In fewer than two years, Robbie Rogers has gone from international soccer sensation to retired soccer player to un-retired to sports role model for the LGBT community and beyond. He has written his autobiography and is the producer for a fictitious comedy TV show, picked up by ABC, about a gay soccer player.
And he's only 27.
"I feel very comfortable, confident in my life, where I am right now," Rogers said in a phone interview in mid-November, shortly after finishing a training session. "I feel more complete."
Rogers tagged the past two years as "crazy," and added that "time has gone by really quickly." After all, Rogers came out as gay on the day he shockingly retired from the sport—and he was only 25 at the time. Rogers had played for the Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer ( MLS ) and was a member of the U.S. National Team, including at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
He came out in a post on his blog. "People love to preach about honesty, how honesty is so plain and simple. Try explaining to your loved ones after 25 years you are gay," he wrote in 2013. "I always thought I could hide this secret. Football was my escape, my purpose, my identity. Football hid my secret, gave me more joy than I could have ever imagined."
Rogers' retirement from soccer lasted only a few months. He returned to the grass, playing for the Los Angeles Galaxy of MLS in May, 2013.
"I've done so much in those two years; it's been pretty amazing. I think I've grown a lot. It's been so many really happy times," Rogers said. "Every aspect of my life was different [before coming out]. I can't even compare my life before and after coming out; it's just been so, so different."
Rogers is a sports icon who has maintained his fan-favorite appeal, with his charming smile and magazine cover looks.
"Being a soccer player, you're a role model, and being an out soccer player you're a role model to the LGBT community. But I always get nervous being a role model because I know I still have so much to learn. I'm 27 years old and still trying to figure things out. But I just try to be the best role model I can be," he said.
A California native, Rogers played for the University of Maryland before kicking it professionally on the national and international side of soccer. Rogers has worn the Crew and Galaxy jersey within MLS, plus Leeds United and Stevenage while overseas. He also has been a U.S. national-level player for 10 years, with 18 appearances since 2009 with the U.S. National Team.
"Robbie Rogers' story is as heroic on the field as it is off," Mark Cuban, owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, said in a statement for Rogers' new book, Coming Out To Play ( Penguin Books ). It was written with Eric Marcus, the author of Breaking The Silence, the New York Times best-selling autobiography of gay Olympic diving champion Greg Louganis.
Rogers' book was released Nov. 25.
"I loved how [the book] turned out; I'm really happy with it," Rogers said. "In the beginning of the process, I was a little worried, never having written a book. But I'm really happy."
Coming Out To Play is Rogers' memoirs, including his troubled childhood and his pain of staying silent about his sexual orientation. The 222-page book is a mix or laughter and tears, an emotional ride from his terrifying teenage years through his coming-out through his strikes with the Galaxy.
"It was really emotional for me to write [the book], sort of therapeutic when you go back over those feelings, those emotions. I'm happy that was able to come through in the book," Rogers said. "The book brought up a lot of emotions, a lot of thoughts.
"I was very emotional writing it, naturally. It was tough going back through some of the [past] times."
The most challenging part was discussing his children, he said. There were parts that "made me sad," he said.
Rogers said he didn't expect the book to be as therapeutic as it has been, or that difficult to go through those emotions again. "I was not expecting that," he said.
ABC-TV, it was announced in mid-October, signed a deal for Men In Shorts, a comedy inspired by Rogers' life. The project features writer Claudia Lonow and producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. Rogers will serve as a producer for the show, expected to be released next summer or fall.
"It's going to be great," Rogers said of the comedy. "I think people will really enjoy it."
His role will include helping to create realistic characters, settings, and more.
"The main character is named Bobby. There are a lot of things that are different about him than myself, but also a lot of similarities," Rogers said. "I don't have any plans of acting [in the comedy, though] I think it'd be fun to make a small cameo, just for fun."
Rogers will venture out on a book-signing tour in mid-December, with multiple stops in California, plus Seattle and New York City announced. Admittedly, he "never, ever" envisioned such national and international stardom and fanfare, though, in May 2013, he became the first openly gay man to play in a top North American pro sports league.
Jason Collins, who played last season for Brooklyn in the NBA, has since joined Rogers on the gay, active athlete's roster, though he now waits to see if another teams will sign the veteran basketball player.
Michael Sam wants to join the crew, too, through the National Football League ( NFL ), eventually.
Rogers, Collins, Sam and others are role models for thousands, probably tens of thousands.
"We didn't have anyone to look up to, an out athlete who we could base our careers after—learn from their mistakes, see what they did well," Rogers said. "We're now doing things and trying to figure out things as we move forward; that was difficult for me, especially last year. So, I hope by seeing me back in sports and enjoying my life that young LGBT can [do the same], too. Hopefully people can learn from what I'm doing, not just what I'm saying."
Rogers said he's been in correspondence with numerous college athletes who have reached out to him for career and/or coming-out guidance, plus admiring non-athletes from around the world. He is an inspiration to all.
"Those stories, those emails really bring happiness to me," he said.
Note: Rogers and the Los Angeles Galaxy won the MLS Cup Final Dec. 7, defeating the New England Revolution 2-1 in overtime.
