News

Travis Smith plays the star Quarterback who decides to come out of the closet.

(photos: USA Network)

Professional sports – especially football – has been called the Final Frontier in terms of being a place where gay men can safely and confidently come out. We've heard of pro athletes acknowledging they are gay after their sports careers have ended, but tonight the USA series Necessary Roughness starts a two-part season finale where the fictional New York Hawks star quarterback makes what would be a historical decision to come out of the closet while still on the team.

The topic of gay pro athletes has ironically been in the news a lot lately. Players like Chris Culliver of the San Francisco 49ers have made headlines for expressing discomfort at the idea of a gay teammate. While some apologies have been made and Culliver will soon be working with The Trevor Project, the issue...

Actor Travis Smith plays Qb Rex Evans on Necessary Roughness

(photo: USA Network)

Homosexuality in professional sports - it's a hot topic these days, with an implicit countdown clock for the first U.S. professional team sports player to anounce he's gay. No doubt there are already gay pro athletes, but no active player in the NBA, NFL, NHL or major league baseball has ever come out of the closet. The first brave guy to do so will be a hero to many, a modern day Jackie Robinson.

Everybody remembers Jackie Robinson, but do you know who the second black major league baseball player was? Probably not. This fact alone should be a strong inducement for some brave yet currently closeted gay professional athlete to take the leap now, before someone else beats them to that place in history.

But professional football is arguably the sport that would be least accommodating to a gay player.

We hate seeing bands lose members. Once we are musically attached to a group, anyone walking out is an upset, but lately we are beginning to see the positive side to some of these switch ups. You should take Trivium for example. The metal band has had several members come and go since the group’s formation in 1999. Most recently, Trivium replaced the original drummer, Travis Smith, with Nick Augusto. It’s difficult to say goodbye to Smith after his decade long career with Trivium, but with a fresh face, the band can keep the energy flowing by spicing up their sound. Also, we can’t help, but find Trivium to be...

Rockers Trivium have hired a new drummer - confirming speculation Travis Smith has left the band for good. The group drafted in drum roadie Nick Augusto in 2009 after Smith withdrew from Trivium's U.S. tour to take care of "personal business".

Smith was expected to rejoin the band, but a statement from the group has confirmed Augusto is now a full-time member. The post on the band's website reads, "Florida metallers Trivium are pleased to announce Nick Augusto as their new permanent drummer. Augusto was introduced to Trivium fans when he filled in behind the kit on last fall's Into the 'Mouth of Hell We Tour' trek. He is now stepping in to permanently replace the departing Travis Smith."

Vocalist/guitarist Matt Heafy tells Metal Hammer magazine, "Nick's drumming is very technical and diverse and he brings a real intense energy to the band and we can't wait for everyone to hear the new song,...

“Evolution Xx: An Opeth Anthology”

Sweden’s Opeth, easily one of the most revered and respected bands in the metal scene and beyond for the past two decades, will commemorate their twentieth anniversary in the of Spring 2010 with six exclusive shows that will take place across the globe in various international locales such as Stockholm, Sweden; Essen, Germany; Paris, France; London, UK; New York City, NY; and Los Angeles, CA.

Frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt had the following to say on behalf of the band: “I can’t believe it, but... fuck, we’re celebrating 20 years. I’ve been in this band ever since I was 16. It’s insane. As far as I remember, we’ve never had a release party, never celebrated anything officially. Well, now is the time, you hear? We’ve set up a string of shows, six of them actually, around the world. To say that they will...