Jason Collins has made sports history – but it’s best kept off the court
By Sports Editor Jay Ahuja
It’s getting out of hand.
On Feb. 23, history was made when Jason Collins became the first openly gay basketball player on an NBA team. The Brooklyn Nets signed Collins to a 10-day contract after losing their starting center. They were in desperate need of a big man. Collins hadn’t played on a team since he came out as gay last year, and at 35 years old, not much could be expected of him.
Luckily, the Nets signed him on a minimum contract. This worked for everyone. Collins got to play a little bit of basketball, the Nets were able to evaluate his potential, and it showed the world how far sports have come in regards to the discrimination of gay athletes.
Here’s the problem. Collins isn’t a good basketball player. He isn’t even mediocre. The Nets recently signed Collins to a second 10-day contract, which expires on March 14, and according to ESPN, it is expected that the Nets will sign him for the rest of the season.Simply ridiculous.
If we are looking at statistics, in the 8 games he played in this season, he is averaging a total of 0.6 points per game and 0.8 rebounds per game over 10 minutes of playing time. At this point in the season, it’s too late to sign any players. There was a chance for the Nets to do so, but Collins received a contract extension instead.
I hate to say it, but Collins doesn’t deserve all of this. He isn’t good. Many argue that while his stats are down, he still is a great off-the-ball defender and can set picks like no other. I think that has some truth, but when you have much better and much younger free agents waiting for a chance to prove themselves, you don’t resign Jason Collins.
People need to see what’s really going on.
Sounds like a publicity stunt doesn’t it? The Nets were having an atrocious season, and with fans dwindling every game, they needed something to attract attention.
Now don’t get me wrong, what Collins did was extremely courageous, and it began a new era in sports. But with the media drooling over him every time he touches the ball, fans and on-lookers haven’t been given a chance to see the truth.
At the end of the day, Collins is just doing his job. On the court, none of his teammates or opponents care whether he’s gay or not. It’s about basketball, and only the best deserve to play in the NBA.
I’m sorry, but Collins has got to go.
Calvin C. • Apr 14, 2014 at 4:46 pm
I think it’s important that you do speak up about the fact that he does get attention because of his circumstances. However, it is a positive business move by the Nets, a generally positive move in a locker room that needs leadership with a 1st year coach in Jason Kidd, and it’s a promising thing for tolerance of others.
Additionally, stats of all players can’t be exactly compared to each other. This is a deep team at the big-man positions, and if Collins is in the game, it probably means that the game is a blowout, in which case Collins doesn’t need to score, and there probably isn’t much time to gather boards. Yes, he’s not a huge producer, and yes he’s old, but that doesn’t mean that he’s invaluable.
Mr. Raj Patel Singh • Mar 15, 2014 at 4:29 pm
Devils advocate: While I think Jay, you make some good points, I think that the focus on his sexuality is overshadowing the other reasons that the Nets signed Jason Collins. Sure it was part publicity stunt, but many teams have players that don’t contribute that much, but are there to provide a veteran presence, leadership, and essentially just to be a big body that can commit 6 fouls if need be. It’s really media sites and ESPN that have overhyped the Jason’s Collins signing as a new age for professional sports, and overshadowed the other reasons why he was signed.
There are definitely things that Jason Collins does: Good at setting screens, matches up well against other starting centers like Dwight and DMC, and is a good defender in the paint. He isn’t expected to put up superstar numbers, instead he knows his role, and is committed to it. That’s personally why I think that the Nets made a good decision signing Collins, and the added publicity is just a bonus.
Rahul Sharma • Mar 15, 2014 at 2:50 pm
Finally an article that sees through the hype surrounding Jason Collins–in short the man is a washed up 35 year old center regardless of his orientation. To me, its pretty obvious that Prokhorov, the owner of the Nets, is using this as a sort of publicity stunt for a team that is performing far below expectations as Jay points out.
Brilliant article man, keep it up.
Dan • Mar 15, 2014 at 2:14 pm
Great Article Jay.
I agree with you that sports should not become a place for political and social dispute. There is a place for that in society but I think sports should steer clear of it. It is a shame to see a group of extremist, activist high jack sports to display their agenda and turn it into a platform for promoting their views. Sports should be about athletics, competition and the pursuit of excellence, not political or social rambling to promote personal agendas.
Greg • Mar 14, 2014 at 9:51 pm
The Nets are the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference and I’m pretty sure that’s all Collins cares about. He’s at the end of his career so of course his production won’t be high. At least he’s making the veteran’s minimum and doesn’t produce what is contract suggests he should, like half the other players in the league (example: Amare Stoudemire). You’re completely missing and not appreciating what is a watershed moment for all of professional sports and basic human rights regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, etc. Dumb article.