BERLIN -- Encouraged by others who have come out as gay, retired footballer Thomas Hitzlsperger is hoping going public will help make it easier for other sporting stars to do the same. Shaquem Griffin Jersey . Homosexuality is seen as a major taboo in some sports, while not so much in others. Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova, both openly gay, are two of the greatest tennis players in history. But big-time professional football, and the four major sports in the United States, are quite a different story -- at least for now. "(There is) a long way to go because we fear a reaction and we dont know what will happen. I cant imagine playing football and doing this at the same time," Hitzlsperger said in an interview with BBC Radio 4 on Thursday. Hitzlsperger, no longer active but still regarded as the biggest name in football to say he is gay, spent years playing professionally in England, Germany and Italy. He also represented Germany at the 2006 World Cup. His decision to go public was hailed overwhelmingly as a positive step in the German media as well as in England, reflecting the way attitudes have changed. British tabloid The Sun labeled him a "Winner" in a side-by-side cover photo with Manchester United defender Chris Smalling, who was called the "Loser" for wearing an outfit resembling a suicide bomber for a costume party. In Germany, Hitzlsperger has been commended for his courage. The countrys mass circulation daily Bild led with "Respect!" on its front page, a day after Hitzlsperger made his announcement in an interview with German newspaper Die Zeit. "Hopefully, by talking about it, it encourages some others, because they see they can still be professional football players, they can play at the highest level, and be gay," Hitzlsperger said in a video on his website. "Its not a contradiction, as Ive proved." Using anti-gay slurs and jokes on the sports field has been widely accepted as part of playing hard for years, so much so that in 1999 former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler made lewd anti-gay gestures during a game toward Graeme Le Saux, who was playing for Chelsea. Le Saux, who is straight, was labeled a homosexual by many simply because he used to read the left-leaning Guardian newspaper. On Thursday, in the wake of Hitzlspergers announcement, Fowler took to Twitter to express regret and apologize for his actions of nearly 15 years ago. "Getting a bit of stick for something that happened when I was a kid, naive and immature..Ive apologised to (at)graemelesaux14, he accepted," wrote Fowler, who has retired from football and become a television commentator. "Obviously embarrassed looking back, but sadly cannot change what happened, you learn from mistakes growing up, and that I have." Jason Collins, a former NBA player, came out last year and was regarded as the first active openly gay player in one of the big American sports. Like Hitzlsperger, Collins announcement was met mainly with praise, rather than abuse. Arjen Robben, the Dutchman who was a key player in leading the Netherlands to the World Cup final in 2010, downplayed stereotypes that athletes are scared to come out because they fear reprisals from teammates in the locker room. "Hes gay, and?" Robben said at a Bayern Munich practice session in Doha, Qatar. "I think its quite normal and natural. I can also say here, Im heterosexual. I dont see a problem." FIFA, the governing body of football around the world, acknowledged that there is still work to be done within the game itself. "Unfortunately, prejudices still exist within football," FIFA said in a statement. "FIFA is working hard to tackle these and hopes Thomass statements will encourage greater respect and understanding in football and beyond." Last February, American player Robbie Rogers declared he was gay as he announced his retirement. Rogers, now 26, has returned to action with the Los Angeles Galaxy. Former English player Justin Fashanu, who played for Norwich and Nottingham Forest, was the first football player to say openly that he was gay, in 1990. He committed suicide eight years later at age 37. Swedish defender Anton Hysen came out in 2011. "I dont know if football is such a homophobic environment. People just speculate this would be the case," Hitzlsperger told the BBC. "Since we havent seen a gay footballer in the Premier League or the Bundesliga, its hard to say that this would happen. We would have to wait and see." Barkevious Mingo Jersey . Mike Babcock has turned to the Montreal Canadiens goalie over Roberto Luongo, who backed Canada to a gold medal in Vancouver in 2010, for Canadas final preliminary round game against the ailing Finns. Jaron Brown Jersey . The No. 23 seed at the first Grand Slam event of the tennis season has worked out all the details, from his training regime right down to where hes going to eat dinner. http://www.seahawksauthenticofficialonline.com/authentic-sebastian-janikowski-jersey.html . Mired in an offensive slump, Lowry - the NBAs leader in taking charges this season - did what he has learned to do best, standing his ground and drawing a crucial offensive foul on the Cavaliers all-star point guard. Fast forward 30 seconds to the Cavs next possession, with the home team still trailing by three, Spencer Hawes - one of the leagues best passing big men - threw an interception, intended for Tyler Zeller and picked off by DeMar DeRozan.REGINA -- Calgary Stampeders kicker Rene Paredes was serenaded by Drakes "Started from the Bottom" as he headed to the stage to accept his award as the CFLs Most Outstanding Special Teams Player award. "Started from the bottom, now were here," went the refrain. For a player ignored in the draft, it was a fitting soundtrack. Paredes recalls that three kickers went in the first three rounds. "It really doesnt matter any more," he said, his trophy on a table next to him. Paredes received 47-of-50 votes by the Football Reporters of Canada and the leagues eight head coaches in winning the award Thursday night. Montreal linebacker Marc Beswick was the Eastern nominee. "Coming into this league undrafted, it was very hard and tough. All I could do was use it as motivation," Paredes said. Paredes may have got some more motivation in that his team was mistakenly etched on the trophy as the Saskatchewan Roughriders. It is slated to be fixed. The 28-year-old from Montreal was close to perfection in 2013. He was good on 54-of-57 field goals -- a success rate of 94.7 per cent -- and set a record for most consecutive field goals in the regular season with 39. The previous mark was 30 by Paul McCallum. Paredes led the league in field goals made (54), points (213) and converts (49). He also averaged 63.5 yards a kickoff. But the Stampeders 35-13 loss to Saskatchewan in the Western final still rankles. "Its still tough to swallow," he said in an earlier interview. Paredes is as close to automatic as it gets in field goal kicking. He has missed just six-of-100 attempts over the last two seasons and 129 of 145 in his three-year career. He refuses to rest on his laurels. "When theres a lot of success youve got to work harder and tthats what I did in the off-season. Will Dissly Jersey. . My goal was to get better. Ill take the same approach this off-season, get better, and well see what happens next year." Asked how he follows this season, he said: "I guess go 95 per cent. And the Grey Cup. I wish I had the Grey Cup." Paredes, however, limits his actual kicking in the off-season in his Montreal home to allow his body to recover from the rigours of the season. He rests until January when he starts working out. He starts kicking in April, starting with a four- or five-day session with kicking guru Don Sweet. After that, he may kick once a week or every two weeks. "The main thing is to keep my leg strength," he said. "You dont forget how to kick. Thats what youve got training camp for. Obviously you have to kick, I cant go to training camp without kicking but I dont try to tire my leg out in the off-season." Kicking takes a toll. Paredes reckons he kicks maybe 2,000 to 3,000 balls a season. "Your leg is tired. I felt it towards the end of the season," he said. "Not really injuries but it was bothering me." A former star kicker for Concordia, Paredes arrived in Calgary after a couple of stints in Winnipegs camp. He won the job after Rob Maver went down in the first game of the 2011 season and Stamps GM-coach John Hufnagel brought in Paredes and three others as possible replacements. Paredes was the last kicker standing, making a 50-yarder in his first field-goal attempt. Born in Venezuela to Peruvian parents, Paredes moved to Miami and then Montreal. A former soccer player, he switched to football after his high school football coach asked his soccer counterpart who had the strongest leg. The CFL awards are sponsored by Gibsons Finest. Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Discount Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Baseball Jerseys Free Shipping Cheapest College Jerseys Sale Cheap Football Jerseys China Nike NFL Jerseys Canada Wholesale NHL Jerseys From China MLB Jerseys Outlet Canada Wholesale NBA Jerseys Canada Store Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap Authentic Jerseys Canada ' ' '