Alone in the Game, a new documentary on the challenges of being openly gay in pro and amateur sports, features interviews with former NBA center Jason Collins, former NFL offensive tackle Ryan O’Callaghan, former MLS star Robbie Rogers, Megan Rapinoe, Vanderbilt football player Riley Tindol, high-school athlete Trevor Betts, and Olympic freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy.
A new trailer for the film (above) has arrived. It airs on AT&T’s Audience network at 8 pm on June 28.
USA Today reports: “One SEC football player movingly comes out in the film. Another Division I player shares his story with blurred face and altered voice. This player says he’s been told he has a shot at the NFL, but says he fears if he were to come out that his teammates wouldn’t talk to him and his coaches would see him as inferior.”
Creator and executive producer David McFarland spoke with AFI about the film, which plays AFI DOCS Friday, June 15: “I really want the audience to understand that even though America’s cultural, social and political climate is becoming increasingly accepting of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) citizens, competing and participating in sport is still considered to be an unsettling and unsafe environment for many LGBT athletes, coaches and sport administrators on and off the field. I hope that communities all across this country will see this important film and take action to ensure that the opportunities and dreams are the same for all athletes, coaches and those who participate in sport regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The obligation is on us all, regardless where in the sports power matrix you reside, or even in society as a whole.”
