Playing for our team. (reader forum).

What an incredible article on the NCAA in your March 5 issue ["The College Sports Closet"]. It is great to see people who tackle the tough issues. It is also great to see young men willing to stand up for themselves and be who they are. As a staff member at a university and an out gay man who went through college trying to find "people like me," I understand the struggle gay college athletes have--particularly men.

It seems that women athletes are more comfortable being out on campus. They are the ones who frequent my office to chat. I see and hear of the struggle many of our male athletes go through while remaining silent. I hope your article will start more conversations about how the NCAA can be more open to our struggling students. They are our future. I plan to send a copy of the article to our athletic director today.

Rodney M. Mondor, Gorham, Maine University of Southern Maine 

I was an openly gay athlete at George Washington University (I graduated in December). There is a perception that athletes in individual sports can be open about their sexuality while those in team sports cannot. This isn't necessarily the case. While Dwight Slater, the Stanford University football player you profiled, had a disappointing experience coming out in a team sport, my experience was nothing but positive.

As a member of the men's crew team, I was in constant close contact with my teammates, on the water and off. Rowing necessitates dependence on each other within the boat. The nine guys in the shell win or lose a race together, and unless they are absolutely in sync with each other, the boat will not go fast. This reliance makes for a very close bond.

I ate, slept, rowed, traveled, and partied with the guys countless times. In the boat I sat in my spandex just inches from the rowers in front of and behind me. On long trips we shared rooms and even beds. Never was my being gay an issue.

Skiers, divers, swimmers, and others whose sports revolve around themselves do not depend as much on their teammates for their performance, and thus it may be easier for athletes in those and similar sports to live openly. But if a student is brave enough to come out to his or her teammates, he or she may be surprised and have an experience as wonderful as mine.

Drew Holland, Washington, D.C.

As I read "The College Sports Closet," I felt as though I were reliving my own college experience. As a cheerleader for Ohio State University, I was a direct witness to antigay locker room talk. I recall athletes who wouldn't make eye contact with me in class or in the gym because I was gay. But as soon as we ran into each other at a kegger, after a few hundred beers I was their best friend. Though playing this game sucked for me, I felt even worse for the other guys. How awful they must have felt not being able to openly share who they truly were without first pounding down a 12-pack.

Though I don't feel the athletic departments or "straight" athletes are entirely to blame for the current state of discomfort gay athletes feel today, I believe they do play a large role in the personal development of gay athletes. I remember how much time I spent in practice, only hanging out with my teammates and coaches. They supported me both athletically and personally as an equal to the straight athletes. If this were not the case, I don't know where I would be today. Since they were the main group with whom I collaborated, they held the strongest influence on how I would develop, both socially and intrapersonally.

As for Dwight Slater, you are the new generation of gay athletes, and you will help pave the way for the many gay athletes to come. Though times may get rough, you must remember to be the same proud man you are today. Who knows, maybe you will be that driving influence to another gay athlete that the Ohio State cheerleading team was to me.

Matt Finefrock, Columbus, Ohio