Last night, LA Galaxy Head Coach and General Manager Bruce Arena received the Spirit of Courage Award during the Courage Campaign Institution Fifth Annual Spirit of Courage Awards.
You can read the entirety of Arena’s heartfelt speech below:
I am truly honored to be one of this evening’s recipients of the Spirit of Courage Award. I want to thank the Courage Campaign for holding leaders accountable. Whether we are coaches, governors, teachers, or CEO’s- we all have tremendous influence. Sometimes it takes courage for us to do the right thing.
As a coach with a record of success, I have been fortunate to have had opportunities to meet and be recognized by a number of people and organizations. I’ve met world leaders and the past three Presidents of the United States. These have been truly special moments in my life, however, I’ve often said to myself, “Why?” I simply coach, something I love and enjoy. I’m not changing the world. I’m simply judged by winning and losing games.
In 2013, I sent Robbie Rogers an e-mail to congratulate him on his decision to come out openly as a gay person. Robbie had just retired from soccer, and was beginning a new chapter in his life. I congratulated Robbie on his decision and presented him with an open invitation to visit the Galaxy as a fan, a friend or whatever he chose to do with us. At Robbie’s request, this invitation eventually landed Robbie back on the training field, doing one of the things that he truly loved-playing soccer.
As we all know, Robbie soon discovered that he wanted to resume his professional playing career in soccer. I was supportive of his decision and actively worked to bring Robbie back home as a member of the LA Galaxy. In doing so, I felt it was critical that we could provide an environment for Robbie to blossom as both a player and person. I needed to ensure that I had the support of my employer, AEG, and the players of the LA Galaxy. After all, professional sports are typically a very homophobic society and this decision would require both support and a more progressive approach by all of us.
I’m so proud of the fact that the LA Galaxy players and staff have embraced Robbie’s inclusion to our team. In the early stages we walked a bit on egg shells to ensure we were all respectful of Robbie and could create an environment for him to succeed. By 2014, we became a fully functional team both on and off the field. Today, Robbie is a teammate, a brother and a friend to all of us. He is truly loved and respected. I’m very proud to say that our league has also embraced Robbie and I believe we are setting a standard in professional sports. I’m hopeful that this will help pave the way for other athletes to come out and that other professional leagues will act progressively to ensure that LGBT rights are protected. On a personal level, this has been one of my proudest moments in my coaching career.
In closing, I want to thank the Courage Campaign for their support. As a leader who took a stand for LGBT rights, it means so much to me to know that the Courage Campaign has my back, and that they will stand up to homophobia to make sure that the loudest voice is the voice calling for justice and equality. Thank you very much.