Mario Gomez, a top soccer player in Europe took a stand against homophobia Wednesday when he urged gay athletes to come out of the closet.
 German newspaper Die Zeit reports:

Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez, a major star of international and club soccer, said homosexuality was treated as a "taboo topic" in men's sports. Die Ziet said it is widely known that there are homosexual footballers in the country's premier league, the Bundesliga.

"We have a gay Vice-Chancellor, Berlin's mayor is gay ... professional football players should commit to their inclination," Gomez said, referring to openly gay lawmakers Guido Westerwelle and Klaus Wowereit.

No active professional has come out publicly in Germany, a trend mirrored across the soccer world that Gomez urged his fellow players to buck.

“They would then play as though they’d been unshackled,” Gomez, 25, told German celebrity magazine Bunte. READ MORE