Amore Magazine

(Photo: Kwaku Alston For Sports Illustrated)

NBA center Jason Collins has set a new standard in the world of sports for being the first homosexual to come out while a current player in a major sports league.

The Washington Wizards player told Sports Illustrated:

"I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay, I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I'm happy to start the conversation."

He continued:

"If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I'm raising my hand."

And on his teammates:

"By its nature, my double life has kept me from getting close to any of my teammates."

So why did he decide to come out now?

"The recent Boston Marathon bombing reinforced the notion that I shouldn't wait for the circumstances of my coming out to be perfect. Things can change in an instant, so why not live truthfully?"

And a final reflection:

"Openness may not completely disarm prejudice, but it's a good place to start," he says. "It all comes down to education. I'll sit down with any player who's uneasy about my coming out. Being gay is not a choice. This is the tough road and at times the lonely road."

Read more after the jump.

[Sports Illustrated]

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Perhaps you've heard who Katherine Webb is since Monday night. Perhaps you had no idea who she was before that night.

In case you've been living under a shell the past 24 hours - Katherine Webb is former Miss Alabama, but more importantly she is the girlfriend of Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron.

During the broadcast on ESPN of the BCS National Championship game announcer Brent Musberger kept talking about how good-looking she was every-time there was a cutaway saying, "What a beautiful woman! Wow! Whoa!"

This has sparked controversy ever since as some think Musberger went to far with his complimentary comments about the Bama beauty.

Katherine appeared on morning talk shows Good Morning America and The Today Show to address all the hoopla and she says that the famed ESPN announcer doesn't owe her an apology for being a creepy old-dude.

ESPN did issue a statement as reported by People saying:

"We always try to capture interesting storylines, and the relationship between an Auburn grad who is Miss Alabama and the current Alabama quarterback certainly met that test," ESPN vice president of communications Mike Soltys said in a Tweet. "However, we apologize that the commentary in this instance went too far."

Webb told The Today Show:

"I think the media has been really unfair to him. I think if he had said something along the line if we were hot or sexy, I think that would be a little bit different," Webb told Today's Matt Lauer.

"The fact that he said we were beautiful and gorgeous, I don't think any woman wouldn't be flattered by that. I appreciate it, but at the same time I don't think I needed an apology."

She and McCarron met on Twitter - her followers went from from 2,000 to nearly 200,000 after the game.

The power social media and being just plain "whoa!!"

Check out the video of Katherine on The Today Show above.

[People]