Americans approve of Jason Collins' decision to come out by a margin of two-to-one, and by a higher margin among NBA fans. Jason Collins became the first professional athlete in one of the four major leagues to publicly state he is homosexual.

The latest YouGov research shows that 55% of Americans approve of his decision to come out, while 25% disapprove.

Sports fans were also more likely than the general public to support his decision to make the announcement, with hockey fans (68%) being more likely than football (59%) or baseball (59%) fans to support Jason Collins. 65% of NBA fans backed him and only 23% disapproved.

When asked what word would best describe his announcement, 46% chose “brave”, and 28% “inspirational”, however, 25% thought it “attention seeking”.

How might his actions affect his future career and the sport?

· 42% thought that more active players across the major professional sports leagues will now come out.

· 22% thought it would decrease his likelihood of being offered a contract by another NBA team, compared to 9% who thought it would increase his likelihood.

· And 21% thought he might get less endorsements in the future compared to 17% who thought he would have more.


For further information about poll results, and for details about methodology and Omnibus services, please email omnibus.us@yougov.com.

Click here for results Tabs 1.

Click here for results Tabs 2.