SAN DIEGO- On the last day of the 2020 season gathered around their coach, American soccer great Landon Donovan, the visibly angered players of the San Diego Loyals Major League Soccer team were ready to walk off the field that Autumn day. The reason was the homophobic slur that had been directed at their openly Out midfielder Collin Martin by a player on the opposing team.

ESPN reported what happened next; “The team was in agreement: Something needed to be done. They decided that if the offending player, Phoenix Rising‘s Junior Flemmings, wasn’t removed from the game — by the ref, his coach or of his own volition — they would walk off the field.”

The Loyals needed this game as a win to assure a slot in the second-tier of the upcoming championship playoffs and at the half-time mark San Diego was leading Phoenix 3-1. Martin had serious reservations about taking a hike over the homophobia telling ESPN in a later interview; “I just was like, ‘No, we really should play this game,’ because this is my nightmare. My sexuality having an impact on a soccer game? This is actually my nightmare.”

After approaching the Phoenix team’s head coach Rick Schantz who blew it off and allowed the offending player to play the second half of the game the Loyals followed through and walked off forfeiting the match and the coveted spot in the playoffs.

Since that game which propelled Martin into the harsh glare of publicity and garnered more fans, especially from the LGBTQ community for the team, Martin has staked out a new mission for himself to promote greater inclusion in his sport for LGBTQ people.

Loyals head coach Donovan, in an interview with ESPN, reflected on the moment last Fall that became a game changer for the normally taciturn midfielder.

“In the moment, [Martin hated the decision] and in probably the 24 hours after, he hated all the attention and what came from it,” Donovan said. “But I think he was smart enough to realize the platform that had been created. That this was a unique opportunity to really — I don’t say this lightly — move our society and the world forward in a positive way. I give him a lot of credit for taking all the uncomfortable attention that he didn’t want and dealing with it so that he could help a lot of other people.”

At the end of this past month of August, Martin joined Common Goal. The non-profit in partnership with athletic apparel giant Adidas and other football (soccer) players around the globe, is dedicated to creating a more thorough link between football players, managers, fans, organisations, brands, to join the global football community together on a team big enough and strong enough to take on the world’s toughest opponents from HIV/AIDS to gender inequality to youth unemployment.

The Loyal midfielder will pledge 1% of his annual salary towards Play Proud — a project creating inclusive environments within football for LGBTQ+ communities.

And for the incident that started it all? ESPN reported that “Flemmings was later suspended for six games by the league, and he denied using an anti-gay slur toward Martin. But in a November (2020) interview with the Advocate, Martin talked about the conversations the two shared in the aftermath of that incident: “We had a long talk, and he apologized. At first during the game and shortly after, he didn’t admit he said the slur, which was upsetting to me, but during our call, he admitted that the weeks following the incident were tough for him as well, and he said he was sorry.”

LOS ANGELES – Walking through the Los Angeles Dodger’s front offices this past Monday was a joyful experience for the team’s Senior Vice President for Marketing, Communications & Broadcasting, Erik Braverman. This past weekend he had dropped to one knee and asked his beau Jonathan Cottrell, a software engineer in West Hollywood as well as a photographer and model, for his hand in marriage.

The resounding yes came during the couple’s weekend end getaway to Las Vegas, and since the coronavirus pandemic restricts travel to Europe and the beautiful City of Light on the banks of the River Seine, the Eiffel Tower Restaurant with its classic French cuisine and a spectacular view of the Las Vegas Strip as well as overlooking the Bellagio Fountains became the next best substitute.

In a Facebook post, Braverman noted, “We are excited to continue our journey together and share so many new memories. My love, admiration and affection for him grows daily. Stay tuned for details….coming soon!”

A native of Houston, Texas, Braverman now resides in West Hollywood and has been an Angeleno since 1989.

Braverman is entering his 10th year with the Dodgers and has had a major impact on the growth of the Dodger brand as it continues to expand beyond the world of baseball. In his role as Senior Vice President, Marketing, Communications and Broadcasting, Braverman manages the Dodgers’ local and national broadcast relationships and directs the club’s marketing and communications initiatives, helping drive ticket sales and also oversees the Dodgers’ social media, which has set the standard for fan engagement and grown to become one of the most followed teams in baseball across all platforms.

Prior to joining the Dodgers, Braverman served as Vice President of Programming and Operations for ABC Radio stations, KABC, ESPN Radio and Radio Disney from 1996 – 2008. He was at the programming helm of the Disney-owned Los Angeles flagship when ESPN Radio was introduced to Los Angeles in 2000. 

Braverman was the Director of Talk and Sports Programming at Westwood One Radio from 1994-1996 where he oversaw a number of nationally syndicated shows. He moved to Los Angeles in 1989 where he worked as Executive Producer at KFI & KOST Radio.

TOKYO – Delayed by the coronavirus pandemic by one year and then held under tight restrictions including no spectators or cheering fans in the stands, the Tokyo Olympics drew to a close Sunday with one group of athletes, LGBTQ+ Olympian competitors, having made historic gains.

Affectionately labeled “Team LGBTQ” by OutSports magazine, at least 182 publicly out gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and nonbinary athletes were in Tokyo for the Summer Olympic Games, more than triple the number who participated at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympic Games, the magazine reported.

“In fact, if the LGBTQ Olympians competed as their own country — affectionately labeled “Team LGBTQ” by Outsports — they would rank 11thin the total medal count (right behind France and before Canada), with 32 team and individual medals: 11 gold, 12 silver and nine bronze,” reflected NBC Out.

30 different countries were represented by at least one publicly out LGBTQ+ athlete covering 34 sports, including the first trans Olympians, Team New Zealand’s weightlifter, Team USA’s Reserve BMX racer Chelsea Wolfe, and Team Canada’s Quinn, the 25-year-old, soccer player who goes by a single name and uses the pronouns “they” and “their.”

In another Olympic triumph, 27-year-old British diver Tom Daley secured his first Olympic Gold medal alongside teammate Matty Lee winning the gold with a score of 471.81 in the men’s synchronized diving narrowly besting the defending champions, China’s Cao Yuan and Chen Aisen by just 1.23 points. For Daley it was his fourth career Olympic medal including a Bronze Medal won in the Men’s 10m platform completion at Tokyo as well.

Outsports and NBC Out published the following list of medalists;

The gold medalists were Brazilian swimmer Ana Marcela Cunha for the 10-kilometer event; French martial artist Amandine Buchard for mixed team judo; Venezuelan track and field athlete Yulimar Rojas for the triple jump; Irish boxer Kellie Harrington; New Zealand rower Emma Twigg; U.S. women’s basketball team members Sue Bird, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Breanna Stewart and Diana Taurasi; American 3-on-3 basketball player Stefanie Dolson; Canadian women’s soccer team members Quinn, Kadeisha Buchanan, Erin McLeod, Kailen Sheridan and Stephanie Labbe; French handball players Amandine Leynaud and Alexandra Lacrabère; New Zealand rugby players Gayle Broughton, Ruby Tui, Kelly Brazier and Portia Woodman; and, of course, British diver Tom Daley, who finally took home the gold for synchronized diving at his fourth Games.

NBC Out’s Dan Avery noted that after she earned silver for the Philippines, featherweight boxer Nesthy Petecio told reporters, “I am proud to be part of the LGBTQ community,” according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, 

“Let’s go, fight!” she added. “This fight is also for the LGBTQ community.”

“The presence and performance of these out athletes has been a huge story at these Games,” Outsports founder Cyd Zeigler told NBC Out in an email. “30% of all the out LGBTQ Olympians in Tokyo won a medal, which means they didn’t just show up, they also performed at a very high level.”