4 weeks ago
“I deliberation group are really enamored pinch maine because you don’t often spot personification for illustration maine – animated, flamboyant – but still capable to backmost it up connected nan volleyball court,” says Jordan Lucas, nan extracurricular hitter for Cal State Northridge’s men’s team.
Although assemblage volleyball has a devoted pursuing and tin pull large crowds – 92,000 fans went to spot Nebraska return connected Omaha successful 2023 – it doesn’t usually pull nan aforesaid attraction arsenic hoops aliases football. That changed past period though erstwhile clips of Lucas’s “flamboyant” play – he’s fond of celebrating pinch a flick of his hairsbreadth aliases a dismissive activity astatine his opponents – went viral, amassing millions of views connected societal media. College athletes enjoying societal media fame is hardly new: stars specified arsenic Paige Bueckers, Harper Murray, Olivia Dunne and Shedeur Sanders each had their viral moments. But Lucas’s lawsuit is different. It isn’t conscionable astir nan highlights, it’s astir nan speech surrounding them. Lucas is gay, and that truth has go inseparable from really audiences prosecute pinch his game.
Gay antheral athletes person ever existed, but astir of them navigated their careers either by remaining closeted aliases by conforming to a type of masculinity that preserved their spot wrong nan rigid expectations of sport: dominant, stoic, unmistakably “masculine.” Lucas does not. His flamboyance is not muted for acceptability; it is cardinal to his presence, some connected and disconnected nan court. And while that draws attention, it besides invites scrutiny, thing he admits has go difficult to ignore.
“I consciousness for illustration group travel for nan intermezo and nan show, and now they’re starting to get invested successful my life extracurricular of nan court. It’s taken immoderate getting utilized to,” he says. The duality is striking: connected nan court, Lucas is passionate and emotive; disconnected it, he describes himself arsenic much reserved.
That hostility came into attraction during a broadcast, erstwhile UC Irvine announcer Charlie Brande remarked, “I’m amazed Jordan Lucas hasn’t been popped by personification … The antics he’s making nether nan net, it’s very distasteful.” Brande issued an apology, acknowledging that unit should ne'er beryllium “acceptable aliases tolerated.” It was later confirmed Brande will nary longer telephone UC Irvine volleyball games.
Lucas’s alleged “antics” were really celebrations: gestures that are ubiquitous crossed sports, particularly successful high-pressure moments. Lucas’s quality lies successful really he expresses himself: digit snaps, hairsbreadth flips, waves to opponents, nan occasional sashaying turn. In different context, he mightiness beryllium praised alternatively than dismissed.
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“I observe because it’s fun. In master sports – nan NBA, NFL, MLB – it’s astir talent, but it’s besides astir what separates you from nan pack,” Lucas says. “I’m not going to reside down who I am. That’s why group watch maine play.”
He adds that teammates, coaches, and unit person been overwhelmingly supportive of his self-expression.
Lucas’s way to volleyball wasn’t predetermined. He was raised successful a family of hoops fanatics – his older relative Jarod played for Nevada and Oregon State and nan siblings have supported each other’s careers – but Jordan resisted nan athletics from an early age.
“I hated basketball. It was a increasing pain, particularly for my dad, because it’s each he’s known,” he says. He yet concentrated connected volleyball, a move that proved transformative. “I felt for illustration I could ever beryllium myself successful volleyball. It was an escape. I was surviving 2 lives: my volleyball life, wherever I could beryllium myself, and my individual life.”
Even earlier this viral moment, Lucas recalls being a polarizing figure. “People either emotion aliases dislike nan measurement I play,” he says. “But they’re enamored, because you don’t really spot group for illustration maine successful this sport, aliases successful sports successful general.”
The backlash, some online and successful person, has been aggravated astatine times, but it has besides sharpened his resolve. “Being gay, I’ve known who I americium for years. When group antagonize me, it conscionable gives maine much fire. It’s like, fto maine show you who I am,” he says. “I’m not going to fto anyone disrespect me. I’m not losing.”
Online comments ranged from dismissive to overtly homophobic: “sassy ball,” 1 reads; “Gayyyyy,” says another. Lucas notes that overmuch of nan venom comes from men. “There’s this stereotype that men successful sports person to beryllium dominant, brute, hyper-physical. I’m not really for illustration that. I for illustration antics. I’m much feminine,” he says.
For Lucas, nan rumor is little astir disapproval and much astir inconsistency. “You’re not telling nan champion NFL players not to do extremity area dances aliases station connected TikTok. I’m doing nan aforesaid point – conscionable successful a much feminine way.”
Still, nan support has been conscionable arsenic visible. Figures specified arsenic Mark Cuban and Billy Porter, on pinch players crossed nan WNBA, person voiced encouragement. Lucas is acutely alert of what his visibility represents. As 1 of nan fewer openly cheery players successful men’s volleyball, he occupies a abstraction that extends beyond nan crippled itself.
“I deliberation astir nan young boys I could inspire,” he says. “My scheme was to beryllium done pinch volleyball, but truthful overmuch is changing.” While he remains uncertain astir his adjacent steps, his volition is clear: “I want younger LGBTQ athletes to spot maine and cognize they tin win successful sports, that they tin flourish and beryllium seen.”
