Morning TV notes: Jason Collins’ first TV interview; Maria Shriver’s promotion

There was quite a bit of news that broke on the morning news front today, beginning with an interview that surely sparked a war yesterday. After all, everyone wanted to be the first program to speak with Jason Collins, the NBA star who became the first pro athlete in a major sport to come out as gay while still being an active player.

During a chat with George Stephanopoulos on “Good Morning America” Tuesday morning, Collins (who is now a free agent after playing with the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards) explained frankly why he chose now as the time in which to come out, what he hopes to accomplish when it comes to inspiring other people, and how hard work matters much more in basketball than anything related to your sexuality. You can check out the full video interview below via Mediaite.

Meanwhile, the ABC show’s rival “Today” on Tuesday announced that they have hired Maria Shriver to serve as a special anchor helping to cover women’s issues. This follows up a series of successful small reports that Shriver gave over the course of the past several months, including a piece on the selection of the new Pope at the Vatican. This is a major get for NBC, as Shriver is a longtime respected name in news, and she is also viewed as a largely-sympathetic figure thanks in part to what transpired in the Arnold Schwarzenegger divorce.  Ultimately, it’s still yet to be seen just how much time she will actually end up spending on the air, but we hope it will be a lot.

Do you think that Shriver’s new role is going to help “Today,” and what do you think about Collins speaking out now? If you want to read some more news related to “GMA,” you can do so over at the link here.

Photo: ABC