rule in the U.S. military when dealing with gays and lesbians was "don't ask, don't tell". Gay soldiers were okay as long as they kept mum about it. And somehow, this is the way things worked in sports, too. The majority of players in the NBA never asked me, so why should I bring it up? Some were very open about it and even invited my partner to parties while others were not openly hostile, but it was pretty obvious they wanted to keep me at arms' length.

DFB.de: Would you say that dealing with an issue widely considered "taboo" is more difficult in the NBA than in other sports leagues? After all, there are some 80 official matches to be played...

Amaechi: There is no doubt that footballers have far more free time, plus they definitely enjoy more privacy. With four games per week and flights criss-crossing the United States, not to forget normal training, there's hardly any time for any social life. And when you do get a day off, you use that to just rest.

DFB.de: You also played in France, Italy, Greece, and England. Would you say that in Europe, there is a more liberal attitude towards homosexuality than in the U.S.?

Amaechi: Well, I would say the reaction from team owners and coaches, no matter where you go, is unwelcoming, but unlike in Europe, resentment towards homosexuals is openly visible in American public and cultural life, with elected politicians making overtly hostile statements; for me, this is open discrimination.

DFB.de: You will be the keynote speaker at the DFB's Symposium in Hennef entitled "We're All Equal Before the Ball - Sexual Identity in Football". This is a first for the DFB. What do you think can or should the event do for gay people in sport?

Amaechi: There may be an opportunity for Germany to take a lead role in adopting a relaxed and respectful attitude towards peoples' sexual identity. And we could initiate a debate in a completely new style. If we want to make football accessible for all kinds of players, then what we don't need are nice photographs in magazines of black-skinned Germans, white-skinned Germans or gay Germans all holding hands.

DFB.de: Then what do we need?

Amaechi: If German football prepares for major sporting challenges, be it at national or club level, you should make sure the available talent pool is as big as possible. We need to create an environment where promising young athletes in any sport, not just football, are encouraged to pursue a professional career, rather than drop out and turn away from football simply because they're afraid of the pressure, the vilification. The following two days in Hennef may just be the starting point.

DFB.de: And how is this supposed to work?

Amaechi: I have done presentations and consultancy work for a whole lot of corporations, and my key point has always been to make people "see the greater picture". Frankness and openness in dealing with one another will make your staff stronger and literally weld teams together. Sure, it's almost an end in itself to see people with different ethnic or sexual backgrounds work together well and succeed, because they know there's nothing for them to be afraid about. But in sports, the real benefit is that the team will actually end up playing better!

DFB.de: Can you confirm that from your own experience?

Amaechi: Oh yes I can! During my time with the Orlando Magic no-one in the NBA would bet a dime on us, everybody thought we were rubbish, just a bunch of NBA nobodies. Our starting line-up featured a Mormone, a French Muslim, a power forward who looked like someone borrowed from a gangster movie, and finally me, a gay Brit. But we were honest with one another and we played together like hardly any team before in NBA history. In fact, we were bloody successful! (laughs) We got through to the 2000 and 2001 play-offs while teams like the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics were reduced to watching from the sidelines. We didn't really care who scored, all that mattered was that we won the game, and that's more than can be said about many other teams. We were different, and that made us strong.

DFB.de: After the 2000/2001 season, the Los Angeles Lakers offered you a contract worth US-$ 17m, which you declined. Any regrets?

Amaechi: You bet! After all, I had always wanted to play for the Lakers. I love L.A., I even lived there for a while. During the life of that contract, the Lakers won four championships. Let's just say that yes, it would have been great to have all those material things but there was another issue at stake - loyalty. People keep talking about loyalty and "moral values", but in real life we don't really get seriously tested, do we, except maybe whether we really snatch that parking space away from an old lady in a supermarket car park. I felt like I was tested and tempted, but in my heart of hearts I knew that principles were there to be kept. There was a huge opportunity for me to grab, but at the same time the team that had given me a chance in the NBA wanted to me to stay, telling me that with them I would earn a fraction of the money. It was the hardest choice of my life.

DFB.de: The first time you held a basketball in your hands you were 17 years of age, and six years later you signed your first NBA contract. Sounds like a fairytale!

Amaechi: I had very good coaches right from the start, so the basics were there. And the good thing was they promoted and supported me all the way, always encouraging me to take the next step up, rather than anxiously making sure I stayed where I was. I was just fortunate they saw my potential and helped me to make the most of it. Plus I worked my socks off in training!

DFB.de: Another basketball question - what do you think of Dirk Nowitzki?

Amaechi: A fantastic player, but don't forget the other Europeans who joined the NBA. There was Detlef Schrempf, later myself. The NBA people just thought we would never get anywhere. And with Dirk looking like he did when he arrived, a seven-feet lanky boy from Würzburg, he probably got more ridiculed than most other Europeans. The Dallas Mavericks swapped players with the Milwaukee Bucks, a player called Robert Traylor in exchange for Dirk, and I remember the Bucks celebrating this as a huge deal, how wrong can you be! Today, everybody knows Dirk is an extraordinary player, he does incredible things, he's the NBA's new Larry Bird.

DFB.de: In Hamburg and Berlin, two of Germany's biggest cities have avowed gay mayors; some of the leading figures in the world of politics, the economy or the arts are homosexuals; why is it that no Bundesliga pro has come out of the closet, as they say?

Amaechi: It may be because sport as such demands the hyper-masculine professional. On the whole, we have absolutely twisted ideas as to what a "real man" must be like. And in sport, being gay equals failing to meet these criteria. But when you say no footballer has come out, that's not entirely true, because there are some players who have. They're as publicly homosexual as most gays or lesbians, in other words: they've told their closest friends and families. Generally speaking, sports are behind the times, the sports business just hasn't progressed as other sectors like banking, trade and commerce. Many corporations have come to realize that it's simply unprofitable to cling to concepts dating back to the 19th century. In sports, though, club presidents, managers and coaches somehow seem caught in a time warp.

DFB.de: And the fans?

Amaechi: Well, there are prejudiced fans badmouthing gay people and there are football fans shouting abuse at black players. But isn't that a tiny minority? The reality is that fans will love every player giving everything he's got, showing commitment, team spirit and work ethic in every match. That's what really counts, not players' private likes or dislikes.

DFB.de: Would you encourage a Bundesliga player to "out himself"?

Amaechi: Coming out is always the best thing to do, but people have their reasons not to do it. The time isn't right yet, but that's less to do with team-mates and fans than with the clubs and associations.

DFB.de: How did people react when your book "Man in the Middle" came out?

Amaechi: I would say 90 percent agreement and acknowledgement, but these were a very quiet 90 percent. In contrast, the remaining 10 percent who had a problem with me coming out were very loud indeed. Even now, after all these years, I get e-mails from people hoping I will die, threatening to kill me, telling me to go to hell.

DFB.de: Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal were sympathetic, unlike other NBA players. Time Hardaway even called for gay players to be banned altogether.

Amaechi: His comments really hurt - not so much me but many young athletes out there. Barkley and O'Neal were great.

DFB.de: What are your expectations of the Hennef symposium?

Amaechi: Hennef could be the initial spark to ring in some change. I'd be glad to help. And remember, this is not just about making life easier for maybe 15 or 20 gay professional players. The issue is ensuring access to the best possible talented youngsters, all of them.