Levine: With relative subtlety, Delle Donne inspires again

Elena Delle Donne draws a crowd, especially in Delaware.

Over the years, thousands of fans have crowded into the Bob Carpenter Center for Delle Donne’s basketball games. Such crowds have impressed officials from the WNBA and the U.S. Olympic team with their size and passion.

Many of them have come to marvel at the world-class skills Delle Donne has put on display, whether it was while playing at Ursuline Academy, then the University of Delaware, then the WNBA’s Chicago Sky and, most recently, for the U.S. Olympic team.

But it’s not just about basketball, especially for the kids. For them, Delle Donne is the tall, friendly woman famous enough to be on “SportsCenter” and in Nike commercials, but cool enough to regularly come home to Delaware, even during the WNBA season.

The word that comes to mind when you see how kids respond to Delle Donne is “inspire.” She does so on the court but also by being open about her life, whether it be her battle with Lyme disease or the bond she shares with Lizzie, her sister, who has special needs. She inspires by signing autographs at the Bob or hosting local basketball camps.

But I’ll admit that when Delle Donne revealed in an interview with Vogue magazine that she is engaged to girlfriend Amanda Clifton, my reaction was “so what?”

Many people say a celebrity coming out isn’t news, but for very different reasons.

Some of them don’t want to hear about it because they’re homophobic and despise what they see as a “gay agenda.”

Many others, like me, don’t care if a person is straight, gay, transgender or asexual. Good and bad people come in all shapes, sizes and colors and sexual orientations.

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But the more I thought about the news value of Delle Donne’s words, the more I thought about her power to inspire.

“[It was] one of those articles where [Vogue] came into my home and spent a couple days with me and Amanda is a huge part of my life," Delle Donne said Wednesday in Rio. "To leave her out wouldn’t have made any sense. It’s not a coming-out article or anything. I’ve been with her for a very long time now and people who are close to me know that.”

That quote may not fit the classic definition of “inspiring,” but the two messages it sends us are clear.

First, Delle Donne loves Clifton and understands how important they are to each other. There are few better messages to send.

Second, Delle Donne did not treat Wednesday’s press conference as if it was some earth-shattering announcement. Why should she have?

We are decades removed from a time when the LGBT community was forced into the closet. On the contrary, sexual orientation is a non-factor in many if not most sectors of American society, with male professional sports being, for some reason, among the last holdouts.

In other words, it’s just not a big deal.

Strange as it sounds, though, that in itself is a big deal to young people. Despite the progress we’ve made as a society, kids still face pressures to conform to ideals set forth at home and in school.

By acknowledging her relationship as she did, Delle Donne told kids – and adults – that nobody has to follow some standard script. Life is different for each and every one of us.

She has found her happiness and that should help others find theirs.

Contact Jason Levine at (302) 324-2539 or jlevine@delawareonline.com.