The author then addresses more religious reactions. He takes a quote from the comments on Collins’ interview on “Good Morning America”. It says, “Should have stayed in the closet...Stay celibate and seek the Lord.” This quote represents the reactions of most homophobic Christians when Collins came out. That is why the author included it in his article. It supports his message about the backlash against Jason Collins.

The author talks about the Tweets of some people. They are bashing Jason Collins for being gay. One says, “The league ain’t got room for homos”. The slang used in this Tweet makes it clear that the man writing it is a straight, athletic guy who is homophobic. The man uses the word “homos” as a derogatory term for a gay person. It’s a word that diminishes a person and makes them feel less than human. Choosing to include this Tweet, allows the author to show how athletes don’t generally like the idea of having a gay team member.

In the article from Wall Street Journal, the author states both good and bad reactions to Collins coming out. He quotes a commentator for ESPN who is denouncing homosexuality as “walking in open rebellion to God”. ESPN redeems itself though. Later, they announce that they “welcome Jason Collin’s announcement”. The author of this article shows these two different reactions, to highlight the commotion this announcement has created in America.

Another quote that Sports Illustrated points out is when Collins says he goes “against the gay stereotype”.  This is meaningful because it shows that Collins could have easily hidden his sexuality from the public and wasn’t forced to come out. Yet, he realized that he was comfortable enough in himself and chose announce that he is gay. That’s why Sport’s Illustrated put that quote in bold print. They saw it’s importance.

The article in Sports Illustrated is a first-person essay written by Jason Collins. At the top of the page is a picture of Collins with this quote underneath, “I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay.” This is the first thing you see when viewing the article. The publisher chose a quote that was short and simple to put under his picture. But the importance of the quote isn’t it’s simplicity. It’s in the words themselves. All Collins is doing in this quote is describing himself. That’s it. Being gay is just another part of his personality. It’s not something he chose; it’s purely an aspect of himself. This is very significant for the LGBT community because it shows the wonderful things people can accomplish- regardless of sexuality.

USA Today is more liberal in their political views. It is generally accepted that liberals are more supportive of gay people than conservatives are. A major reason for this is that conservatives are more likely to be religious. Therefore, the author is going to be supportive of gay people, as shown through his writing.

Now, the entire article was not positive. At the end, the author talks about a Tweet that Mike Wallace, from the Miami Dolphins, posted. It was very demeaning to Collins. Wallace must have received a lot of complaints about it because the post was “later removed”. The author includes that bit to show that the negativity towards Collins was shot down. This sentence wraps up the article; proving the importance of this event by displaying the vain attempts of protest.

The word “courage” is used two different times in this article. Once, its by a leader of GLAAD(a gay rights organization), and the other is in Kobe Bryant’s Tweet. This word is very powerful and shows great respect for someone. It indicates the ability to persevere through difficult times with your head held high. The author makes sure to emphasize the fact that he believes Collins’ is courageous, through the use of the word “courage”.

Later on, the author refers to Tweets written by some of Collins’ fellow teammates.  They are very supportive and accepting. These Tweets attribute to the positive tone of this article. He also discusses the reaction of Collins’ twin brother.  His brother promises to “love and support” him no matter what. This quote add to the positive tone as well.