Well, now we know why he's walking away from soccer... With fans like that, is it any wonder why he'd rather leave than play for the F*re?
Far be it from me to tell Mr. Hauptman how to run his team, but if I were him, I wouldn't drop the ball a second time. After not reaching out to him before the trade, he should reach out now and wish him the best of luck; tell him that he has chosen the best path for his own health and happiness; and tell him that the door will be open to him here when he decides to play the sport he loves again.
Earlier today, former Columbus Crew, Leeds United and USMNT player Robbie Rogers issued a statement via his blog, simultaneously coming out as gay and announcing he is stepping away from soccer. Fire supporters group Whiskey Brothers Aught Five (WB05) offers this open letter to Robbie in response. Dear Robbie Rogers, We didn’t like you very much when you wore Columbus Crew colors, to put it nicely. We’re Fire fans, members of the Section 8 supporters group WB05, and 2008 still stings for us as much as it still means a ton to you, as you recently said of your MLS Cup title that year. But should you ever decide to return to professional soccer and play in MLS, and should that mean you end up playing for the Chicago Fire, the team that currently holds your rights, we want you to know this: we could not have more respect for your decision to come out in public and, as you put it, remove “the pain that lurks in the stomach at work, the pain from avoiding questions, and at last the pain from hiding such a deep secret.” It was thinking about players like you who we knew existed in pro soccer but felt that kind of pain that inspired us last year to put together a 50’ wide tifo display that featured a picture of the Chicago skyline and the club crest atop rainbow colors adorned with the message: “Our City, Our Club. Our Diversity, Our Strength.” It was a display made as part of a league-wide effort by supporters groups affiliated to the Independent Supporters Council to demonstrate the opposition to discrimination held by fans of MLS, under the title “Show Racism the Red Card.” We fully supported that message, but we wanted to go further. It’s not enough for us to be only against racism, or to say simply there’s a line that shouldn’t be crossed. When no player in MLS (or at the top tiers in England, where you most recently played) has felt comfortable enough to be open about their sexuality, it’s clear that fans need to convey to players that the overwhelming majority of us - at least speaking for those of us in Section 8 in Chicago - believe the sport is strengthened by its diversity and inclusiveness. Your decision to come out is a personal one, as is your decision to step away from the sport. One of our members described his own experience in an email to our group following your announcement, and has helped many of us understand your situation better than we did previously. “The process of coming out is one of the most taxing things I've ever gone through. Hell, I'm 30 years old and not fully out ‘cause, goddamn, it is hard. It was hard enough for me just being a supporter to be open about it (let's be honest, sport is a hard world to be gay in). I can only imagine what that must be like at the top pro level. I don't mean to imply there's no way you all as straight people can understand the fear, anxiety and uncertainty that comes with this process, but I'd also say there's really no other comparable/shared life experiences that are anything like coming out." To cut to the chase: we’re a bunch of Fire fans who want to say that we respect to the utmost degree what you’ve done and if you ever decide to come back to pro soccer, you’ll find a warm welcome in Chicago, especially if you do happen to be wearing red and white. If you’re wearing another club’s colors, you’ll get some abuse, but only because you’re not playing for the Chicago Fire. And judging by the outpouring of support for you from fans, journalists and players around the league on Twitter since your letter was published, the American soccer community as a whole feels the same way. All the best, Whiskey Brothers Aught Five An Affiliate Supporters Group of Section 8 Chicago twitter.com/whiskeybrothers
Well said. Whatever your feelings are about homosexuality, gay marriage, etc., you have to respect someone who has the guts to do what Robbie did. I can't imagine how hard it would be to come out as a high school athlete, let alone on a professional level. Kudos to Robbie and to the Whiskey brothers for that letter.
What I see in all of this is that he is stepping away from the game (officially) and the Fire got boned again by that trade.
Hopefully Rogers decides to return to soccer. I don't even care if its for the Fire. I hope he isn't giving up on just because of how he thinks he would be treated.
Homosexuality is part and parcel of women's professional sports and is not an issue to the point that trades are made to reunite partners. The day that gay men are accepted in sport is sadly a long way off. Robbie Rogers has a lot more courage than any homophobes that would slag him from the safety of a terrace, or internet forum.
I'm proud that Section 8 (and the Barnburners before them) is a leader in the American soccer community in promoting diversity and inclusiveness in the game.
He's 25 and good enough to get more national team caps. I hope he returns to MLS and the Fire benefit...maybe one of the California teams can talk him into playing again...didn't he rehab with the Galaxy?
He has my respect and admiration for coming out publicly. That had to take courage beyond words especially since he's a professional athlete. If he comes back to play I believe it'd be an inspiration to a whole lot of people.
Great for Robbie Rogers. Let's hope he returns and restarts his career. In the interim, I hope he enjoys his life.
Best of luck to Robbie in whatever he decides to do professionally. Perhaps in time he will decide to ply his trade again in MLS and if/when that happens, I welcome him to the club.
You're right, I don't care if he's happier. Also don't care about him playing soccer again. We're in complete agreement. (That's right, no negative rep button anymore)
If he's happier playing than fine. I know that he has some magazine thing and a fashion thing lined up that he wants to work on. But given that he was a good player, and is still in prime years, I would hate to think he walked away just because of fears of how he'd be treated/perceived as an out, gay athlete. That's what I mean by I hope he comes back one day.
Because it is a shame if he felt he had to leave because he is gay. Also, because the Fire hold his MLS rights, and that could make him valuable to the Fire. Because he made a really tough decision, with all of the perceived hatred in sports against gay athletes. Oh, and because we don't all feel the need to hate everything that is not Fire-related. He is a guy who had made a life-changing decision to come out and I wish him well.
I don't care if he's gay or that his sister is hot. I don't care about gay jokes or the people who flip the ******** out over them. I dont care if the rumor was RR wanted to play in LA. I don't care that Lampard is house hunting in LA. For all I care he and RR can house hunt together in a totally bro friendly way. What I do care about is that the fire hold the rights to a now retired player without knowing his plans because his big announcement went along with his retirement which is why he wouldn't have said anything upon recieving word on his "trade" other than his comment on "how MLS works." I knew something was up when he tweeted that.