“The Last Barrier” Examines Challenges Facing Gay Athletes During Their Playing Careers

One-Hour Special Produced by Comcast SportsNet Bay Area
Debates When Pro Sports Will Be Ready for an Openly Gay Athlete

SAN JOSE, Calif. – NBC Bay Area, in partnership with Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, today announced that The Last Barrier, an in-depth one-hour special examining the personal issues, teammate and locker room acceptance, and team ownership and fan reaction that gay professional athletes face when contemplating coming out during their playing careers, will premiere on Saturday, December 8 at 3 PM PT.

Throughout the many generations and the tens of thousands of men to have played in the four major American sports leagues – MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL – not a single athlete has come out as gay during their playing days. The Last Barrier, hosted by Comcast SportsNet anchor Dave Feldman (@FeldyCSN), along with CSNBayArea.com’s Senior Insider Ray Ratto (@RattoCSN) and Comcast SportsNet’s MLB analyst Shooty Babitt and former teammate of Glenn Burke, the first openly gay MLB player to come out post-career, discuss and debate the potential for an active gay professional athlete to come out in the near future and whether locker rooms and society are ready for this historic moment.

The Last Barrier provides insightful commentary and interviews with Rick Welts, President and COO, Golden State Warriors; Chris Kluwe, Minnesota Vikings punter; Patrick Burke, co-founder of “You Can Play” and Philadelphia Flyers scout; Dave Kopay, former NFL player; Cyd Zeigler, Jr., co-founder of OutSports.com; and Amani Toomer, Bay Area native, former NFL player and NBC Sports NFL analyst.

After the December 8 debut on NBC Bay Area, The Last Barrier will re-air on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area on Monday, December 10 at 8:30 p.m., Thursday, December 13 at 7 p.m. and Monday, December 17 at 8:30 p.m.

Source: Business Wire