Football is America's alpha male. All things masculine, testosterone-infused, and worthy of a "guy's night out" tend to congregate around a pitcher of beer and the nightly game. Monday Night Football even gives the ladies a chance to eat hot wings, sport their favorite NFL jersey, and act like one of the boys. It is a sport that has something for everyone. For the guys, it is a chance to witness modern day gladiators fight to the death in cement coliseums. For the gals, they can shamelessly watch men in spandex and follow their favorite 'tight end' to the endzone.

But this is 2006...red and blue states, right and left, gay and straight. While it may be easier to distinguish the sports bars from the gay bars in the Midwest, here in New York it is getting harder and harder to tell the Wall Streeters from the Chelsea Boys. The lines that used to separate heterosexual from homosexual behavior are blurring more and more each day. I used to consider myself a champion of "gaydar" but what I've come to recognize in New York is that men no longer fall to such extremes and many that I used to suspect as straight are gay and visa versa.

Sports are universal, regardless of sexual preference, and anyone can enjoy them on either side of the ball. While gay ice skaters and swimmers are hardly shocking, what if we had a gay football star? Many gay men are already football fans, but is America ready for gay sports stars in traditional alpha male roles?

Before you stop reading, disturbed by such a proposition, imagine the hypothetical. In Richard Greenberg's Tony Award winning play, Take Me Out, a fictional baseball star shocks the world when he announces he's gay. The playwright explores the modern day paradox of a hugely popular 'alpha male sports figure' who breaks the mold by shattering sexual conventions. Can the beer and nacho sports fan still love a dynamic player who falls left of center?

In Take Me Out, Greenberg illustrates the hypothetical by creating a fictional team, the New York Empires (dressed in pinstripe uniforms), and focuses his story around the star player, Darren Lemming. (When the play debuted in New York, that star player had a striking resemblance to Derek Jeter.) The play further explores the way Darren's homosexuality affects the locker room, his teammates, gay supporters, and the traditional American sports fan.

Granted, the play dealt with baseball, but can you imagine what might happen if a major NFL quarterback broke boundaries and headlines if he were to make a similar announcement? If The Sopranos can write a storyline about a gay capo, the idea of a gay football star isn't inconceivable. To be honest, I believe that player already exists. I'm not talking about ex-NFL star Esera Tuaolo who recently published a book about living as a closet-gay man in the NFL, I'm talking about a bona fide star player in the prime of his career announcing he is gay.

If there is one thing we all learned in the last presidential election, it's that America is divided by red and blue states. While the dominance and acceptance of homosexual behavior may favor the blue, the middle grounds of red states have a stronghold over majority opinion. As a straight girl with a gay roommate and numerous gay friends, (and a preference for gay bars because they are wickedly fun and non-threatening to women), I have no problem with a gay football star. In fact, I think it would welcome an entirely new type of football supporter, one that has rarely experienced the sport because many gay men and women feel ostracized by the average football fan.

Football players are seen as strong and dominant. Therefore, how appropriate that a male football star takes the initiative and has the courage to stand up before society and admit his sexuality. Having witnessed too many friends struggle with their homosexuality and resist telling their friends and family, such a star would be an inspiration to people who are ready to come clean about who they are. If a high profile man admitted he was gay perhaps more people would understand that sexuality is a trait that cannot be chosen, changed, or reversed.

On the flip side, I can already see those red states and their inhabitants throwing up their hands in horror that such a lifestyle would ruin the sport, the team, morale, and all things sacred to the American dream. Football players are seen as the 'ultimate male,' so how could that man be gay?

Perhaps more perplexing is how this behavior might alter the team morale and locker room conduct. Would straight players feel uncomfortable to shower or walk around nude as they traditionally have in the past? Would they still protect and follow the audibles of their gay quarterback? Would trust between players be abandoned and the team suffer in the long run? While I'd like to think that most players would be supportive of their quarterback and his announcement, I cannot begin to answer these questions because I don't know how the offensive line might react.

In Esera Tuaolo's book, Alone in the Trenches: My Life as a Gay Man in the NFL, the former Green Bay Packer discusses the stress, torment, and fear that he constantly lived with being gay and playing football. While he may be the third player ever in the NFL to come out, his story only illustrates how difficult it can be living with such a secret. While no one doubt's Tuaolo's "manliness" as a defensive powerhouse, many believe that his teammates would have turned on him and eaten him alive if he had come out while still playing.

Gay football stars exists, but just like the Army, a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy applies in the NFL. For a player to make such an assertion would be a gargantuan gamble. Not only is he willing to put his career on the line (and millions of dollars), he is subjecting his character to vast criticism and a national debate. In the end he could come out as a hero, a martyr, and a pariah.

Besides the risk the individual player would face, the NFL would have a publicity nightmare to settle. Right-winged fans many may chose to show their displeasure by boycotting NFL games and merchandise, thus creating financial woe to the organization. While many liberal supporters of the player may creep from the woodwork to cheer him on, would they support the NFL by making up for the loss of conservative fans? The NFL isn't ready or willing to find out.

Today it is just a hypothetical, tomorrow it could be the next Hollywood movie, but someday it will be a reality. I applaud the man who has the guts to come forward, but I do not envy the hard and controversial decisions he will have to make.

*Check out www.AbsoluteBestNews.com, where I am a featured contributor.

You are invited!

2006 NBA Finals Party!

June 11- 9:00PM

Hosted by "Belle of the Ball"

Enjoy hot Dallas BBQ and tangy Miami Mojitos

Have you ordered a large platter of hot wings with extra blue cheese dressing to take to the neighbor's NBA party? Have you gone out and purchased the appropriate jersey and face paint so you can cover your visage in the team colors? Did you place a bet in the office pool on the game?

            No?

Can you name the two teams playing in the NBA Finals? Better yet, can you name any of the players for Dallas or Miami? If not, you're not alone. According to the United States census, roughly 300 million people live in this great country, and last year 21.6 million attended an NBA game.

            The NBA edged out the NFL last season in attendance figures, 21.6 million vs. 17.3 million, but there may be a good reason for it. With only 256 NFL games costing an average of $62.29 a ticket, it was easier to attend an NBA event because there were 1,230 games, costing an average of $45.64 a ticket. But when fans watched the NFL or the NBA on television, the margin of viewers was much more lop-sided.  

While Super Bowl XL had a Nielson rating of 41.6, the 2005 NBA Finals had an average rating of 8.2. To put it bluntly, over 45 million households watched the Super Bowl versus just 9 million who viewed the NBA Finals.

So how come people aren't watching?

Maybe it's in the name. The NFL has "the Super Bowl," the MLB has "the World Series," and the NHL has "the Stanley Cup." What does the NBA have, "the Finals?" Maybe the NBA should think about coming up with a catchy name like "the Golden Bucket." (No, that sounds like a promotion for fried chicken.) We'll save the name suggestions for another post.

Perhaps public apathy for the Finals lies with unidentifiable players...yea right. People recognize basketball players, arguably more so than most other professional athletes. The marketing juggernauts that advertisers construct around basketball players have made them recognizable faces to the majority of Americans. NBA stars like Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal and LeBron James have become household names. Compare those faces to major pro-football players like Dan Marino, Joe Montana, and Peyton Manning, and more often than not, people identify the basketball players before the footballers. (I know they wear helmets, but who would your kid recognize first: Peyton Manning on the MasterCard commercial or Michael Jordan on the Hanes commercial?)

Finally, Americans have a short attention span. Perhaps the Finals falter because the series can take up to seven games to determine the winner. More importantly, why does the NBA need seven games? (The NCAA men's basketball championship doesn't.) Many people feel that March Madness is more exciting than the NBA Finals because of the Cinderella stories and unexpected upsets that befall the favored teams. In the NFL, each team gets only one shot to advance; they don't need seven games to take the glory. Sure, it may be a matter of finances and more games equal more money, but only the most dedicated fans last through the long and drawn-out pace of the Finals.

But we used to watch...

There are exceptions to the range of Nielson ratings that have plagued the NBA Finals-the good years the Lakers or the Bulls played. The 1980's and 90's saw record television ratings for the Finals. A consistent rating of 15.1* (*16.6 million households) or better followed the LA Lakers' NBA Final appearances from 1987-1989, which was also the same time Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were with the team. When the Lakers faced the Bulls in 1991, it was the ending of one dynasty and the commencing of another. As Magic Johnson played his last NBA Final appearance, Michael Jordan was making his debut. The 1991 NBA Finals garnered an average rating of 15.8 and launched the highest rating period for the NBA from 1991-1998. Between those years, the NBA Final ratings ranged from 13.9-18.7.

The highest NBA Finals ever was the 1998 match-up between the Chicago Bulls and the Utah Jazz. Although the average rating for the series was 18.7* (*20.6 million households), the deciding Game 6 registered an NBA record 22.3 rating and was also Michael Jordan's final game with the Bulls. The Bull's victorious Game 6 was viewed by nearly 72 million people, but that was still less than the Super Bowl that year.

Clearly people watch the NBA when there is something to watch. Dynasties such as the Lakers and the Bulls attracted numerous viewers for the NBA. The "Laker Effect" brought a ratings windfall for many television networks. Compare that to the "Post-Jordan Decline" currently plaguing the NBA and it proves that people follow the players and hometown loyalties more so than the sport.

Why we will watch...

The NBA has to deal with its youth, and that's not referring to the underclassmen entering the league. When the NBA was founded in 1946, many of its professional counterparts had been up and running for nearly eighty years. Sports fans had been following baseball since its conception in 1865 and football since 1869. At sixty years old, the NBA is relatively young and is still winning fans.

When a group of people were polled about the most watched sporting events, 58% said either the Super Bowl or the BCS Championship was their favorite. The second most watched event was a tie between the World Series and the NCAA men's basketball championship, each earning 16%. When asked what they thought was the most popular sport in America, an overwhelming 62.5% said football, while baseball was second.

Although this is sheer opinion, it is proof that basketball still has a few mountains to climb before it can be a ratings and athletic tour de force, compared to the Super Bowl. Although the NFL was formed in 1920, it wasn't until the 1960's that its popularity started to flourish. Similarly, it took the NBA forty years until the ratings high was found with teams like the Lakers and Bulls.

Today, with current players such as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade all making headlines on the court, the NBA is sitting in a prime position to return to the ratings of the late 1980's. The league is still working out their growing pains and extinguishing the negative effects from the 1998 lockout. Looking ahead, the popularity of the NBA could skyrocket if Kobe Bryant and LeBron James begin an epic decade battle of competition, which could bring back memories of the Magic Johnson or the Michael Jordan days. Those are the types of characters that drew people to the NBA Finals in the first place, and those are the players who will bring the people back to the game. 

Now if we could just come up with a catchier name than The Finals...The Ultimate Hardwood Throw-down? (No, too WWF.)  

FLASH!

It's all over; a photo finish burned in your memory that will either haunt you forever, or one you'll clip out of the morning paper and cherish for a lifetime. Those nail-biting finishes are what we talk about over cups of coffee the next morning, or blog about for the following week and keep us glued to the television, begging for more.

October 15, 2005/ USC vs. Notre Dame-"The Bush Push"

The last three meetings of USC and Notre Dame were 31 point victories by the Trojans and Southern Cal was on a 27 game winning streak, yet all Charlie Weis wanted to do was reclaim Irish pride by flashing green jerseys and declaring a victory. As Irish quarterback Brady Quinn ran in a five-yard touchdown to take the lead, 31-28 in the last two minutes of the game, little did Touchdown Jesus know the world was about to witness a historic college football moment.

Continuing the fabled battle, USC faced fourth-and-nine in the final minute of the game, but a 67 yard reception pulled the team within the 10 yard line. After several failed attempts to break the goal line, USC QB Matt Leinart tried to dive for the end zone. He collided with a Notre Dame linebacker who jarred the ball loose. Thinking the game was over, Notre Dame rejoiced, only to have that folly spoiled when game officials said Leinart fumbled the ball out of bounds and USC had seven seconds left to make one final play.

Seven seconds is a long time...in this case, a historic amount of time. At fourth and goal, USC went for the jugular by opting for a touchdown instead of tying the game with a field goal. Going with the quarterback sneak, Leinart was denied the goal line by the Notre Dame defense, so he rolled left and with a friendly "push" by his man Bush, Leinart scored the game winning goal. Final: USC 34 ND 31

November 27, 2005/ Japan Cup - by a nose

The Preakness, the Bellmont, the Kentucky Derby...the Japan Cup? Each year two teams from the US, England, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Japan are invited to race in the second richest horse race in the world. (The first is the Dubai World Cup.)  

Considering that first place takes home a purse of $2.38 million, it's surprising the name "Alkaased" doesn't sound as familiar as "Barbaro." During the final stretch of the 2400 meter race, Alkaased (USA), Heart's Cry (Japan) and Zenno Rob Roy (Japan) were all in a dead heat. Crossing the finish line at 2:22.1, 2:22.1 and 2:22.4, it literally was a "nose" that won the race for Alkaased, determined only by the photo at the finish line. 

November 28, 2005/ NYC Marathon - by a foot

Five boroughs, 26.2 miles, and 35,000 people comprise the annual running of the New York City Marathon. Only 172 people ran the first marathon in 1970, but its popularity burgeoned to a point where a lottery system had to be installed to choose who could run the race. Perhaps Paul Tergat of Kenya was wishing his competition, Hendrick Ramaala, had lost the lottery when the two of them came running across the finish line in Central Park last autumn. Hendrick, of South Africa, was the defending champion and Paul was making his rookie debut in the race. With a time of 2:09:30, Paul's single step in front of Hendrick garnered him the win and made it the closest finish in the marathon's history.

December 28, 2005/ Alamo Bowl: Michigan vs. Nebraska- the play that got away

The Michigan Wolverines are one of the most successful football programs in the country. They hold the record for the most undefeated seasons in D-I football at 25 with 11 national titles. They have one of the highest winning percentages (.74421) and hold the record for the most total wins in college football history (849), but none of those numbers could help their final play in the 2006 Alamo bowl against Nebraska.

Figuring the Maize and Blue would ravage Big Red, Michigan was stunned when Nebraska overcame a nine-point deficit and claimed the lead, 32-28, in the final four minutes of the game. Literally scrambling to make something happen, the final play of the game had all of the antics to overtake the infamous "1982 Stanford/Cal game" as one of the most unbelievable plays in college football...the only problem was Michigan failed to score.

As the clock ticked down the final seconds, Michigan QB Chad Henne threw the ball to a teammate who then tossed it to another player, who frantically threw it to another Wolverine, who pitched it to someone else, who fumbled the ball, picked it up, and chucked it to another player. Eight lateral passes later, Tyler Ecker caught the ball and sprinted down to the goal line only to get bumped out of bounds to end the game. You have to see it to believe it! 

January 4, 2006/ Rose Bowl: Texas vs. USC - who needs a Heisman?

Texas quarterback, Vince Young, had barely dried his eyes from his Heisman loss when he orchestrated one of the biggest coming out parties of the 2005-2006 college football season. Overshadowed by Trojan boy Reggie Bush, Young's heroics on the field in Pasadena garnered his team a national title, and him a MVP trophy and a one-way ticket to the NFL.

Hailed as the most impressive single-game performance by one player in the 137 year history of college football, Vince Young tallied 467 yards of total offense. Although he ran for over 200 yards, perhaps it was the final nine yards of his collegiate career Vince will cherish the most. After the Texas defense stuffed USC on fourth and short with 2:09 remaining, the Longhorns took over the line of scrimmage and set up the final drive of the game. Everyone knew Vince would run, but the USC defense wasn't sharp enough to derail the train Vince was riding. With 19 seconds remaining in regulation, fourth down, and his team one touchdown shy of winning, Vince Young trotted nine yards to the end zone, ending USC's 35 game winning streak and bringing Texas its first national championship since 1969. FINAL: Texas 41 USC 38

February 21, 2006/ Olympic Winter Games- The bitter 1500m

God bless the pomp and circumstance of the Olympics, but what would the winter games mean if there wasn't a controversy involved? In 1994 it was Tonya and Nancy, followed by the French judging scandal in 2002, and in 2006, it was men's speed skating stars Shani Davis and Chad Hedrick.

Davis had faced his own setbacks in the 2002 games and came to Torino focused solely on his three events, thus refusing to join his colleagues in the men's team pursuit. His reclusive nature sparked a maelstrom with fellow teammate, Chad Hedrick, who needed Davis's participation in the team event to help win. Without Davis, Hedrick knew the men stood a small chance at medaling. The rift between Davis and Hedrick quickly caught the eye of the media, who elevated the bitter battle to new levels by building up Davis and Hedrick's hot rivalry in the 1500m. Both skaters had already won medals in separate events, with Davis making history by becoming the first African American to earn a medal in an individual event at the Winter Games.  Now facing each other for the same gold, the 1500m claimed the limelight as one of the most talked about races of the 2006 games. After an extremely tight race, neither American claimed first; it was an Italian who took the gold with a time of 1:45.96 while Davis came in second at 1:46.13 and Hedrick in third at 1:46.22.

April 28, 2006/ Lakers vs. Suns- Who's Your MVP?

If there was a moment when Kobe Bryant wanted to prove that he should be the NBA MVP, it was when two-time MVP Steve Nash turned the ball over in the final seconds of the fourth game between the Lakers and Suns in the NBA Playoffs. With eight seconds remaining in regulation, Nash lost control of the ball and the Lakers recovered, giving the ball to Kobe who tied the game with seven-tenths of a second remaining. Again, in overtime, a costly mistake by Nash turned the ball over to the Lakers, providing the pivotal moment for Kobe to hit a buzzer-beating shot to win the game, 99-98. Not only did Kobe's gorgeous jumper provide a victory, it was the knell Phoenix was dreading. With the Lakers storybook triumph, they took a 3-1 lead over the Suns in the playoff picture.

May 27, 2006/ Indy 500-Two Andrettis with a dash by Hornish

Last weekend, the largest single-day sporting event worldwide was held for the 90th time. With roughly 320 million spectators tuning in, the Indianapolis 500 witnessed its second closest victory in the history of the race. The scene was set for the royal family of formula driving, the Andrettis, to win the race. Mario Andretti's son, Michael, emerged from retirement to make one final attempt at the race, while his son, Marco, made his Indy debut. Michael led the race during laps 194-197, but on lap 198, Marco overtook his dad and grabbed the lead. As the final lap approached, the 300,000+ spectators were poised to see the Andretti family claim first and second place, but blazing from the pack was Penske driver, Sam Hornish, Jr.. Hornish came charging up the lane and passed Marco to steal the lead by less then the length of his car. With a winning margin of 0.0635-seconds, Hornish barely managed to defeat the 19 year old rookie and his father.   

Blogging nation, I am utterly speechless...because I have been screaming my head off since I learned the news! (Wholfmeister had to call me because I was in the middle of my last GRE class!) I'm not sure what I did this past week, but I feel like Jim Carey from "Bruce Almighty," everything has eerily worked out.

This last week has been something out of a dream. It was one thing to find myself on a reality show, but earlier today I learned that I booked a major acting job for the summer. This is monumental because I have been to over 100 auditions in the last 10 months and recently felt like I should give up. Initially, that was why I started blogging, because I needed a way to divert my attention from the dejection I felt from my profession. The community I found here at FoxSports.com was so invigorating and inspiring. You guys made me want to write, to discuss, to argue, and to converse. Of course I was frustrated when I didn't make the initial cut, but I've come to learn that everything happens for a reason.

Rejection sucks...there is no other way to put it...but resurrection is the ultimate redemption! (Or as Tom Petty says "Even the losers get lucky sometimes!")

Thanks for all your support, now I need to crack the whip and prove that this princess can live up to her title!

-Belle

  To return to the world of sports, and in honor of tomorrow's elimination, I thought it would be fun to fantasize about the potential of being on the Fox Sports team. Although I would just love to write and talk sports, if I could get ONE assignment and ONE only, this is what it would have to be:

  I want to go to Austin, Texas this September and cover the Texas-Ohio State game for my blog.

  I had the opportunity to witness the match up of these two teams in the 'Shoe last year, and it was prophetic. I feel just as confident this year that the game in Austin on September 9^th will separate the men from the boys instantaneously. So much is riding on this game and it falls on the second weekend of the college football schedule. I can't wait to see what Troy Smith will do with his team, and how Texas will overcome the loss of Mr. Young.

  Aside from the game itself, I know of a few Austin residents who are already planning their revenge on Ohio State fans for the lewd and crude behavior they were subjected to on the Columbus campus last fall. It was one of the few times I was ashamed to be an Ohio State fan because the hostility spewing from a few inebriated Buckeyes was despicable. I'd like to think that if I went to the game, I wouldn't be tarred and feathered, but I also wouldn't be surprised if I found a beer dumped on my head at some point in the evening.

  No, if I could win this contest, I would heavily petition and campaign to be granted a press pass to the game and carefully portray the scene for all my fellow bloggers. I imagine sitting up in the stadium, looking over the field of burnt orange and seeing the Buckeyes and Longhorns in an ultimate fight on the field under the lights. I'd give just about anything to be a witness.

  On a more personal note, my ex happens to be a UT-Law student, and we broke up just before the game last year. Not only would seeing the game down there be awesome, it would be icing on the cake to have press access and cover the game in luxury while he suffers with the masses, or can't go because he couldn't get a ticket. (Revenge can be pretty sweet!)

  So, I do have an ulterior motive, but I really want to see that game live! What would your ultimate assignment be?