Two days ago, journeyman NBA center Jason Collins officially became the first male athlete to come out as gay in the top tier sports.

Those sports include baseball, football, basketball, and in my own personal bias, hockey.

While the announcement should not be revolutionary, or even seem like a big deal in the times we live in, it still holds a great amount of significance.

The emphasis on the concept of masculinity and testosterone that surrounds these sports does not lend itself well to that of being a gay man.

There have been comments from pro athletes, like San Francisco 49er Chris Culliver, who have openly spoke out against having a gay teammate.

”We don’t have any gay guys on the team,” Culliver said in a Jan. 29 interview with Artie Lange. “They gotta get up outta here if they do. Can’t be with that sweet stuff…Yeah, come out 10 years later after that.”

While this is not indicative of the entire athletic community, it shows the perception. Not only does it show the community can have a non-accepting atmosphere, but that it would only be OK if an athlete came out after he or she retired. What—once they are away from the team it’s OK?

Collins’ revealing interview not only stands as a significant milestone for the necessary confrontation sports teams must face at some point, but it opens the doors for younger athletes.

The admission and relief Collins feels is now the breaking of the barrier younger athletes may be up against. It’s seems a bit dramatic, but it’s a huge, huge start.

There will be more discrimination, more resistance, and still probably some hesitancy from both sides of the fence, teammates and athletes who have not come out.

Ultimately, what this is leading to is the possibility that it really won’t matter if someone is or isn’t gay. Collins’ announcement is huge, but it’s a flavor of the week. Other athletes will stay in headlines longer for less positive stories, but what this signifies cannot be overlooked.

Rarely are athletes looked up to as a good role model. We don’t know them outside of what they put out into the public eye. Collins, if nothing else, has given a good sense of who he is as a person with his revealing interview. Even then it’s not a basis for anything but making self-affirming choices.

The only persecution an athlete should face is based on that of their performance. Then it’s OK to chastise them.