Openly Gay Basketball Player Recruited by the ABA
December 1, 2008
![Mike Survillion [Photo from RockDogsBasketball.com]](http://www.rockdogsbasketball.com/images/comprofiler/plug_profilegallery/76/tnpg_1009332989.jpg)
Mike Survillion - Photo from RockDogsBasketball.com
“We had 32 players and have cut down to about 17,” Dee Minor, Rumble vice president of team operations, told the Bay Area Reporter. “Mike is one of the 17. At this point, no one has signed a contract. That wouldn’t happen until after Thanksgiving.”
Minor says sexual orientation is not a factor when choosing players.
“In basketball, it’s about athletics. We’re looking for the best semipro men’s basketball team we can put on,” Minor said.
According to Outsports, this makes Survillion the second openly gay male professional basketball player in the United States. Survillion’s Rock Dogs teammate, DeMarco Majors, played with the ABA’s Hawaii team for a period of time. Perhaps the most famous gay professional basketball player, John Amaechi, did not publicly come out until after he left the NBA.
Mike has already shown up on our radars during our previous coverage of Shirts & Skins, in particular when he came out to his mother right before the Chicago championships and when he hit up Amaechi for advice on a professional career. It’s so great to see him following his dreams. Hopefully we’ll hear more about him in the future!
Shirts & Skins: The Rockdogs play the pros
October 2, 2008
This week’s episode of Logo’s Shirts & Skins highlighted how one person’s antics can affect an entire team’s performance on the court. The team practiced nonstop in preparation for their game against the San Francisco Rumble, an American Basketball Association team.
But when Jamel (who last episode caused serious problems with his teammates when he inaccurately claimed being gay was “a choice”) went missing during the final practice before the big game, the team’s stress level was visibly high and affected their play.
In the end, the Rockdogs lost the game 51-41 – not a bad showing, considering the San Francisco Rumble is a professional team.
Despite the loss, it was worthwhile to see how one player missing during practice can affect an entire team at game time. It demonstrates how so much of sport is mental – if you’re not in the right frame of mind, you won’t perform well no matter how good your skills are.
Stay tuned next week when Sheryl Swoopes drops by, and the Rockdogs gear up for their fashion show fundraiser.
