"Coming Out As A Black Athlete: Necessary Improvement, Or More Harmful?"

Jason Collins made headlines for his choice to reveal that he is gay. Since then, more and more African-American athletes have followed suit, including NFL player Michael Sam and UMass basketball guard Derrick Gordon. The common explanation among most of them was that this opens up the door for other gay individuals in sports to have the courage to come out. In light of the fact that heterosexuals are not compelled to reveal their sexual practices or defend their rights to be, what exactly is the reason for these revelations? Is there some benefit to their performance in their respective sports that these revelations add to the field, or is this simply fodder for bashing and hatred to fester for African-Americans and homosexuals?