Steve Davies is first pro cricket player to come out as gay
“If I am brutally honest, I’ve never enjoyed touring because of my secret and having to conceal my sexuality. My friendships with the guys would reach a certain level, then I’d have to take a step back.
“A two-week tour would feel like two years for me. It was really tough. Cricket was my escape. When I was playing cricket I was at my happiest because all I had to worry about was getting runs and taking catches.”
Steve Davies, an up-and-coming English cricket star, on why he decided to be the first active player in the sport to publicly come out of the closet. Earlier, he had told his teammates, who reportedly agreed not to talk about it in order to avoid this issue becoming a “distraction” for the England team. While he narrowly missed out on a World Cup spot for the English team, he’s considered one of the country’s best young players.
At the press conference in which he made the announcement, Davies said, “I want to [be] reme mbered as a good cricketer, not a gay cricketer.” He will be one of the few openly gay, male athletes currently playing — in any professional sport. While some prominent women have come out as lesbian and continued to play — Amelie Mauresmo and Rennae Stubbs in tennis, for instance — few male sports stars come out until after they have retired, if then. (Daily Mail U.K.)
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