San Francisco Giants First Team to Say “It Gets Better”
For much of the last week, anyone saying “it gets better” around the Giants was probably talking about Buster Posey’s ankle.
But as of Wednesday, that phrase has a new meaning.
The World Champion San Francisco Giants took time out of their busy schedule defending their World Series victory to become the first professional sports team to join the It Gets Better Project, by releasing this video. Giants Barry Zito, Matt Cain, Sergio Romo, Andres Torres and hitting coach Hensley “Bam Bam” Meulens appear in the 58-second video.
It Gets Better started in September 2010 when Dan Savage, an author and syndicated columnist, and his partner Terry made a YouTube video in the wake of several suicides of gay students. Their message was simple – beyond the hardships and bullying that often accompany growing up LGBT, life can eventually get better – and become great.
Since their heartfelt video first hit the Internet, a movement has spawned with over 10,000 videos created since. From everyday people, gay and straight, to celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres and politicians like Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton and even Barack Obama, It Gets Better has transcended the LGBT community and become a cultural phenomenon.
It is only fitting that the first professional sports team to take such a powerful and principled stand on LGBT issues would be the team that belongs to the most progressive, compassionate and forward-thinking city in the world.
The It Gets Better Project’s impact has been made possible by many of the Web 2.0 tools that we advocate for on Reset. From YouTube to Twitter to Facebook – where It Gets Better has amassed almost 175,000 fans – social media has enabled the underlying message of love and hope to be received by countless people around the world who may otherwise have wondered if life ever can get better for them. And because of the work of It Gets Better and all who support it – including the Giants – they know now that it can.