It's a lot of good PR for the NBA. They beat the NFL to be the first pro league with an openly gay athlete, and now they're reaping some pretty big financial gains. Don't get me wrong, I think it's great that we have an openly gay athlete in the NBA, and possibly another in the NFL very soon, but I find it very hard to believe that Collins was signed for his ability alone.
If his being gay helped him get the contract over other players, I don't think that's a bad thing. The NBA, just as any other private business, needs to maximize its appeal. I doubt anyone is going to stop watching the NBA because some scrub came out, and the NBA demographic in general, myself included, doesn't care is somebody is gay or straight. He'll be out of the league soon enough, and when an actual good player comes along and wants to be himself in public, it won't be nearly as big of a deal. In the business world, this is what you'd call a soft launch. In politics, it's a trial balloon.
Yeah, honestly I don't have any problem with it. I'm just laughing at the people who think he's still a good player, like they're trying to justify why he got the contract. Let's just call it like it is. The NBA gets to say they have the first openly gay athlete, Collins gets to forward his message about acceptance, and the fans get to support him. It's a win/win.
I guess I don't get the double think that making this a big deal is a stepping stone to it not being a big deal.. if its not a big deal it should have garnered no media attention. What I find confusing is the people who don't want it to be a big deal are the ones that make it a big deal, and then play victim when people ask them to shut the fuck up about it.
You know for hating gays you two are awfully cute to each other. Shouldn't you be all dudebro manhug?
You really don't get it, do you? Even in 2014 gay people in our society face serious discrimination, hate and bigotry. Do you really not believe this to be true? For a male athlete, it's even worse. I'm not gay, but I have a gay daughter and she has been the victim of hatred, verbal and physical assault because of her sexual preference. I could provide specific examples of the verbal threats and physical attacks she has had to endure, but I'd prefer not to share those details in a public forum. That's why this is a big deal. Someone had to be first, to be brave enough to come out in spite of the fact that there are people in our society that will attack them verbally and possibly physically. Someone needed to break the ice so others will have the courage to also feel free to be themselves and not pretend to be someone they aren't. That's also why this is a big deal. If we were already at the point where being gay didn't make you a target for hateful attacks, this wouldn't be a big deal. Unfortunately, we are not. My daughter was the victim of a physical attack less than a year ago, simply because she "looked gay" - the perpetrator's "reason" for the attack. By coming out, as a professional athlete, Jason Collins furthers the cause of all gay people. Yes, I wish our society, as a whole, was compassionate and tolerant enough that this wasn't a big deal, but we're not there yet. Anyone who believes we are is incredibly naive. So, that's what I meant by a stepping stone toward acceptance and tolerance to the point where it won't be a big deal and gay people won't be afraid to admit who they are without risk of discrimination and physical assault. I don't see any double think in my position, and I have never "played the victim" when someone asks me to "shut the fuck up about it". And seriously, why should I shut the fuck up about it? As long as my daughter faces discrimination and hate, I will continue to voice my opinions on the matter, whether you approve or not. BNM
Lots of things make people a target for hateful attacks. Being Hispanic. Being Muslim. Being Christian. Being Mormon. Being a polygamist. Being black. Being white. Being a liberal. Being a conservative. Being Asian. Being old. Being dumb. Being etc. etc. It's people like you who continue to divide people. In an extreme example, if Damian Lillard likes to have sex with sheep, I don't give a shit. I care about how he conducts himself off of the court in terms of being a good citizen, and on the court in terms of being a good player. He'd probably sell a ton of jerseys in New Zealand, though, if he likes to literally pull the wool.
Why did a guy on a 10-day contract even have a jersey available at the NBA store? It's not because of his playing ability. Collins and the NBA are using each other for profit. If that's not American, then I don't know what is!
I saw a couple of old time broadcasters discussing how bad the fans can be. They yell all sorts of nasty things at the opposing players (mostly). The two of them were in arenas and ballparks for decades so they have seen quite a bit. The question was raised whether Collins would face gay slurs as Jackie Robinson faced an unimaginable amount of racist epithets. They answered "no" because the fans tend to say stuff like "you stink" vs. "you're a _____" (fill in the blank with racist/bigoted whatever). That jlprk can post a link to a decent sized list of former athletes who are gay supports your point that they must have been scared of being discriminated against or bullied or worse. http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/sto...rsey-brooklyn-nets-made-available-high-demand Just one day after the NBA decided NBA to make Jason Collins' No. 98 jersey available due to high demand, four of the top five best-selling items on NBAStore.com are Collins items, an NBA spokesman told ESPN.com's Darren Rovell. The jerseys were made available Tuesday at NBAStore.com and the NBA Store in Manhattan after the league received hundreds of inquiries both online and at the store, the spokesman said. It quickly became the top-selling jersey on NBAStore.com. Collins signed a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, becoming the first active openly gay player in league history. The Nets can give Collins a second 10-day deal once the first one expires. If they do, once that second deal expires, Brooklyn would have to decide whether to keep him for the rest of the season. Collins had to wear No. 46 on Sunday because there wasn't enough time to get No. 98 ready for his first game. He will wear No. 98 -- starting Wednesday night at Portland -- in honor of Matthew Shepard, a student at the University of Wyoming who was tortured, beaten and murdered in an antigay hate crime in 1998. Dennis Shepard, Matthew's father, confirmed to ESPNNewYork.com's Ian O'Connor in an e-mail that he is planning to attend Thursday night's Nets-Nuggets game in Denver with his wife Judy, son Logan and Logan's girlfriend.
The Matthew Shepard fallacy has been completely debunked. There are plenty of victims of anti-gay crimes. Matthew Shepard wasn't one, though, and it's been known for 10 years. http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Story?id=277685&page=1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Shepard In September 2013, The Book of Matt: Hidden Truths About the Murder of Matthew Shepard by Stephen Jimenez, the producer of the 20/20 segment, was published. The book revived and expanded upon claims by the author that Shepard's murder was at least partly drug-related and that, contrary to the generally accepted version of events, his sexual orientation was not a major motive for the crime. Additionally the author claimed that Shepard and at least one of his killers (McKinney) had been occasional sexual partners.[62][63] This book has, however, been criticized by culture critic Alyssa Rosenberg as being poorly sourced.[64] Police officials interviewed after the book's publication have also disputed the claims made in the book. Dave O'Malley said that Jimenez's claims that Shepard was "a methamphetamine kingpin [] is almost humorous. Someone that would buy into that certainly would believe almost anything they read." Rob Debree, lead sheriff's investigator at the time, said that the book contains "factual errors and lies", and said that Jimenez's claim that Shepard was a drug dealer is "truly laughable."[59]
The 20/20 article segment mentioned nothing about Shepard being a 'kingpin.' It gave quotes from the actual prosecutor. It sucks that he died, but he was a guy who was robbed and killed by a few guys on a meth bender.
So, what's your point (assuming you actually have one)? That's it's OK to hate gays because other groups also face hate? I really have no idea what you're trying to say here. I have personally never hated, or physically assaulted anyone in any of those groups. So, why did you direct that comment at me? Right. That may be the stupidest thing you've ever written, and that's saying a lot. I'm not the one who singles out my daughter for being gay. To me, she's still my daughter, the same person she was the day before she came out to me. But the fact is, others single her out, hate her and physically assault her for no other reason than that she's gay. Because I support my daughter and refuse to let her be beaten up by violent, hateful bigots, I'm part of the problem? Right. So, are you now the champion for ethical treatment of violent, hateful bigots? Some people deserve to be singled out. Those that commit violent crimes deserve to go to jail. Yeah, because that will happen, because it's EXACTLY like Jason Collins coming out. What a stupid thing to say. I'm noticing a trend. BNM
