Page 83 of Full Split
Don’t gawk at the hot beefcake. Don’t gawk at the hot beefcake. Just pretend you definitely haven’t seen him in nothing but a pair of Calvins.Because that magazine spread isdefinitely nothung up on your bedroom wall, smack dab in the middle of a full collage of hot gay sports gods.
“It’s so nice to meet you in person,” I say, reaching to shake their hands. “I’m glad to get to thank you face to face for that article you did. I think it really helped change some of the narrative.”
“Not enough, I’m afraid, but we’ll get here. Besides, I’m the one that should be thanking you—it was that article that landed me my current job. I’m doing an article forSports Unleashedabout Olympic-bound LGBTQ+ athletes.”
“You’ve done articles for them before, though, haven’t you?” Rina Landry asks. She’s sitting between Brandon Isaacs and Vickie Cole. Shane Linz is sitting on the arm of the couch next to them.
“I have, but it was Niles’ story that landed me a permanent position on the staff. More importantly, it’s what helped a mainstream magazine likeSports Unleasheddecide to take an activeand positiveposition on the narrative regarding LGBTQ+ players in professional athletics.”
“I really liked the piece you did in June, about changing the narrative of queer men in professional sports,” Weston says. I know what article he’s talking about. It’s the one thatSports Unleashedput out for their Pride Month issue, and the reason I started subscribing.
“Thank you. I’m hoping we continue to see positive trends socially despite the downturn things have taken politically.”
“What do you mean?” Vickie asks. “What was the article?”
“It was about how the response to queer athletes in professional sports, specifically masculine-centered, popular sports like football and baseball, could be used as a gauge to show how society has grown on LGBTQ+ issues. We were starting to see a rise in out pro athletes, and while a few of them had some bad publicity at first, like Jack Perry from the Carolina Panthers, most of these players have been accepted into the fold and treated normally.”
“Yeah, after the media circus with that ex-girlfriend, no one really cared about anything other than him collecting Super Bowl rings,” Vickie says, nodding.
“Why does that matter, though?” Brandon asks. “He’s like, the golden boy of the NFL.”
“You’re proving my point,” Mik says, smiling. “Even in spaces that are considered to be the pinnacle of toxic masculinity, we were seeing a rise of acceptance and a push for more diversity everywhere.”
“A few players have come out or even been drafted as out players, which is huge,” Weston adds.
“Like who?” Brandon asks. “I don’t remember hearing anything about it.”
“Again, proving my point. Because most people simply don’t care who athletes love or go home to, they just care that they’re good players in the end.”
“But who, though?” Brandon asks. We all laugh.
"Those guys that play for the Tampa Bay Rays, the catcher and pitcher, aren't they together?" Shane says.
"They're not together," Rina answers. "Gabe Rodgers, the catcher, is married to the pitcher's brother. They're best friends though and are super precious. They do this cute little handshake before the games, like one of those super elaborate ones where they snap and bump hips at the end."
"I dunno, that sounds pretty gay," Shane says. Vickie reaches over and smacks him. “What?” he mouths, rubbing his thigh.
Vickie ignores him, her eyes closing, fingers snapping as she tries to remember something. "Or that basketball player from North Carolina that's married to that rich guy. What’s his name?"
"Marcus Vell," Wyatt answers. I nearly jump out of my skin at the sound of his voice behind me.
“Where did you come from?” I say, trying my best not to ogle him.
He grins, then nods at the others. “Fancy meeting you here,” he deadpans, raising an eyebrow at Mik.
“Oh, you know each other?” I exclaim.
“Just met today,” Mik chuckles. “Not sure he’s a fan.”
I turn my wide eyes on my secret boyfriend. “You know who they are, right?”
“He’s a journalist,” Wyatt says. “That’s enough to put me on edge.”
“Oh, my sweet summer child,” I say, reaching up to pat his head. “It’s a good thing you’re cute. And beefy.”
Weston coughs. I pull back. This isn’t abnormal behavior from me, but I supposed I should still be careful.
“Dad, this is the guy who wrote that article blasting the people that leaked Niles’ business to the public. And he writes pro-LGBTQ+ articles for?—”
