Australian rules football has always been a big part of my life, but from an early age I knew I had a conflict with the game.

My earliest childhood memories revolve around footy, from playing in the backyard or going to Subiaco Oval with my family.

I'm privileged enough to broadcast the AFL for ABC Grandstand each week, something I've done since I was a teenager. I work closely with current and former players, as well as other stakeholders in the game.

I'm a big guy with a deep voice that wears a lot of sports tees. I like rap music and having a beer with my mates.

In the most part, I'm your typical sports junkie in their mid-20s.

Except I'm gay.

'I never wanted my sexuality to be the first thing people knew'

I have a close group of friends, dating back through high school, work or even our fantasy football league. We share a lot of common interests, except this.

I always dreamed of being a sports broadcaster. As long as I can remember I wanted to call play-by-play.

As a high school student I volunteered my weekends at my local community radio station and by 19, I was working full-time with the ABC in my home city.

Interviewing Essendon's Zac Merrett last year … Corbin says he always dreamed of being a sports broadcaster. ( ABC Grandstand )

I never wanted my sexuality to be the first thing people knew about me. Having moved cities twice in as many years, the same applied wherever I went.

It's a confusing weight to carry around. It affected my mood and relationships significantly.

I'd regularly go through moments wanting to tell friends, but not wanting to take an awkward detour in conversation.

It took me 24 years to tell my best friend, and less than a year to tell a dozen more people after that, including my family.

By that point, I think most of them suspected as much and were just waiting for me to tell them.

I'm incredibly fortunate to have such a support network.

It's because of that I feel a sense of obligation to tell my story.

'Being gay doesn't make you any less masculine'

There are many young people struggling with their sexuality that don't have similar support networks.

If you or anyone you know needs help: Lifeline on 13 11 14

Lifeline on 13 11 14 Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800

Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800 MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978

MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978 Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36

Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36 Headspace on 1800 650 890

I have a platform to tell young men who don't fit into the norm that that's perfectly normal.

Being gay doesn't make you any less masculine.

The discourse around our game matters and it has been unwelcoming to gay people for generations.

Homophobic slurs are commonplace at many sporting clubs around the country. It's a hangover from a bygone era. These slurs are no longer tolerated at workplaces or heard in most social settings.

The suicide rate for gay youths is astronomically high. LGBTI young people aged 16 to 27 are five times more likely to attempt suicide than the broader population.

Dampening the hysteria

Today we see openly gay men in every aspect of Australian life, except on the sporting field.

In 2014, American journalist Jason Whitlock penned a column about the NFL's first openly gay draftee, Michael Sam.

Michael Sam (right) is "riding a wave, not creating one", American journalist Jason Whitlock said in 2014. ( USA TODAY Sports via Reuters: Scott Rovak )

He wrote: "The sports world no longer promotes change; it reflects it.

"Sam is riding a wave, not creating one."

The premise of Whitlock's article was not to soften the importance of Sam's announcement, but to "dampen the hysteria".

Most people have gay friends, colleagues or family members. Just last year, the country settled its debate on marriage equality.

There has never been a better time for gay people in Australia than today.

But the sports world is playing catch-up to the real world. The trail has already been blazed in other areas of Australian life.

The idea of a gay footballer isn't that big a deal to many people detached from the sports world.

A retired AFL footballer told me last year he suspects those in the locker room don't have an issue with openly gay players, but it's the circus outside that stops players from coming out.

What does that say about us, as the sports media, and as footy fans more broadly?

Corbin Middlemas is a broadcaster for ABC Grandstand.