Gunzlingr
07-11-2003, 09:30 AM
Any sports figure who's openly gay, goes the hoary truism, can forget about being marketable.
That might be one reason there has never been an openly gay athlete in the major pro sports. So Esera Tuaolo, who played nine NFL seasons before retiring, stands out. He came out last year on an HBO show, then made the TV talk show rounds to talk about it.
Now he's featured in new national TV ads for the Chili's restaurant chain, aimed at mainstream audiences.
Tuaolo, who grew up in Hawaii, is seen playing his ukulele and singing. It wasn't a stretch: As a player, he regularly sang pregame national anthems and sang on two CDs marketed by the NFL. He has performed in eight musicals or plays in Minneapolis, where he lives with his partner and adopted 3-year-old twins.
more (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/hiestand/2003-07-09-hiestand_x.htm)
That might be one reason there has never been an openly gay athlete in the major pro sports. So Esera Tuaolo, who played nine NFL seasons before retiring, stands out. He came out last year on an HBO show, then made the TV talk show rounds to talk about it.
Now he's featured in new national TV ads for the Chili's restaurant chain, aimed at mainstream audiences.
Tuaolo, who grew up in Hawaii, is seen playing his ukulele and singing. It wasn't a stretch: As a player, he regularly sang pregame national anthems and sang on two CDs marketed by the NFL. He has performed in eight musicals or plays in Minneapolis, where he lives with his partner and adopted 3-year-old twins.
more (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/hiestand/2003-07-09-hiestand_x.htm)