And Yet Another CBS’s Superbowl Controversy?
January 28, 2010 by James Hipps · 2 Comments
UPDATE:
I have found no source from CBS that even acknowledges this ad was submitted for consideration. Could this be a “brilliant” marketing ploy on behalf of Mancrunch.com?
As reported earlier:
Again, although I’ve not been able to confirm through a reliable source, there are rumors circulating about CBS and another Superbowl ad.
As you may know, CBS has agreed to air an anti-choice ad submitted by the anti-gay Focus on the Family during this year’s NFL Superbowl game, but the highly sought after advertising time may not be extended to “all” groups as CBS originally claimed, using this as their excuse to allow the ad.
However, it may not be “all” groups…(again, still seeking legit confirmation) but, according to a post on Back Porch Fanhouse:
On Tuesday, a coalition of women’s groups urged CBS to drop a Super Bowl commercial paid for by Focus on the Family that features Tim Tebow and his mother because it conveys an anti-abortion message.
And today, there’s this: FoxNews.com reports that CBS has yet to reach a decision on whether “to run a controversial Super Bowl ad from gay dating site ManCrunch.com” despite “days of deliberation.”
Apparently, ManCrunch.com representatives don’t think CBS has any intentions of airing the spot “but do not want to officially ‘reject’ the spot out of fear there may be a backlash from gay advocacy groups.” According to Fox News, a CBS spokesperson said “The ad is still under review, the process takes a little while. … We still have a lot of ads we have yet to review.” So officially, there’s still a chance we’ll all get to see this:
The 30-second spot shows two men excitedly watching the game, before their hands brush as they both reach into a bowl of chips. Suddenly, the two begin making out, much to the shock of a guy sitting close by.
So, it’s OK to let an anti-gay, anti-choice, tax-exempt religious organization run an ad, but it’s not OK to let a site that advocates finding love for single gay men to do the same? How is that representing everyone? CBS, I think your true (homophobic) colors are shinning through!
When Will We See the First Openly Gay NFL Player?
January 10, 2010 by Gay Agenda News Team · 4 Comments
And ultimately, Sims believes that it would come down to a matter of leadership: “When Jackie Robinson joined the Dodgers, Leo Durocher, the manager, stood up for him. The coach is the leader of the team, and players take their cue from him. If the coach says, ‘I’ve recruited a player who’s going to help us win,’ that’ll be important.”
Finally, both Bragman and Sims agree that the impact of this first gay player, in terms of the way gay men are perceived, would be immeasurable. The player may become an icon, but Sims says, “How his team responds will further LGBT rights more than anything. The best part would be his teammates. You’d have 50 big athletes, people that kids look up to, saying, ‘So what?’ They’d have a bigger voice.”
No Place for Johnson’s Anti-Gay Slurs
November 21, 2009 by Gay Agenda News Team · Leave a Comment
Several weeks ago, NFL player Larry Johnson ignited controversy when he used anti-gay slurs to address reporters and on the social-networking Web site, Twitter. As a professional athlete, Johnson’s role is not only to gain yards, but also to serve as a role model to millions of young people. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) immediately placed calls to the NFL and the Kansas City Chiefs to assist in educating fans about why these words are hurtful and should not be used. GLAAD also called on the NFL to both condemn and take disciplinary action on this and future uses of anti-gay epithets. I believe the huge media attention around this call led to the subsequent apology and disciplinary action.
Johnson publically apologized and sent an important message: that there is no excuse for using anti-gay epithets. The Chiefs chose to suspend Johnson, and this weekend he will begin play as a Cincinnati Bengal. We will see if he takes this opportunity to educate fans in his new city that words matter and anti-gay words have no place in the game.
The NFL, however, has not responded to our concerns about this unacceptable trend, though GLAAD continues to request meetings with them and will continue to demand action after anti-gay defamation. I hope the league moves beyond individual suspensions and instead enacts zero-tolerance policies that start to address the danger of homophobia in sports. When these slurs are used by professional athletes, it trickles down to local and amateur sports teams and even children’s teams. It gives license to youths to bully their peers and for feeding a climate of intolerance toward our community. Despite experiencing full legal equality with my husband in Massachusetts, our son was still bullied and called anti-gay taunts on the baseball diamond after two teammates learned he had two dads.
Larry Johnson: Oops I Did It Again!
October 28, 2009 by James Hipps · 3 Comments
A day after taking on first-year coach Todd Haley and making homophobic remarks via Twitter, Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson continued his 24-hour tour of controversy by dropping another slur.
Johnson, sitting next to second-year running back Jamaal Charles, told reporters that “I’m not talking till Thursday,” his usual day of speaking with reporters.
Then Johnson turned away and whispered.
“Get your f***** ass out of here,” he said.
This is by far one of the worst problems in the homophobic arena of professional sports…ignorance. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take an education to earn millions each year and become a role model (even if unintentional) to millions of youth across the nation and even the world.
One may think, with the pro-sports world being such a huge money maker, they would engage in some respect of anti-discrimination education. After all, a little proactive prevention would go a long way to ensuring a better future for many of the talented youth who have great athletic abilities, but must remain closeted in order to succeed.
The Kansas City Chiefs have barred running back Larry Johnson from practice and all other team activities as the club and the NFL look into comments he made Monday to reporters in the locker room.
In a statement released through his agent, Johnson apologized for his remarks — although in the list of people to whom he apologized, he did not mention gays.
Looks a little "gay" to me!
Baltimore Raven Brendon Ayanbadejo’s Big Play
October 11, 2009 by SteveCharing · Leave a Comment
As linebackers in the National Football League go, Brendon Ayanbadejo of the Baltimore Ravens is relatively small. At 6-1, 228 lbs. he is often outsized by his peers. But his heart is big. and he knows how to compete.
Besides being a solid and speedy linebacker, # 51 is also a fixture on the Ravens’ special teams, covering and blocking during kickoffs. His overall defensive prowess in Week 3 of the current NFL season earned the 33 year-old UCLA alum AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
While he may be considered small by NFL standards, Brendon Ayanbadejo has left a large footprint on lgbt equality. Back in April, Ayanbadejo wrote a 364-word blog on the widely read Huffington Post titled, “Same Sex Marriages: What’s the Big Deal?”
He starts right off by debunking the argument that the opposition to same-sex marriage should be based on religion. “Church and state are supposed to be completely separated when it comes to the rule of law in the United States,” he wrote. “So the religious argument that God meant for only man and woman to be together has no bearing here!” As a punctuation mark to this thought, Ayanbadejo added, “We are a secular capitalistic democracy. That’s it.”
He justified Barack Obama’s lack of support for same-sex marriage by stating, “It seems that Obama felt the need to embrace Christianity more to fit in.”
Ayanbadejo chided the stunt pulled off by Britney Spears as an indication of how many heterosexual couples have hurt the institution of marriage. “If Britney Spears can party it up in Vegas with one of her boys and go get married on a whim and annul her marriage the next day, why can’t a loving same sex couple tie the knot? How could our society grant more rights to a heterosexual one night stand wedding in Vegas than a gay couple that has been together for 3, 5, 10 years of true love? The divorce rate in America is currently 50%. I am willing to bet that same sex marriages have a higher success rate than heterosexual marriages.”
He concluded his blog post with a reflection on the civil rights movement. “Maybe I am a man ahead of my time. However, looking at the former restrictions on human rights in our country starting with slavery, women not being able to vote, blacks being counted as two thirds of a human, segregation, no gays in the military (to list a few) all have gone by the wayside. But now here in 2009 same sex marriages are prohibited. I think we will look back in 10, 20, 30 years and be amazed that gays and lesbians did not have the same rights as everyone else. How did this ever happen in the land of the free and the home of the brave? Are we really free?”
And this much-appreciated support for lgbt equality by Brendon Ayanbadejo did not stop at the Huffington Post. Last month, he appeared with his girlfriend at the new offices of Equality Maryland—right across the street from M&T Bank Stadium—to offer more encouragement during the organization’s welcome reception.
How important is it for a professional football player to stand behind marriage equality? Very. And perhaps it can help open closet doors for some athletes down the road.
Esera Tuaolo was one of three gay NFLers to come out of the closet—after hanging up their pads. All felt they would have been hated by teammates had they chose to disclose their sexual orientation during their playing days. No active professional male athlete has yet to come out.
The main concern for gay athletes appears to be the locker room culture and the potential risks stemming from that culture. There have certainly been a number of anti-gay slurs spewed by athletes of several sports to create an environment where the closet remains shut.
But Brendon Ayanbadejo’s public stance on marriage equality may have opened the door—however slightly—for a gay male athlete to one day feel comfortable enough to extricate himself from the tight closet and be who he really is.
I was hoping to interview Ayanbadejo to see if the climate has improved enough for a gay athlete—football player or not—to come out. If such a player existed on the Ravens, would Ayanbadejo be an enthusiastic supporter of his teammate? Would he stand alone or would his teammates rally behind the player? Or is it best that the player remain in the closet?
But the Ravens PR manager would not allow me to contact Brendon so these questions remain unanswered.
Regardless, Brendon Ayanbadejo plays big on the gridiron, as he has been selected to the Pro Bowl three years in a row. And he plays big off the field. This is an ally we need if we, as a community, are to reach the equality goal line.
