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Coming Out
Outside the Lines (Sunday, 9 a.m. ET, ESPN)

Being an openly gay athlete is becoming more commonplace, and, some say, more accepted. Yet there are barriers still to be broken. The NFL locker room, considered by some the pinnacle of manhood, might be one of the last frontiers. T.J. Quinn examines what current athletes are saying about this topic, and considers the issues that will be raised when an active NFL player comes out for the first time.

“That’s the same thing I’m doing towards gays, so, I can’t be upset with these people if I’m being a bigot and acting that same way.” – Donte Stallworth, Washington wide receiver,    comparing his treatment of gays in his mid-20’s, to the way others treated him “for the color of my skin, for having money, for my DUI manslaughter.”

“It might seem like a big deal, but once somebody yelled ‘Play Ball!’ everybody would stop caring.”– Brandon McCarthy, Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher, on the prospect of gay players in the locker room

“Would I be disgusted if there’s a homosexual in my locker room? No. There’s much, sin, widespread sin, that goes on in locker rooms sexually — adultery, and the list goes on. So do I see that as disgusting? No, I see it as an opportunity to share the Gospel.” – Eddie Williams, a pastor and former Browns’ backup running back

Families Reuniting in Sports Venues
(Sunday, 10 a.m., ESPN)

https://youtu.be/_NHiMsJpF1o

It’s an emotional moment when soldiers return from service and into the arms of their loved ones. SportsCenterFeatured uniquely ties together some of these memorable reunions that took place at sports venues and athletic events in this Independence Day Week special.

Mexico’s Villalobos: Ready for the Stage 
Reportaje Especial (Sunday, 11 p.m., ESPN Deportes)

https://youtu.be/lZ2pvSivQmg

Mexican boxer MaríaElena Villalobos discovered boxing late — she was 32 when she put on gloves for the first time. That didn’t stop her from moving swiftly up the ranks, securing her first title in just four years. Before she attempts to reclaim her title July 6, Deportes goes inside the making of “La Explosiva” – Villalobos’ nickname (“Explosive One”) – a play chronicling her highs and lows.

NFL: “People have a hard time believing I’d do it all again”
ESPN The Magazine (on newsstands Friday)

In ESPN The Magazine‘s “Kids in Sports” issue, Tim Keown writes that ex-NFLer Steve Hendrickson has a battered body and can’t remember yesterday. Yet he still wants his son to follow in his footsteps. It’s the conflicted nature of every football parent.

ESPNers Participate in Investigative Reporters and Editors Conference

Investigative reporters T.J. Quinn and Michael Fish (Performance Enhancing Drugs) and Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steven Fainaru (Concussions and Sports) led panel discussions at last week’s Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) 2013 Conference in San Antonio. Continuing to enhance its journalistic efforts, several ESPNers attended the conference — Enterprise Unit Coordinating Producers Carolyn Hong and Tim Hays chronicled their experiences forESPNFrontRow.com.