Top 12 Athletes Living with HIV - HIV is a health problem for the global community because until now there has not been found a cure.
* HIV / AIDS does not see gender, race, and others.
Here are 12 athletes battling HIV/AIDS.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a global public health problem because until now no cure has been found.
As reported by Halodoc, a virus that attacks the immune system weakens the body's ability to fight infection or disease.
If you don't get proper treatment, a person can get AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) or a condition in which HIV infection is in the final stages.
What needs to be a concern is that HIV/AIDS does not recognize race and gender. In fact, those who adopt a healthy lifestyle, can be infected.
As reported by The Sportster, there are at least 12 athletes who are battling HIV/AIDS. One of them is former NBA star, Magic Johnson.
And, in commemoration of World AIDS Day which falls on December 1 last, here are 12 athletes who are known to be battling HIV:
1. Earvin Johnson Jr or better known as Magic Johnson is one of the NBA's living legends.
During his career in , there were three clubs strengthened by him. However, his name soared with the Los Angeles (LA) Lakers.
2. Magic Johnson found out he was HIV positive while testing ahead of the NBA.
The big player announced to the public on November 7, 1991, as well as his retirement plans in the near future.
In his confession, Magic Johnson said he often changed sexual partners before marrying Cookie. For information, the age of their marriage was only six weeks when Magic Johnson was tested positive for HIV.
Unlike other athletes, Roberto Alomar's HIV case was not clear and led to lawsuits. As reported by ESPN, the former Major League Baseball (MLB) athlete was twice accused of being HIV positive.
The first accusation came from Roberto Alomar's ex-lover, Ilya Dall, who then proceeded to file a lawsuit in 2009. A year later it was his wife, Maria Del Pilar Rivera's turn, to do the same.
Ilya Dall and Maria Del Pilar Rivera are suing the MLB legend for having unprotected sex. In fact, Roberto Alomar knew that he was HIV positive. "I don't have the disease," he told the New York Post.
3. Arthur Ashe recorded a lot of success during his active as a tennis player.
He contracted HIV through a blood transfusion during heart bypass surgery.
Arthur Ashe is one of the world's tennis legends. He became the first African-American to win the men's singles Grand Slam at Wimbledon and the US Open, and is ranked number one in the world.
In the early 1980s, Arthur Ashe is believed to have contracted HIV from a blood transfusion during heart bypass surgery. He only announced his illness in April 1992 and began educating the public about HIV and AIDS.
Arthur Ashe died at the age of 49 from pneumonia in 1993. And, in memory of his services, the US tennis authorities immortalized Arthur Ashe's name for one of the tennis stadiums at Flushing Meadows.
4. Tommy Morrison, who debuted in 1988, caught the attention of Sylvester Stallone who was then looking for a rookie boxer role for the film Rocky V.
After bagging 48 wins from 52 matches, he decided to retire in 1996.
The decision was also influenced by the fact that the Nevada Athletic Commission was aware of Tommy Morrison's HIV-positive condition. In 2006, he tried to make a comeback with a letter of test results stating that he was negative.
However, the public thought the test results had been falsified. Tommy Morrison died in 2013 or when he was 44 years old. Referring to his relatively young age, many believe that the cause of Tommy Morrison's death was HIV.
5. Roy Simmons – American Football
Roy Simmons is a National Football League (NFL) athlete who has played for the New York Giants and Washington Redskins. He is the second former player in the NFL to open up about his sexual orientation and illness.
After he was no longer an NFL player, Roy Simmons appeared on The Phil Donahue Show in 1992. Five years later, he claimed to be HIV positive. The former guard battled AIDS until he died in 2014 at the age of 57.
6. Tim Richmond – Car Racing
Tim Richmond is a US race car driver who made his debut in the 1980 season of the Coca-Cola 500. Growing up in a rich family, he led a free lifestyle that people called him Hollywood.
In 1989, Tim Richmond died at the age of 34 but the cause of death was kept secret. The family finally announced that Tim Richmond had complications from AIDS, which was transmitted by an unidentified woman.
7. Gregory Louganis – Beautiful Jump
Gregory Louganis was once a mainstay of the US diving team. The man who is now active as a motivator was infected with HIV in 1988. Instagram/greglouganis
Gregory Louganis was a gold medalist in the Olympics in 1984 and 1988. The athlete from the United States (US) admitted to being gay and after undergoing a test in 1988, Gregory Louganis tested positive for HIV.
Breaking The Surface, a book that tells the story of his life journey, is a bestseller in the market. Gregory Louganis decided to marry in 2013 and briefly mentored the US national team for the Olympics. He is also a motivator.
8. William Goldsworthy
or known as Bill Goldsworthy is the first athlete from the hockey branch known to have AIDS. For 14 seasons, Bill Goldsworthy has strengthened three National Hockey League (NHL) teams.
Bill Goldsworthy claimed to have AIDS due to alcohol dependence to frequent binge drinking and free sex. The man who had played for the Canadian hockey national team died in 1996 at the age of 51 years.
9. Esteban de Jesus
who made his professional debut in 1969, was once listed as the best boxer from Puerto Rico. Unfortunately, his career has been marred by scandal, from drugs to life imprisonment for shooting a man.
The brother who had shared a needle with Esteban de Jesus died in 1985 from AIDS. Esteban de Jesus, who also suffers from AIDS, received commutation from Governor Rafael Hernandez Colon.
10. John Curry is a skater from England
as well as a gold medalist at the 1976 Winter Olympics and a 1976 World Champion. Along with his success, a German newspaper stated that John Curry was a gay lover.
However, it wasn't until 1987 that John Curry announced his sexual orientation as well as the fact that he had HIV. John Curry battled AIDS before dying in 1994 of a heart attack.
11. Glenn Burke
is the first Major League Baseball (MLB) player to declare his status as gay. During his MLB career, he played for the Los Angeles (LA) Dodgers and Oakland Athletics.
Glenn Burke retired from MLB at the age of 27, shortly after his confession made headlines in many mass media at that time. His courage to reveal his identity is the spirit of other MLB athletes who also have the same orientation.
12. Michael Beuttler – Car Racing
Michael Beuttler is known as a Formula 1 (F1) driver who debuted at the 1970 British Grand Prix (GP). Throughout his career, the self-proclaimed same-sex lover has never won a single F1 race.
After deciding to retire in 1974, Michael Buettler from England then moved to Los Angeles, United States (US). He died at the age of 48 years due to complications caused by AIDS.