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Former European Soccer Star to Take Part in Online Duke Course

Thomas Hitzlsperger, who announced he was gay in January, will field questions during an online course on sports and society Thursday.

Der_Hammer.jpg
Former German soccer star Thomas Hitzlsperger will take part in a Duke class discussion Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons

A prominent former German soccer player will take part in an online Duke University course this week that explores sports and social issues.

Thomas Hitzlsperger will participate in a Google Hangout Thursday, Feb. 27, at 10:30 a.m. (EST) as part of Duke Professor Orin Starn's Sports and Society class.

Last month, Hitzlsperger announced he was gay, becoming the highest-profile soccer star to do so. He will discuss his decision to go public, experience as a world-class player, and the game today with eight class members during the one-hour hangout. Starn will moderate the discussion.

Dubbed "Der Hammer" for his powerful left-footed strikes, Hitzlsperger had a successful career for the German national team and several professional clubs across Europe, including three in the British Premier League. He represented Germany in the 2006 World Cup and 2008 European Championship.

He announced that he is gay in January, just four months after retiring at age 31, and his announcement was hailed by many as groundbreaking.

"This conversation gives students in my class a chance to interact with a pioneering sports newsmaker," said Starn, who chairs Duke's cultural anthropology department. "Thomas is leading the way among a new generation of athletes who no longer want to put up with the homophobia that's still too often routine in sports culture and world at large." 

Last year, Hitzlsperger was among 20,000 students to take an earlier version of Starn's online course, one of more than a dozen Duke courses offered through Coursera, which provides high-level university courses free online. Those interested in Starn's "Sports and Society" class can still enroll, at no cost, at: https://www.coursera.org/course/sports