Over the last day or so, current NBA free agent Jason Collins' revelation about being gay has sparked tremendous reaction on a global scale, both positive and negative. Along with the reaction by sports fan and media pundits alike, there's also the generic news media coverage, with both our local and national ABC stations doing great work with the story.

Starting on the local level, our friends at NewsCenter 10 ABC highlighted the reaction from residents in Troy, where Collins has run several basketball camps over the years at various local locations such as Troy High School and the Troy Boys & Girls Club. Reporter Meagan Farley was on the case, getting wonderful reaction in "The Collar City."

As for the national scene, Good Morning America contributor George Stephanopoulos was able to score the first sit-down interview with Collins since the revelation was made public knowledge by Sports Illustrated on Monday morning. Over the course of the interview recorded Monday evening, Collins spoke to Stephanopoulos on several issues, including why he wore the number 98 as a Boston Celtic, his phone call with President Obama and the personal evolution of accepting his sexuality.

And so, it has come to pass - we have an openly gay athlete in American men's professional sports. However, we must remind ourselves that this is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg, due to the strong polar opposite stances shown by players in the National Football League. As much as Collins may receive some ridicule for his "coming out of the closet," the potential backlash that may come for the first openly gay NFL player could prove to be a painful one.

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