The memo about homosexuality has not reached pro sports. The memo states that it has become accepted in most professions. In politics, entertainment, the arts, education and the corporate sector, people continue to thrive and grow as their sexual habits are no longer a whispered conversation by the water cooler.
While some still struggle with it, the sports world continues to wrestle with it as if it were a death match. Anti-gay slurs are accepted by most when it comes to belittling an opponent or fan – except when you are caught on TV. In the NBA, both Kobe Bryant and Chicago’s Joakim Noah have been caught uttering the other “F” word on TV and they have been fined for their actions.
The Phoenix Suns general manager recently came out, and their star point guard Steve Nash openly supported gay marriage in a video. Good for them. We have seen others who have come out after their careers were over, but few are willing to take on a somewhat homophobic collection of at times ill-informed and insensitive athletes who think it is unacceptable to embrace a teammate who has a sexual preference unlike their own.
Even Charles Barkley has recently come out in saying that he could embrace a gay teammate. What is the world coming to if Charles can see the light on this one? Even a sports talk show host came out of the closet last week.
I have always wondered if the greats of their respective sports were gay would they still be looked at in the same way on the playing field. I would think that you would have more to do with your life than wonder about who is what. After all, we should only care about athletes for what they do with respect to the games they play. Anything else is their business.
As for those who elect to use anti-gay slurs to hurt and demean others, you may have to come up with something else, as those slurs seem to get you in more trouble and do more harm than they could possibly be worth.
Crime spree
All Pro Linebacker Ray Lewis spoke out this week and said crime would increase if there were no NFL season and the cynics were all over it. They are now concerned that the rapists, murderers and thieves will follow them to Creve Coeur and other parts of West County. Here we go again.
I understood what Lewis was trying to say as football has become the sport of a week’s worth of frustration that many level at anyone in the way on Sunday. For some, it is their sole responsibility to monitor the legal or in this case illegal activities of pro athletes. They should love what Lewis said.
Crime will come more from the fans who have no means to vent. Now they can sit there and have multiple cans of liquid courage, get worked up and go to a game and cuss and act like the biggest fool this side of the Pecos for three to four hours. When the game is over they crawl back into their skin, high-five someone and it is back to work on Monday. If there is no football, how will one vent as well as on who? You can count on some domestic battery cases going up and other crimes, as some will have nothing to do because the suggestion of just acting right has not set in.
Get over it
As for the lockout, I have conditioned myself to deal with not having a season as I have found it hard to respect those involved with this mess in the first place. The owners are greedy and uncontrollable owners. The players at times have no clue what reality is, especially those who elected to forego the opportunity to get a real college education to fall back on when it’s over. How can I support stupidity of that magnitude?
Then there are those who cover the game as if they actually care about any of these players. If Peyton blows a knee or Brady has a shoulder that ends their careers, do you really think anyone would really care about them as people? I think you know the answer. So why should I start that bad habit?
No, I do not care if they play. I would like for them to, but like a woman you miss, you eventually get over it.
