ENTERTAINMENT: New TV Comedy based on OUT Pro Soccer Player

Posted Wed, 15 Oct 2014, 3:26pm by Ian Watson

ABC working on new show inspired by the life of out professional soccer player Robbie Rogers.

The LGBT community is continuing to make great strides in getting a fair representation of characters on broadcast tv. According to the GLADD Network Responsibility Index, for the 2014-15 season, 32 out of 813 primetime broadcast scripted series regulars identify as LGBT. Doing that math for you, that’s 3.9% of characters on TV that represent our community, far short of the commonly accepted 10% of the general population.

While there are a number of favourite TV shows currently featuring LGBT characters, including Modern Family, Orange is the New Black, Major Crimes, Glee, Broklyn Nine-Nine, and more; LGBT sports has only ever been a loose side story involving small part supporting characters , including when Riley , the star quarterback, came out on Degrassi, and Rex Evans come out as a professional gay football player in the NFL on the TNT show Necessary Roughness.

That’s about to change with ABC’s recent announcement that they have signed a deal to develop “Men in Shorts”. The show is inspired by the life of Professional soccer player Robbie Rogers, an out professional soccer player, currently a team member of the LA Galaxy.

Rogers was not always out, having started his career at the University of Maryland, where in the one season he played for the team he helped them win a NCAA Championship. Quickly turning pro, he moved to the Dutch team Heerenveen. He then spent five seasons with Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew, where he won the MLS Cup. He also competed in the 2008 Olympics and served a short stint with Leeds United.

No longer wanting to stay in the closet, but also not wanting to face the scrutiny from the press and fans, on February 15, 2013, Rogers announced his retirement from professional soccer at the young age of 25.

After speaking at a LGBT youth event two months later, he decided that “stepping down is a cowardly thing to do”, and instead should use his position to be a role model. The next month he joined the LA Galaxy, becoming the first openly gay professional athlete to play in a top North American professional sports league.

Writer Claudia Lonow first noticed Rogers during the 2014 World Cup. “I was absolutely captivated by his charm and his humor, and I just thought it could make a great show,” Lonow said. ABC seems to agree.

Men In Shorts will combine elements of a family and workplace comedy, centering on a young pro soccer player who takes one small step out of the closet and one giant leap into the spotlight.

The show will chronical how teammates, family and friends interact with the main character after he comes out. Unlike in Roger’s real life, but like so many other LGBT people, the character’s father in particular will have “a journey to go”.

No release date has been announced that we could find as of the date of publish. But I can tell you one thing, if the character cast as the lead in the show looks anything like Robbie, I'm eagerly looking forward to watching.

Sources: Deadline; Huffington Post; GLADD; Wikipedia;
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