Jason Collins Has Top Selling Jersey After Debut

Photo Courtesy of: Wikimedia

Marissa Gawel under CC BY 2.0 License

Shortly after Jason Collins made his debut with the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday February 23rd, the NBA announced that Collins' number 98 jersey was the top selling jersey in terms of both physical and online sales a mere two days after said debut.  The number 98 is significant because it is a reminder of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, an American college student at the University of Wyoming, who was targeted and bullied for his own homosexuality.  

The timing of the jersey sales is important to a certain extent because Collins has just embarked on what is hopefully the rest of a successful pro career since making the big announcement nearly a year ago in Sports Illustrated.  He has since come to an agreement on a 2nd 10-day contract with the Nets as of March 3rd.

The bigger picture that shouldn't get lost in the media cycle though is that the general public is sending a message loud and clear that they fully support Collins' future endeavors regardless of his sexual orientation. Now there are people out there who certainly don't agree with Collins' lifestyle choice, but that shouldn't mean we can't support him if we choose to do so.

Collins' may not have the top selling jersey by the time you see this, but if everything continues to develop the way it has up to this point, we can all look back at this whole saga as possibly the one moment in time that changed the perception of gays not only in professional sports but also in today's society as well.

Tim Musick
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