Hiding Inside the Baseline: A New Kind of Attention

[John Yandell]

Let's discuss Bobby Blair's latest installment, "Hiding Inside the Baseline:
A New Kind of Attention"

[BobbyBlair]

This time in my life I knew I was different

Thank you John for publishing. I hope young athletes can better understand themselves by reading this chapter and realize they are not alone. This chapter was also written with the intent to help parents, family, coaches, teachers, sponsors and the fans to better understand the internal dysfunction developing in young teenage people when they do not address their sexual orientation in a free and open way, where acceptance is at the forefront for ALL people. It is with great hope this dilemma can be mitigated and diminished as social change continues to evolve so these young athletes and young people in general can feel comfortable to be themselves with the feeling of embrace and "JUST BE YOURSELF" attitude with a social vibe of it's cool to be different and being different makes for a diverse world where all should be accepted and provided equal opportunity. Hope to meet readers and supporters at the 2014 US Open Labor Day Weekend book signing. Date and time to be announced in coming weeks. Billie Jean King has agreed to attend with me and welcome supporters and sign books. Again Billie Jean stepping up to make a difference. Thank you Barry Buss for your continued guidance, support and friendship.

[klacr]

We are all on a journey. We all have a voice. Kudos to Mr. Blair for sharing his story. Kudos to John for publishing and sharing with the tennisplayer.net membership and kudos to Barry Buss who has tirelessly been promoting this book across social media.

Be yourself, no one does it better than you.

I'll be up in NYC for the tennis teachers conference a week before so sadly I will miss the book signing.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[BobbyBlair]

Thank you Kyle

Hope to see you one day..Your support is very appreciated..

[gzhpcu]

Courageous, sad story. All the best, Bobby Blair...

[John Yandell]

Better events to come, eventually.

[barrybuss]

Sorry about that..

When I started writing a few years back, the master plan was not to see how sad of books I could pen. So I apologize for that. There is redemption and self-realization in all this if you stay with us throughout.

Guilt is that feeling that you've done something wrong...
Shame is that feeling that we are wrong, flawed, broken and ultimately irredeemable and lacking value.

Where does a young man get the messaging that somehow how the way he is wired is wrong, and that the drives that move him are somehow seen in the eyes of some as sinful and deserving of eternal damnation? For that seems so below what a God would do...

In my research for this, I took a hard look at the Church. For every strain of Christianity I found comfortable in greed, comfortable in fear, comfortable in bigotry, I found an equal yet opposite strain of Christianity not comfortable in greed, not comfortable in fear, not comfortable in bigotry.

Yet we consumers of the mass media; we get the televangelists selling bad bible or Westboro selling their dark brand of hatred. Unfortunately they make better television than say the young progressive minister working in the soup kitchen, or those missionaries on the front lines bringing needed medicine to young children the world around. Somehow that's not newsworthy, so young kids like Bobby get subjected by the messaging of ignorance and fear and bigotry from their earliest ages that they are flawed and in need of repair.

Do something bad feel guilty, you confess and apologize, learn and don't do it again.
Be something bad, feel shame, you tell nobody, opting to live out your formative years in hiding, all the while holding out hope that a day would emerge to live your truth.

Bobby was fortunate to finally have his moment at age 48. Lot of kids who grew up in the times he did never got so lucky. What we are hoping for in our book here is to shine a light upon a situation that is still occurring today everywhere we turn. Kids today are still getting the message today that to be born gay is a problem. Its better today than when Bobby grew up, no question. But there is still work to be done. We hope by telling his story so we've taken another step forward in changing this facet of society, so no young person, athlete or not, has to live in fear and shame for how they were born.

Thanks you all for being a part of this discussion. Lot more to come...Even a little happy in there too!!! We promise..

Peace

[gzhpcu]

Sad are the prejudices and intolerance we still have in the world. Look also at what happens to women in Sudan, India and Afganistan. Prejudice against women, racial prejudices, sexual prejudices.

[klacr]

Great video of Bobby Blair and his book. Folks, this is a powerful story. We as players and coaches have such an impact on our students and our fellow professionals. Mr. Blair is a great example of inner strength and courage to come forward and tell such a deep story of his life.

http://vimeo.com/97792827

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton