View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by St. John's University School of Law Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development Volume 28 Issue 4 Volume 28, Summer 2016, Issue 4 Article 4 June 2016 Elimination of the Locker Room Closet: Analysis of Current Laws and Professional Sports Leagues' Policies Toward Gay Athletes Sayed Masoud Mortazavi Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.stjohns.edu/jcred Part of the Civil Rights and Discrimination Commons Recommended Citation Sayed Masoud Mortazavi (2016) "Elimination of the Locker Room Closet: Analysis of Current Laws and Professional Sports Leagues' Policies Toward Gay Athletes," Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development: Vol. 28 : Iss. 4 , Article 4. Available at: https://scholarship.law.stjohns.edu/jcred/vol28/iss4/4 This Notes and Comments is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at St. John's Law Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development by an authorized editor of St. John's Law Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. MORTAZAVI MACRO-1 - SMM EDITS (DO NOT DELETE) 6/23/2016 1:19 PM ELIMINATION OF THE LOCKER ROOM CLOSET: ANALYSIS OF CURRENT LAWS AND PROFESSIONAL SPORTS LEAGUES’ POLICIES TOWARD GAY ATHLETES SAYED MASOUD MORTAZAVI1 “When coaches tell you you’re a faggot when you play poorly, you can’t really share who you are with people.”2 INTRODUCTION “I’m gay.”3 On February 9, 2014, Michael Sam, a college football standout who was expected to be a top National Football League (“NFL”) draft-pick in 2014, made this groundbreaking public announcement.4 At 6’2” and 260 pounds, the All-American defensive lineman was a formidable presence on the field during his four years at the University of Missouri.5 Sam was named the top defensive player in the Southeastern Conference,6 which is widely considered to be the best conference in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (“NCAA”).