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Brendon Ayanbadejo

Column: Collins significant, but not true pioneer

Jason Collins has been compared to Jackie Robinson. And Neil Armstrong.Courageous? Absolutely.True pioneer? Not exactly.Now that we've had a few days to reflect on what it means for Collins to come out as gay, it's time to recognize what this really was — a significant step, to be sure, but hardly a slam-dunk leap toward an equal playing field.To be clear, I'm pulling hard for Collins to be on an NBA roster next season, to get a chance to show all the doubters and nay-sayers that a gay man can be just another guy in a pro sports locker room.But even if Collins does land another contract — hardly a sure thing, given he's a 34-year-old journeyman center who barely played this season for the woeful Washington Wizards and is now a free agent — I'm not convinced this will be as groundbreaking as so many are making it out to be.For starters, anyone who plays with Collins will have a whole summer to prepare for the inevitable, annoying questions, to bury their beliefs or prejudices so deep th...

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