There He Goes Again

Fresh off the most embarrassing performance by an American president on the world stage in my lifetime and his legal woes becoming increasingly dicey, President Donald Trump—the master of distraction and disinformation—found a new shiny object to change the news cycle.

It’s back to a tried and true argument to keep hold of his base: the kneeling NFL players who protest police injustices heaped on African Americans. With the NFL and its players association reviewing the current policy regarding taking a knee during the anthem Trump saw the opportunity to discredit the players and suspend them for not adhering to his view of patriotism. He tweeted:

The NFL National Anthem Debate is alive and well again - can’t believe it! Isn’t it in contract that players must stand at attention, hand on heart? The $40,000,000 Commissioner must now make a stand. First time kneeling, out for game. Second time kneeling, out for season/no pay!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 20, 2018

We can all scratch our heads in disbelief over how Trump can characterize the Nazis and KKK members brandishing torches and swastikas  in Charlottesville as “very fine people’ but those who are exercising their First Amendment right by peacefully demonstrating against a real and at times deadly problem in our society as “son of a bitches.” What is more outlandish and troublesome, however, is Trump’s faux embrace of patriotism. Examples:

► Trump condemns a pillar of our democracy, the free press, as the enemy of the people.

► Our commander-in-chief did all he could to avoid military service—5 times in fact.

► Our commander-in-chief is clueless as to the meaning of the Purple Heart.

► He has never once visited the American troops overseas but has played golf 131 times.

► As president he has undermined the FBI, CIA, our intel services and the rule of law.

► He invites Russian diplomats into the Oval office with no other Americans present and gives away classified information from a trusted ally.

► He ordered the detainment of people and the separation of their children as they legally entered the U.S. seeking asylum.

► Trump allows the flag of North Korea, under a brutal and murderous regime, to be side-by-side to the American flag in Singapore.

► Trump cowered to Putin in Helsinki and essentially surrendered to Russia.

► He refuses to do anything to prevent another cyber attack on our democracy.

► Trump invites the same man who helped elect him as president to visit the White House in the fall.

► More than half the country view Trump as a traitor following the Helsinki debacle.

So, please Mr. Trump, stop lecturing us and African American football players about patriotism. You’re not at all patriotic. In fact, you’re a traitor.

Patriot Games

Trump’s words and actions continue his march towards authoritarianism

President Trump has yet to see the distinction between running a family business empire and being president of the United States.  Whereas in the past he could call the shots, he has been frustrated by those pesky checks and balances, which are contained in our Constitution—a document I’m willing to bet he never completely read. #hocopolitics

Starting with a flood of executive orders (legal) at the outset of his presidency he has taken it upon himself to do things on his own.  As he has achieved some footing, his autocratic posture seems to be gaining, and he’s been using “patriotism,” “love of country,” and most recently “treason” to stomp on those with whom he disagrees.

These tactics are becoming alarming.  It was manifested this past fall when he bludgeoned NFL players for taking a knee during the national anthem as a means to protest social inequality for African-Americans.  He twisted the protesters’ message to make it sound like they were criticizing the military, the flag and what-not.  Unfortunately, Trump seemed to have won that messaging battle, conflating the first amendment right to protest with sticking a finger in the eyes of our troops.   This has emboldened him to go all-out patriotic.

This past Monday, he derided Democratic lawmakers who attended the State of the Union Address for not cheering and clapping his Stephen Miller-written words.  At a speech in a plant outside Cincinnati where he was touting the economy that he produced and which the plunging stock market values were juxtaposed on television screens, Trump complained half jokingly but also half seriously that Democrats didn’t cheer like the Republicans did.

“They would rather see Trump do badly than our country do well," the president said of Democrats’ response to his speech last week. “They were like death. And un-American. Somebody said treasonous. I mean, yeah. I guess. Why not?” 

“Can we call that treason?” he asked the crowd. “Why not? They certainly didn’t seem to love our country very much.”

His frequent Kim Jong Un-ish self-applause seemed to have made up for the lack of Dems' enthusiasm.

Nonetheless, imagine if President Obama had called the Republicans treasonous when they sat in stone cold silence as he enumerated his vision for the country.  The Republican noise machine would go off the charts.

The White House said he was saying it “tongue and cheek.” But as the president, words matter.

To be responsible, “treason” should be used only when referring to a person “levying war against [the United States], or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort.”

His base may not understand the seriousness of the term, and it was unwise for the president to say it, displaying his ignorance, just for a few yucks from his cultist supporters in attendance.

Sadly, except for a few Democrats like Sen. Tammy Duckworth, the Dems were too silent on Trump’s accusations.  Where are they? The GOP was even more quiet except for Sen. Jeff Flake.

If that wasn’t enough, the Washington Post reported that Trump wants a military parade down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington.

To be clear, when countries put on such displays, it is mainly to show off to the world their military might, should there be any doubts.  The U.S. rarely has had to go through this garish exercise since the world already is aware of our military power.

But the need to feed Trump’s ego will probably be enough to appropriate funds for this costly spectacle.  I wouldn't be surprised if Trump invites “patriots” to march following the procession of military vehicles, armaments and matériel. Expect to see a few confederate flags to pop up held by some very fine people, maybe a swastika or two, perhaps a march with a goose step. 

That’s how it starts.

Trump is Winning at Flag Football

Photo courtesy of lowellsun.com.

While millions of people in Puerto Rico were beginning to reckon with the demolition of that beautiful island at the ferocious hands of Hurricane Maria, President Donald Trump was using his tiny grabby hands for other reasons.  #hocopolitics

Instead of responding with leadership to assure U.S. citizens there are at the very least receiving basic essentials, the President decided to go to his refuge—Twitter—and deflect again from a string of losses to create an issue of NFL players kneeling during the National Anthem at the games played last weekend.

Instead of calling the Mayor of San Juan Carmen Yulín Cruz four times during the week to determine the immediate needs of those victimized citizens, he called Dallas Cowboys owner and his friend Jerry Jones four times to insist that his players stand for the National Anthem.

When he eventually tweeted about Puerto Rico, he did so with the pettiness, narcissism and immaturity that have characterized his presidency so far: blaming others for missteps, taking credit for things he did not accomplish, exaggerating his abilities, and disclosing that Puerto Rico is an island in a very big ocean.

Wow.

This pathetic, callous and rather un-American response is appearing as his own Katrina albatross and would add to another hard-to-swallow loss.  However, if he was ever looking for a win to stem this descent, the football angle appears to be what his doctor ordered.

Last year, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick took it upon himself to protest the all-too-frequent occurrence of police officers gunning down unarmed African-American men and wind up getting away with it.  These incidents have unquestionably been a stain on our society and Kaepernick, a black man, felt compelled to “take a knee” during the national Anthem prior to games last year.  He was booed mercilessly by fans and excoriated on social media with few of his peers demonstrating support.

Kaepernick was eventually let go by the 49ers and has yet to find a new team despite the fact he is better at this position than some of the current starting QBs and clearly better than many of the backups.  He is still awaiting that call.

So Trump lambasted players for not standing during the Anthem and told owners to fire those protesting players because they are disrespectful to the flag.  In a rebuke to Trump last weekend, teams around the NFL  joined in the protests, and it took different forms—kneeling, joining locked arms, remaining in the locker room while the Anthems were played.

Seizing the opportunity to demagogue and to deflect from his troubles, Trump took to Twitter and blasted the protesters.  He cast the kneelings as a disgrace and an affront to the flag, the Anthem, the military and our country.  He and his supporters maintained that our servicemen and women fought and died in combat to defend our flag and Anthem.

To be clear, we have never gone to war, never shot a bullet, or never bombed a target to protect our flag or the National Anthem.  Nobody died in defense of these symbols. In fact, our troops have always defended our Constitution, which includes Freedom of Speech and the right to protest peacefully. This is hyperbole at its worse, using the casualties of our military conflicts as props in a cynical political effort to feed  red meat to the frothing-at-the-mouth base.  

As an aside, Trump has no standing as far as military appropriateness is concerned regardless of his title as Commander-in-Chief.  He dodged the draft on five occasions, took on a Gold Star family for political gain, and is clueless as to the meaning of the Purple Heart.  

Nonetheless, Trump turned this legitimate protest into a question of patriotism and what he did what he does best, divide the country on race.  He riled up his mostly white base so that they have adopted his logic and has couched these protests as nothing short of treason.

To a large extent, it has worked.  
Fans burned various teams' jerseys, caps and what-not. They threatened to cancel season ticket subscriptions.   (Note that most if not all of those anti-protesters don't stand for the National Anthem in their living rooms regardless of the sport, but who cares about hypocrisy?)  The anti-protesters grabbed the momentum and seem to be winning the argument.

Accordingly, NFL games this week saw less players taking a knee during the Anthem than last week. When players knelt to pray for kindness and equality in our country prior to the National Anthem, fans at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium booed vociferously even though the public address announcer explained what they were doing. Then the players rose when the Anthem began.

So uptight about the week-long debate was Ravens’ management and sensitive about being labeled anti-military, they included every military trapping they could muster before the game including a flyover by military aircraft.  I was surprised not to see members of the 101^st Airborne Division parachuting to mid-field for the coin toss.

“It’s not about the ... flag,” Randy Lynn, an accountant from Baltimore who said he served seven years in the Army, told the Baltimore Sun. “It’s about killing black people.”

 “It’s not against the flag. It’s against the injustice that the police are killing unarmed black people and getting away with it.”

But others disagree and see the protests as disrespecting our national symbols and country.  Trump pounced on this controversy to once again stoke divisions while the people of Puerto Rico stand in lengthy lines in oppressive heat for food, water, fuel and access to cash.

We see where the President’s priorities lie.
_____

UPDATE: The clock ran out and apparently Trump won this game.  Here is an explanation in Politico.

History Will Have to Wait

It was the day the entire sports world was watching.  Would Michael Sam, an openly gay man, survive yet another round of cuts by the St. Louis Rams and in the process make history?  No other player on the “bubble” received such national scrutiny.  As NFL teams were mandated to trim their final rosters to 53 by 4 p.m. EDT on August 30, all eyes were on the St. Louis Rams who drafted Sam in the seventh and final round this past May. 

Photo by mtv.com

Instead of sacking quarterbacks Sam was sacked; he did not survive the final cut.  According to NFL rules, Sam and all those cut became available to the other 31 teams of which any of them could claim him.  None did. 

As such, Sam became the first openly gay player to be drafted by an NFL team, not the first to play in the NFL regular season. 

The fact that Sam was drafted at all was surprising to most football experts.  Although a standout performer during his collegiate career—he was the Southeastern Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year for the University of Missouri in 2013—he did not fare well at NFL’s combine.  The combine is an auditioning process that takes place for a week in front of coaches, general managers and scouts.

Sam was picked 249^th out of 256, and the news of his being drafted by the Rams reverberated around the world.  So did his passionate kiss on the mouth of his boyfriend carried live by ESPN. 

The selection by St. Louis lifted the spirits of LGBT America.  At the time, President Obama said he “congratulates Michael Sam, the Rams and the NFL for taking an important step forward today in our Nation’s journey.”

However, analysts and those in the football industry said Sam was too small for a defensive lineman position while he was too slow to be a linebacker.  It would be an uphill climb for Sam to make a team that already was deep in the lineman position.

Jeff Fisher, head coach of the Rams, gave Sam every opportunity.  In fact, it was Fisher who called Sam to give him the good news about the selection, leading to the tearful celebration with his boyfriend.  Who among us did not shed a tear or two along with him?  His number 96 Rams’ jersey became the sixth biggest seller among NFL players’ jerseys through July 17.

But Michael Sam lost out in a numbers game.  The Rams, who kept nine defensive linemen, chose to retain undrafted rookie Ethan Westbrooks over Sam.  While their statistics were similar, Westbrooks provided the versatility to play all four defensive line positions, while Sam had been playing virtually exclusively as a left defensive end.

Those who blog about homophobia in sports believed that Sam’s release from the team was a merely a football decision. 

“We believe Sam was cut for purely football reasons and there is zero evidence that it had anything to do with him being gay,” wrote Cyd Zeigler, co-founder of Outsports.com. “The Rams organization, from General Manager Les Snead to Fisher to the players, treated Sam as just another player, even though they were aware of his historic nature. Snead and Fisher even attended the ESPYs in Los Angeles in July, where Sam received the Arthur Ashe Award for courage.”

 Could it be that Sam would provide an unwelcome distraction just as the 2014 season was poised to kick off?

Coach Fisher made a point at his news conference announcing the cuts that Sam was not a distraction.  He explained he was in Michael Sam’s corner from the start and that having the first openly gay player drafted by an NFL team was no distraction at all in training camp.

“Mike’s got the ability to play someplace. It’s got to be the right place, it’s got to be a fit,” Fisher explained. “He’s a much better player now than he was when he got here.”

He added, “We’re proud to be a part of [history], it was a great experience, but there were no issues. I just think there was a lot more made of it that there should have been.”

Oh, that distraction thing! Just prior to the August 30 deadline, an ESPN correspondent released a shameful ill-advised report of Sam’s showering habits and how that related to his teammates on the Rams.  Following the expected firestorm from a multitude of LGBT rights organization to comedian Jon Stewart, ESPN made a public apology.

While the Rams are deep in defensive linemen, that could not be said for all of the remaining 31 teams who passed Michael Sam up.  Could it be that Sam would provide an unwelcome distraction just as the 2014 season was poised to kick off?

That’s the million dollar question—one that is unlikely to be answered by NFL officials.  Clearly, the distraction factor from the media had to have been considered as teams evaluated the possibility of claiming Sam.  The Rams insisted the locker room culture was not negatively impacted by Sam’s presence.  The players acted professionally and did their jobs.  So did Michael Sam.  But apparently other teams are not yet ready.

Some believe that Michael Sam by declaring publicly that he is gay rolled the dice and put his chances for an NFL career at risk, though the rumors about his sexual orientation had already surfaced.

After the deadline to claim Sam passed, Hudson Taylor, executive director of Athlete Ally, a nonprofit organization focused on ending homophobia and transphobia in sports, tweeted, “Beginning to think that if Michael Sam stayed silent about his sexual orientation he would currently be signed to an NFL roster or psquad.”

However, Michael Sam has been picked up by the Dallas Cowboys to play on their practice squad.  That could lead to a chance to be on the roster and play with the team but it’s no certainty.  In the meantime, and until he does play on the 53-man roster, history will have to wait.

 

History Made in the NFL

Michael Sam drafted in the 7^th round; becomes first openly gay player 

As people around the country were tuning in to the National Football League draft extravaganza that took place May 8-10, there was a little more interest than usual in the 2014 version than in previous years.  For in this cycle, there was the possibility (and hope) that an openly gay man, Michael Sam, a defensive end who was a star at the University of Missouri, could have his name called by an NFL team and break the rainbow barrier to become the first ever openly gay man to play in the nation’s most lucrative professional sports league. 



After 248 out of 256 players heard their names called  during the otherwise tedious process that will dramatically change these young men’s lives, hope began to melt into concern and then rationalization as the 7^th and final round was slowly progressing and still no word of Michael Sam, 24, from Hitchcock, Texas.  
 

Will the NFL do the right thing or are the executives still not as progressive on social issues as many of their players?  Is Michael Sam really too slow to be a linebacker and even at 6 foot 2, 260 lbs. too small to be a defensive end in the pros based on a series of physical tests that had taken place at a rigorous audition known as the combine?  Will any team take the risk of having a gay player and potentially cause a distraction in the locker room?  Will the media cause its own distraction?

Analysts at ESPN who dutifully provided all the insight one would want (or could take) during the three-day draft proceedings also speculated on whether or not Sam had the right stuff.  The first-team All-American and 2013 Southeast Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year did not have the “numbers” or the size or quickness to be a likely draft pick.  Moreover, some team scouts told the media anonymously that when Sam disclosed his sexual orientation in an interview with ESPN in February, his stock had fallen. 

The in-draft analysts on ESPN, nonetheless, effusively praised Sam’s character and work ethic and “motor”.   Sam should be taken in the draft if a team a club needs a special team player or a pass rusher, they opined, and they encouraged his rooters that even if not drafted, he could be invited to a team’s training camp and be signed as an undrafted free agent as 47 did last year.  A development like that could even be more beneficial to him.

Yet something akin to a Hollywood script unfolded.  As the number of available picks was perilously dwindling to a precious few late Saturday afternoon—only eight remained—Michael Sam received the phone call from St. Louis Rams head coach Mike Fisher.  “You are a Ram,” said Fisher. “The wait is finally over.”

Sam was seen on ESPN breaking down and sobbing at the news in real time, barely audibly thanking Fisher. He was in the arms of his boyfriend Vito Cammisano, and then they kissed for several moments—something ESPN did not cut away from as one would have expected not that long ago.

“This is a football decision,” Fisher said. “We are very, very comfortable with everything about him”—high praise indeed.  “We weren't going to miss the opportunity to add an outstanding player to our roster,” he added.

St. Louis is a good fit for Sam as it is only a two-hour drive from Columbia, MO where Sam excelled at the University of Missouri.  People are familiar with him and he is well respected there.

Reactions were mostly positive, and they poured in from everywhere.  The President of the United States weighed in.  “From the playing field to the corporate boardroom, LGBT Americans prove everyday that you should be judged by what you do and not who you are,” Obama said. He also congratulated the NFL and the St. Louis Rams.

The historic breakthrough was not lost on LGBT civil rights leaders.  “We congratulate Michael Sam and the St. Louis Rams on their terrific decision to draft him,” said Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin in a statement. “Today, LGBT young people can look to Sam as proof that being open and proud of who you are doesn’t keep you from achieving your dreams.  Gay people are our neighbors and friends.  They’re our United States Senators and, starting today, they're our professional football stars.”

Although he was drafted by the Rams, Michael Sam is not guaranteed to make the team.  But it is a trail blazing moment as was the signing of out NBA player Jason Collins earlier in the year.  With pressure mounting on the NFL to present a better image and the encouragement from its commissioner Roger Goodell, Sam’s ability and heart plus overwhelming support from fans and the media, Sam should succeed.

It's Time to Walk the Walk, NFL

When one looks at two photographs of the sky with one taken at sunset and the other at sunrise, it’s hard to distinguish them with the same combination of oranges, reds and blues swirled together amidst wispy clouds.  But the difference in time—sunset or sunrise—makes it significant.

Michael Sam

The same can be said when comparing the latest coming out announcements from the world of pro male sports.  Last spring, NBA player Jason Collins announced he was gay, and in doing so became the first active male professional athlete in a major North American team sport to come out. 

At no point in his career was his average point total over 6.4 per game. Since the 2006-2007 season, he never played more than in half the game. And now at age 35 and having been a marginal producer, it is questionable if another NBA team would be willing to take a chance on this free agent.  He is still waiting for that phone call.

Some simply conclude that his age and his lack of production are the reasons no team has taken the chance.  Others surmise that his sexual orientation would be too much for a team’s front office, coaching staff, players and fans to cope with.  He is still “active” in that he had not retired, but Collins is unemployed in the NBA nonetheless. 

Being in the “sunset” of his career probably had a lot to do with the reluctance by the NBA’s teams to deal with the media frenzy that would surely follow.  Worse, they would fear a backlash, and for what?

When collegiate football star Michael Sam announced he was gay to the New York Times and ESPN, he did so in the “sunrise” of his career.  A star defensive lineman for the University of Missouri with a penchant for sacking opposing quarterbacks, he is an All-American and named the top defensive player in the Southeastern Conference, considered the nation’s best league. Teammates named him the Mizzou’s most valuable player.  And his teammates not only knew he is gay, they supported him wholeheartedly. 

While this was kept under the lid for the most part, there were still rumors floating around.  Sam wanted to come out on his terms.  “I came to tell the world I'm an openly proud gay man,” he said in the ESPN interview.  His announcement was met with encouragement and praise from the President of the United States and the First lady among many others.

Given his shining record, Sam would have been a near certain draft pick in the NFL’s draft in May.  Experts projected him to be a third to perhaps seventh round selection.   Now there are questions.

Some anonymous coaches, players or team officials have stated that the NFL is not quite ready for a gay player.  Others said his stock had dropped even with the talent the 6-2, 260 pounder possesses. 

Any breakthrough in professional sports of this magnitude immediately conjures up the history of Jackie Robinson’s breaking baseball’s color barrier in 1947 when Brooklyn Dodgers executive Branch Rickey took a chance and signed the talented, multi-sports athlete.

Robinson was told to turn the other cheek amidst taunts, attempts to injure and death threats from fans, opponents and even his own teammates.  He endured and demonstrated his superior inner strength and athletic prowess during a Hall of Fame career.  Robinson’s courage cannot be overstated.

Though we are in the 21^st century, society still has its bigots and homophobes.  If a team drafts him, the locker room will take care of itself.  Though there will be some exceptions for sure, the players are warriors and want to win and will accept Michael Sam sooner or later.  Management, on the other hand, is concerned about “distractions” that could include negative fan reactions. 

Here are examples of such vitriol already posted on a FOX Sports comment thread:

From Toyhunt: “Now if he fails to get a job, he can play the gay card. See how this scam works gang. Just like the d party, run a half black man, object to anything, play the race card. This is getting old fast. The right seems to fail to use the same tactic.”

From BigMark1954: “I am so fed up with the LGBT community cramming their propaganda down our throats. The media is sensationalizing Sam's perversion, or should I say affliction. Will it ever end! And what about the players that have to be in the locker room with Sam, how comfortable will they be.....knowing full well they are ‘eyecandy’ for his perversion. Let alone his team mates that have a moral code, and some human decency?”

Sam will see and hear this and worse, but his character, strengthened by what he has suffered already with his family in his young life, will keep him focused on winning and will eventually earn the respect of his teammates, coaches and fans. 

The NFL had instituted a non-discrimination policy that states in part: “Coaches, General Managers and others responsible for interviewing and hiring draft-eligible players and free agents must not seek information concerning or make personnel decisions based on a player's sexual orientation. This includes asking questions during an interview that suggest that the player’s sexual orientation will be a factor in the decision to draft or sign him.”

Baltimore Ravens President Dick Cass offered support.  “I don’t think his being gay would be an issue at all for the Ravens,” Cass told baltimoreravens.com. “We’re all about winning. If he’s a good football player who can help us win games, he will be welcomed here. I was impressed by the report he received from his teammates and coaches at the University of Missouri. He obviously knows how to be a good teammate.”

It will certainly be a most interesting draft in a few months.  Michael Sam could be another Jackie Robinson-type trail blazer.  What we need, though, is another Branch Rickey.

Through His Eyes We See Progress

Yunel Escobar sending the wrong message

It was a costly little joke that Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Yunel Escobar played in September when he etched on his eye-black (the black stickers that ballplayers place under their eyes to cut down on glare) in small white letters in Spanish, “Tu ere maracon.”  The English translation is “You’re a faggot.”  However, the glare that resulted was the glare of the media and outrage from a public who believe athletes should be moving beyond homophobic slurs in this day in age.

 Escobar, 29 and a native of Havana, Cuba, apologized for what he said was meant to be “just a joke.”  He explained through a translator, “It was not something I intended to be offensive. It was not anything intended to be directed at anyone in particular.”  He added, “I don't have anything against homosexuals. I have friends who are gay.”  It’s the kind of word that is frequently bandied about in a joking way among Latinos, he explained.

OK.  Contrition displayed, apology accepted.  Sending a strong signal that such “jokes” are not acceptable in Major League Baseball, punishment was meted out.  MLB prohibits derogatory words or symbols on uniforms.  The eye-black falls into that category.

With input from Commissioner Bud Selig and the players union, the Toronto Blue Jays suspended the enigmatic Escobar for three days without pay, and the $92,000 or so in lost salary is to be directed to two LGBT advocacy organizations, GLAAD and You Can Play.  Escobar will also participate in an outreach initiative to help educate society about insensitivity and tolerance to others.

“I consistently say that Baseball is a social institution with important social responsibilities and that I expect those who represent Major League Baseball to act with the kind of respect and sensitivity that the game’s diverse fan base deserves,” Commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement.  “Mr. Escobar has admitted that his actions were a mistake and I am hopeful he can use this unfortunate situation as an opportunity to educate himself and others that intolerance has no place in our game or society.”

So what is the significance of a wealthy guy making over $5 million a year to play a boy’s game, acting stupid and forfeiting money he would never miss?  Considerable.  

Whether you like sports or not, whether you feel contemptuous towards overpaid privileged athletes, whether you revile mega-rich greedy owners, one thing is for certain: sports are deeply stitched into the fabric of our culture.  The rapid reaction by the baseball industry to deal with this unfortunate spectacle can be influential in helping to move society’s attitudes towards a more accepting place.  If Escobar’s messaging went unpunished, it would send the signal that it is OK to call people “faggot.”

The swiftness of the punishment in this case was very uplifting and is becoming a common occurrence.  Pro teams and leagues in all sports are finding out that homophobia in a more accepting society is bad for business.  We have seen teams and leagues take disciplinary actions in the wake of homophobic comments by the likes of John Rocker, Jeremy Shockey, Tim Hardaway, Terrell Owens, John Smoltz, Joey Porter and Ozzie Guillen.  These actions varied with the circumstances but there was clarity to them.  With few exceptions, the fans generally supported the team or league.

NBA Commissioner David Stern was particularly strong.  The NBA adopted a non-discrimination policy based on sexual orientation as part of their collective-bargaining agreement with the players’ union.  A message like that is extremely powerful in the macho-centric culture of the locker room.

In Maryland, the recent flap between the Ravens’ Brendon Ayanbadejo’s support for marriage equality and anti-gay state delegate Emmett Burns brought more reason to cheer.  Not only did team officials back the linebacker’s right to express his beliefs but other players in the NFL supported him as well, particularly Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe, another marriage equality advocate.  Dissenting teammates or opponents did not surface at least publicly.

Sports stars are often heroes, especially to children.  They have super-sized influence as a result of their celebrity. That is why corporations dole out big bucks to have athletes extol their products.  As such, homophobic or racial slurs and statements carry weight.  They can shape the attitudes of adults as well as children.  Blue Jays manager John Farrell, referring to the Escobar incident, said, “There is a definite role-model responsibility that some guys might not realize or might not want to take on, but it’s part of being a Major League player.”

In the National Hockey League, the aforementioned You Can Play project promotes safety in the locker rooms and that sports venues should be free from homophobia.  By way of videos, a growing number of players are stating that “if you can play, you can play.”  Athletes should be judged on talent, heart and work ethic, not sexual orientation. Although no gay male professional athlete has come out while active, there is a belief among those studying this issue that such a decision will occur within 10 years. 

The growing acceptance of LGBT folks around the country, the number of “night OUT at the ballpark” events, and the swift reactions to homophobia by sports teams’ management, players and fans demonstrate how progress is trending in the right direction.