University of Missouri defensive lineman Michael Sam, almost assuredly a draft pick for the NFL next season, has come out. It is my fervent hope that Michael Sam is the gay Jackie Robinson. What a scary position to put oneself in. And how courageous and loved Mr. Sam must be. And the great thing is, if he's not drafted, then the NFL proves itself the bastion of homophobia that Chris Kluwe claims (undoubtedly so), it is.
Regardless of whether or not Sam is drafted, the good news is that more and more high-profile LGBT people are coming forward, refusing to be silent and refusing to deny who they are. The world over, athleticism and physical prowess are celebrated far more than scientific. literary or artistic achievements. And while that hardly makes me happy, it's good to know so many high-profile athletes are stepping up for young fans to know that being gay is not a bad thing. Sam joins my personal list of sports heroes, which includes Greg Louganis; Orlando Cruz; Jason Collins; Martina Navratilova;Chris Kluwe; Brendon Ayanbedjo and British Rugby Bear Ben Cohen, among others.
Speak out. Speak up. Visibility and Familiarity are the keys to Equality.
So, sociopolitical rant over, here's a video by The Perez Brothers called "Weigh In." It's hardly surprising or unexpected but then, that's hardly the point. Enjoy the possibly NSFW short, below (via):
Like many folks, I honestly couldn't care less about professional sports if you paid me. Personally I think it's criminal that professional athletes, musicians and movie actors make millions, while teachers; cops; cancer researchers; nurses; EMTs and any number of people working in fields which actually add to the quality of our lives often live paycheck-to-paycheck. Not that I would deny anyone the right to make money but it seems our values are rather screwed up when it comes to professional salaries. Think about this - Adam Sandler makes $20M for every awful, unfunny movie he makes. A high school English teacher who has been working for 20 years; dealing with uninterested, bored and even drug-addled students; is lucky to make $50K a year.
I don't even want to know what Beyonce Knowles was paid for her 13-minute half-time appearance* at tonight's Superbowl. 13 Minutes. Surgeons can spend hours on end saving lives and are paid a very small fraction of what Ms. Knowles made for singing and dancing in a leather and lace bathing suit for 13 minutes during the break in a game.
"But Uncle P, you're an actor/director/designer/writer. Shouldn't you be paid for your work?"
Of course. As should everyone, no matter what they do for a living. And as much as Sports and the Arts contribute to the quality of life, it just seems insane to me that people who play games, sing songs and pretend to be people they're not should make so much more money than someone who teaches children to read; removes a life-threatening tumor; comforts the dying or protects us from those who would do us harm. There's a strange disconnect here, don't you think? Why does a guy who can kick a football earn more than a person who can literally save your life? Why does a woman who can sing and dance earn more than a woman who can make us understand the squiggles and symbols that make up the written word?
Don't get me wrong - I'm all for Capitalism and the right to earn as much money as one can. I just think that our value system is a little more than askew. Beyonce is indeed a talented woman who deserves to be paid for what she does. But ask yourselves this: Does she deserve to be paid more for singing and dancing for 13 minutes than the surgeon who spends six or more hours removing a complicated tumor from someone's brain or the cop who puts his/her life on line to protect you from criminals? I think not.
*Some are reporting that Knowles actually lost money by performing at Superbowl 47. I can only imagine that such an appearance just added to her future revenues.
And I'm so glad that so many Superbowl winners are going to Disney. Like they need more money...
American Football (as opposed to Soccer, which is called 'Football' everywhere else in the world), has always been perceived as an exceptionally masculine sport, played by (presumably) straight men. And while no professional player has come out of the closet while actively playing, a few have done so after retiring. And several straight players have recently come out in support of both LGBT rights and Marriage Equality.
Baltimore Ravens Linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo recently made a video supporting Marriage Equality in Maryland. Maryland state delegate Emmet C. Burns consequently wrote to the Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, admonishing him for allowing Ayanbadejo to express his opinions on the subject and asked Bisciotti to "inhibit such expressions from your employee." Seriously? An elected official asking a private employer to suppress someone's First Amendment rights? Thankfully, both Bisciotti and the NFL have voiced their support of Ayanbadjo's right to Free Speech.
Minnesota Vikings Punter Chris Kluwe (pictured above) was just as outraged over this as every American should be and he wrote the delegate to express his displeasure in an expletive-filled letter, which you can read here. Among other things, Kluwe wrote: "The views you espouse neglect to consider several fundamental key points, which I will outline in great detail (you may want to hire an intern to help you with the longer words)"* and "I can assure you that gay people getting married will have zero effect on your life."
Here's the thing: If professional football players have begun to realize (and publicly announce) that LGBT people should have the same rights as everyone else and that Marriage Equality in no way affects anyone else's marriage, shouldn't the rest of of America do the same? If we are "the land of the free and the home of brave," shouldn't we prove that to the rest of the world? Are we going to allow Canada to one-up us on this issue (no offense Joyce, Mark & Jon)? To quote many of my friends on Facebook "Opposing gay marriage because of your religion is like opposing my eating a doughnut because you're on a diet."
And while I grew up with both a father** and a mother, there is zero evidence that growing up with two dads or two moms has any negative effects on a child. In fact, I'd say it's quite the opposite, given the amazing speech made by Zach Wahls at last week's DNC:
So I have to ask, on which side of history do you want to be? I'm guessing that 10 years from now, folks will be reading this post and asking themselves why this was such a big deal. And even if the majority of the Western U.S. is destroyed by an eruption of the Yosemite supervolcano, it will be the result of purely natural events and will have nothing at all to do gay marriage, even if senile old fossils like Pat Robertson claim it does.
*I so dearly love that parenthetical.
**My dad grew up Catholic in the 40's and 50's, and while I may suspect certain things about him, I can't hate him for ideals imposed upon him by the society of the times. Of course, I can fault him for not evolving... or for being a douche nozzle, in general. My mother, on the other hand, is probably one of the most progressive-thinking women of her era. I will always be thankful for her support of both myself and my sister. Talk about dichotomies!
When my sister and I were kids, our father basically kidnapped the TV each Sunday so he could watch the Eagles play. My sister tolerated it, but I hated it. Imagine that! A gay kid who hated and didn't care about sports.
These days, when folks get all worked up about "The Big Game" (be it football, baseball, basketball, soccer or whatever else happens to be in season), I proudly admit my indifference. When co-workers approached me last week with their Super Bowl pools, they asked jokingly if I wanted in, knowing full well that I couldn't care less. And I (less than jokingly) responded that I would rather eat glass. And don't even get me started on the Half-Time appearance of the by now completely irrelevant Madonna. Yawn.
Perhaps if modern sports were played in the nude, like the ancient Olympics, I'd pay more attention.
Of course, there are the occasional sports stars who pique my interest in one way or another. Tim Tebow may very well have a great body, but his constant praying and very public anti-gay/anti-choice attitudes are a major turnoff (as are his sneaky-looking thin lips). And former NBA player Dennis Rodman was always a provocateur, though no one likes a show-off (or an ugly man in a dress).
Every once in a great while, an athlete with a twisted sense of humor comes along and throws everyone into a tizzy. Such is the case with San Francisco Giants baseball player Brian Wilson.
Brian Wilson
Known for his practical jokes and questionable sexuality, Wilson famously made an appearance at last year's ESPY awards wearing a tuxedo unitard and has been known to give hilarious and bizarre interviews. Most infamously, Wilson appeared in a 2010 interview on 'The Cheap Seats,' during which a man (reportedly Philadelphia Phillies hot left-fielder Pat Burrell) dressed in a leather fetish-wear walked through the background.
The clip (embedded below) caused a sensation, though Wilson denied any knowledge of the existence of the man known as "The Machine" or who he might be.
Wilson's the kind of athlete I could get behind, you should pardon the expression.
Here's the thing I don't understand. Athletes (and movie stars) are paid millions of dollars to do what they do. Yes, there are many more millions to be made from what those athletes and movie stars do. But there are brilliant doctors and scientists working on the cures for often fatal diseases like cancer, AIDS, diabetes and who knows what, who toil for far less. Why do we exalt those whose physical prowess excels, while ignoring those whose mental prowess improves our lives? Why is an athlete or an actor worth more than a scientist, mathematician or physicist? Shouldn't the Secrets of the Universe be worth more to humanity than who is better at making touchdowns?
What the hell do I know, anyway? Here's that clip of Wilson and "The Machine," which I think I have embedded before. Notice how Wilson can barely keep a straight face (all entendres intended).
While I remain convinced that Art can save humanity from it's demise, I fear that soon only brute force will matter to the masses and (much like the Roman Empire), it will lead to our inevitable downfall.
Perhaps author Suzanne Collins isn't so far off the mark.
