http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap10...y-butler-supports-jason-collins-upsets-church
Please, for the love of god, release the name of the church... :sneaky:
Please, for the love of god, release the name of the church... :sneaky:
NBA player Jason Collins received plenty of support from the professional sports community after coming out as gay in a Sports Illustrated cover story this week.
For many athletes, that support came via Twitter. Former Green Bay Packers safety LeRoy Butler was one of those athletes, tweeting a message of congratulations to Collins.
It was a gesture of goodwill that led to some trouble. We'll let Butler explain ...
Butler elaborated on the situation in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Wednesday.
"This is what bothers me the most," Butler said. "They said, 'If you ask for forgiveness and remove the tweet and you say something to the effect that you don't congratulate (Collins) then we'll let you do the engagement and get the speaker's fee', and I said 'I'm not doing that.'
"Every gay and lesbian person will say 'You know, LeRoy doesn't speak up for the weak or the silenced. He doesn't stand for anything as a man and he did it for money.' Why would you ask me to reduce my integrity like that?"
Butler later tweeted he received an apology from the church, but said it was "mainly thanking me for not releasing the church name."
That sounds about right.
I'm still waiting to hear about the anti-gay culture that rules professional sports according to some here. Collins got nothing but support from all the biggest names in the game.
Good for him for refusing their request to remove the tweet. Does anyone even give a shit what a church in WI thinks?
Sucks that he loses out on the $8500, but at least he isn't letting them buy him off.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/...gay-players-not-welcome-in-nfl_n_2584762.html
http://www.latimes.com/entertainmen...ason-collins-remarks-20130429,0,1157118.story
Now, to qualify, these instances, Chris Culliver later apologized for what he said. And what Chris Broussard said wasn't entirely hateful, at least the way I interpret it... perhaps ignorant or in poor taste, and maybe out of place from a sports commentator. But many players and sports journalists, even if they aren't anti-gay per se, are still against gay players coming out. The usual line is "why does he have to shove his sexual orientation down our throats" or "why is he being such an attention whore by publicly coming out?" They basically support a kind of Don't Ask, Don't Tell in the sports world.
All that adds up to a hostile environment for gay athletes who may be considering coming out. It's not that they're afraid of being attacked for being gay - they're probably more afraid of attracting unwanted attention. Because you know the media likes to blow this stuff up like crazy, and even the most downplayed, low-key announcement will create a huge shitstorm and before long you'll have gay-bashers deriding the player himself for it.
I was talking about the NBA, the sport Collins actually played in. Broussard is not even a player, his word means jack shit (especially so during free agency with his "multiple sources") compared to the best of the best voicing support for Collins. When the superstars of the league support you, then there is no anti-gay culture.
I'm still waiting to hear about the anti-gay culture that rules professional sports according to some here. Collins got nothing but support from all the biggest names in the game.
Nice job moving the goalposts. You said professional sports, not the NBA specifically. And last I checked, commentators are part of a sport's culture as well.
Your post was among the most naive I've ever read. It's akin to saying "we have a black president, therefore racism doesn't exist." If you actually believe what you said, then I don't think it's even worth arguing with you.
We're talking about Collins, who played in the NBA. It's the opinion of his peers and fellow players and coaches that matter, not from another sport entirely. What you're saying is like because there's rampant racism in some soccer leagues it's a problem in the NBA.
A commentator doesn't matter, he writes some articles, spews bullshit rumors on trades, and does some sideline reporting. His word is literally shit compared to the likes of LeBron, Kobe, Nash, Wade, and all the other big names in the game. If they've got your back then there is no anti-gay culture dominating the sport.
Bolded is totally wrong. Soccer is not a popular sport in America, but football and basketball are. A lot of the same people are fans of both sports.
If you want to change your original statement and claim that players just in the NBA are supportive of gay players coming out, fine. I'm pleasantly surprised that so many players, including the superstars, are supporting Collins. That's not really surprising since it would bring a huge amount of negative media attention for any player to step up and criticize Collins for coming out.
Commentators are still part of the culture, even if they are a much smaller part of it than the players. So even if the players are supportive after the fact, there are still a lot of factors that have made it difficult for players to come out. Like I said, there is an underlying Don't Ask Don't Tell aspect to sports culture in general, even if it doesn't surface often. Those are no longer politically correct beliefs so it's no surprise they're not public. Doesn't mean they don't exist.
I was talking about the NBA, the sport Collins actually played in. Broussard is not even a player, his word means jack shit (especially so during free agency with his "multiple sources") compared to the best of the best voicing support for Collins. When the superstars of the league support you, then there is no anti-gay culture.
Charles Barkley said recently on The Dan LeBatard Show in Miami. Pro athletes have played with gay players before. The crowd is going to be shouting things more than its going to be uncomfortable in the locker room.
tons of respect for him. he stood up for what he thought was right.
What was the story here?
Why is it that gay and lesbian groups want to fight for equality but have to make a big deal about people coming out? I don't care what anyones sexual preference it is, so I don't see why it needs to be all over the news.
Edit: I understand that he is the first major sport player to come out of the closet, so good for him. But why do we have to all go crazy about it?
Why is it that gay and lesbian groups want to fight for equality but have to make a big deal about people coming out? I don't care what anyones sexual preference it is, so I don't see why it needs to be all over the news.
Edit: I understand that he is the first major sport player to come out of the closet, so good for him. But why do we have to all go crazy about it?
I think you over-estimate the likelihood of your average nascar fan to be consistent in his bigotry. Since Danica Patrick is hot, I think you get more cat-calls and sexual innuendos than sneers and jeers. Hot lesbians are fine. Gay men are icky, you see.If Danica Patrick were gay, it would definitely be in her best interest to remain in the closet, given how degenerate your average nascar fan is.
LeRoy Butler... always been a class act in Green Bay. Inventor of the Lambeau Leap!
Why is it that gay and lesbian groups want to fight for equality but have to make a big deal about people coming out? I don't care what anyones sexual preference it is, so I don't see why it needs to be all over the news.
Edit: I understand that he is the first major sport player to come out of the closet, so good for him. But why do we have to all go crazy about it?