Complete balls fountainhallOriginally Posted by fountainhall
He didn't come out in 2000 because it would impact his very very lucrative sponsorship deals
He didn't come out 4 or 5 years later (after the Athens Olympics) because the business ventures he had started turned sour and he needed the sponsorship money more than ever. Who can forget the ludicrous "Ian Thorpe Underwear" business. (Any of us could have told him that if he wanted to fool around with boys in underwear he need only go to Thailand)
Then the rumours started so he had to go with denials because he couldn't allow his revenue stream to be threatened
He attempted a comeback for the London Olympics and this coincided with his autobiography where he asserted "All of my sexual encounters have been heterosexual". More about sponsorships and publisher's advances than about "honesty"
Of course he was trapped and of course he got depressed and all of that. But he had made his choice - money, money, money - and his sufferings were entirely self-inflicted. The only conflict about him coming out - after all, we now know he wanted to come out in 2000 - was to do with the money he would lose by doing so
Is he a role model for young gays? Sure he is, and his message is: "Come out and there will be penalties". That's more likely to be true for athletes and others who rely on their fame for sponsorship. For those with real achievements such as Jack Andraka who is profiled in the latest Gay Times, that is likely to be less true.