Shane Wickes loves football. In this talk, Shane shares his truth about being a gay football coach; however, being gay in football has at times caused serious conflict with his ability to live his entire life with transparency and authenticity. As a former college football player and current high school football coach, Shane was faced with a choice—leave the sport he loves so much or own up to an unpopular truth in the football community. Shane is a strong believer in the power of coaches to shape young people’s lives; but in order to do so, he believes that you must be willing to share your true self with those you are trying to impact. This was a particularly difficult task for Shane because he is gay. Shane decided that rather than leaving football, his experience could be used to shed light on a difficult topic. Shane’s ultimate goal is to spread awareness on the harmful effects that the modern football climate causes and to show other gay athletes and coaches that they are not alone.
