Jocks 2: True Stories of America's Gay Male Athletes - Softcover

Woog, Dan

9781555837266: Jocks 2: True Stories of America's Gay Male Athletes

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1555837263 ISBN 13: 9781555837266

Publisher: Alyson Books, 2002

In addition to becoming a nationwide bestseller, Jocks changed the face of athletics forever. Gay athletes realized they were not alone, young gay athletes discovered role models, and straight people learned that gay people are their teammates and coaches. Much has changed since its publication in 1998: Gay jocks are coming out even in high school, gay sports teams compete in every major city, and in almost every major sport-even testosterone-fueled contests such as rodeo, snowboarding, and mountain biking-there are openly gay competitors. But the locker room is still far from a friendly place for out athletes, so with Jocks 2, author and journalist Dan Woog introduces us to a group of gay athletes including:

The first openly gay college athletic director in the United States. .
A gay mountaineer who became the first deaf instructor hired by Outward Bound. .
An Ironman competitor. .
An HIV-positive former street hustler whose life was changed by wrestling. .
A student manager driven from his college team by the athletes he admired. .
A baseball fanatic who finally found self-esteem on the diamond.

These pointed, dynamic, and often triumphant profiles of gay athletes continue the tradition of illustrating that gay people are the friends, colleagues, neighbors, and teammates of all Americans.

A valuable resource for libraries, educators, coaches, and school counselors in overcoming stereotypes, providing encouragement for gay youth, and dispelling myths about sexuality among athletes.

Dan Woog is a journalist, educator, soccer coach, and gay activist. He is the author of 12 books, including Jocks; Gay Men, Straight Jobs; and Schools Out. His articles and essays have appeared in The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, and USA Today, and he is a contributing writer for The Advocate magazine. He lives in Westport, Connecticut.

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From Library Journal:

Nearly five years after the publication of Jocks, Woog, a journalist, educator, and soccer coach, reexamines the lives of gay athletes willing to come out publicly to their sport. Not surprisingly, there are no professional athletes yet to take the step, but the book does include several Olympic competitors and, perhaps bravest of all, high school athletes. Not content to sit around and wait for the professionals to come out of the closet, the author describes the lives of other gay athletes, holding them up as role models and heroes young men who routinely brave the taunts of an intolerant few and others who enjoy the surprising support and encouragement from their straight teammates. The essays include an eyeopening account of the life of professional wrestler Rafael Cruz Rivera, a look at the gay athletes in rugby, and, in a sign that things really do change, a piece on Jim Buzinski, founder of Outsports. com, a web site devoted to the gay sports fan. Jocks 2 is a pleasant surprise, an affirming book that illustrates the broad diversity of experiences within the stereotypically straight world of men's athletics. Recommended for most larger collections. Jeffery Ingram, Newport P.L., OR
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist:

Woog's second helping of gay athletes' lives covers fewer soccer players than Jocks (1998) did. Because Woog has coached soccer for 20-plus years, that imbalance was perfectly understandable, as was the predominance of quite young subjects, which continues in this book, because, after all, most people are the most athletic when they're young. Still absent are any active professionals. For pros in midcareer, coming out is still too risky, Woog explains. He who does may not lose his job, but he well may lose the extra income from endorsing sports equipment and other products, which is what enables some athletes to train and compete. Woog does, however, tell the story of a snowboarder who still got endorsement income, though that crucially included money from gay-owned businesses. As in the earlier collection, Woog profiles some nonplayers--a sports Web-site developer, a college athletic director, an ESPN staffer, a sports-management professor, and a soccer manager--and several athletes in lesser-known sports, such as dressage, rowing crew, adventure racing, and rugby. Ray Olson
Copyright � American Library Association. All rights reserved

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