Since Disunited came out at the end of January we’ve now seen two male sports stars do the same — and a few female sports stars too, let’s not forget.

Jason Collins is the first NBA player to come out and continue playing. The second might be newsworthy too. The third? Meh. No longer a story — which is exactly how it should be. The first few male sportsmen to come out will have the pick of the sponsors. Those that follow will just feel secure in the knowledge that they’re doing nothing special — and nothing lucrative.

The gold rush starts now.

By a remarkable coincidence, just a day or so before Collins’ announcement I was interviewed about Disunited by the editor of Stonewall Times, the community magazine for LGBT players of Star Trek Online. A few of my lines now seem a little prescient:

Statistically it’s highly unlikely there are no gay players in the Premier League – or in the NFL, or NHL, or NBA, or any major sport.

And:

I’m still betting on a top player coming out this year, probably over the summer, and carrying on in the sport.

In the latter quote I was talking specifically about football, and post-Collins I’m even more convinced: in football and in other team sports, the time is right. Who will be next?

Read the full interview (reproduced with kind permission of the editor).