Professional soccer player Robbie Rogers made major headline when he became the first openly gay man to compete in a top North American professional sports league. Since then several other American athletes has followed in his wake, but it’s Roger’s life that’s inspired Universal Television to snap up the rights with the hope of making a sitcom about him.
Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, who produced the last two Oscar telecasts and the likes of Smash and Hairspray, will develop the series through their Storyline Entertainment company. They will also executive produce any show that results from the deal.
Deadline notes, ‘Rogers spent one season at the University of Maryland, helping the college team win an NCAA Championship. He quickly turned pro, joining the Dutch team Heerenveen. He then spent five seasons with Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew, winning the MLS Cup, and competed in the 2008 Olympics. Following a stint with English team Leeds United, on February 15, 2013, Rogers announced his retirement from professional soccer at age 25 and revealed he was gay. He said he was retiring to avoid the scrutiny from the press and fans, but after speaking at an LGBT youth event two months later, he decided that stepping down is a cowardly thing to do and he should use his platform to be a role model. The next month, he joined the LA Galaxy, becoming the first openly gay man to play in a top North American professional sports league (NBA player Jason Collins, who had come out earlier that year, was a free agent at the time of his announcement).’
It’s early days and Universal snapping up Rogers’ life rights is far from a series being made, but if all goes well we could be seeing it in the autumn of 2015.
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