Obama proud of gay soccer player Robbie Rogers
“Robbie, you’ve also inspired a whole lot of folks here and around the world, and we are very proud of you.”
— President Barack Obama during an event at the White House on Monday, honoring the Major League Soccer team, LA Galaxy. Rogers made history in May 2013 when he became the first out gay man to ever play for a major league team in the United States. A former Olympian, Rogers had come out just three months earlier in a heartfelt blog post on his personal website in which he announced he was gay and retiring from soccer at the age of 25.
“I want to recognize what Robbie Rogers of the Galaxy has done for a lot of people by blazing a trail as one of professional sports’ first openly gay players,” Obama said Monday. “My guess is that, as an athlete, Robbie wants to win first and foremost — that’s what competition is all about. But, Robbie, you’ve also inspired a whole lot of folks here and around the world, and we are very proud of you.”
Rogers told USA Today that Obama’s comments, which came at the end of his speech honoring the team, were unexpected. “I was really surprised actually,” Rogers said. “Pleasantly surprised. I wasn’t expecting that. As an athlete…it’s hard for us to look back and see what we’ve accomplished, but this was definitely a moment to enjoy.”
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