In Denver on April 3,  2012, 6’8′ senior  and center Brittney Griner hoisted a championship trophy high above her head after her Baylor Lady Bears defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. On April 15, the Phoenix Mercury professional women’s team made the 22-year-old center the number-one pick in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) draft, generating a new wave of attention for a player who was already turning heads.

On the court, Griner brings a blend of size and skill that has never been seen before in the women’s game. From her three dunks in her college career, to Mark Cuban saying he would draft her to the National Basketball Association (NBA), Griner has recieved plenty of both positive and negative critiques.

By April 16, she had come out of the proverbial closet and told the world to “be who they are.” Well obviously, high executives agree, as Nike signed the star, making her the first openly gay athlete they have signed. Does her acceptance in the community represent a double standard in the industry? Very few males in the sports industry have come out as gay, and none have received the positive attention Griner has obtained. Jason Collins of the NBA came out last year, but it was at the end of his career and he has not seen the court since. A prominent male player has yet to come out, so the result are yet to come…..out.