*Disclaimer* This post goes beyond the original scope of
this blog’s intended content. So be it.
Having grown up in the suburbs I am a huge Chicago sports
fan. Even while I study in England I keep up on the Bears, Bulls, and
Blackhawks. Listening to podcasts of ESPN Radio 1000 in Chicago has been a
great help in staving off the homesickness that comes with living 4,000 miles
and six time zones from home. ESPN Chicago’s morning show, “Carmen and Jurko,”
and their afternoon show, “Waddle and Silvy,” have been a welcome escape from
the mind-numbing ivory tower of academia.
You don’t have to be a sports fan to know about the recent
story regarding Jason Collins.
For several days I have listened to ESPN Chicago’s coverage of the Jason
Collins story. Throughout the coverage we have heard how there should be no
ridicule for Collins’ sexual preference and lifestyle. We have heard about
tolerance, progressive society, and enlightened acceptance of different beliefs
and lifestyles. And we have heard about judging and remembering athletes for
their performance on the court/field and not their sexuality.
On Wednesday’s podcast, however, Carmen DeFalco, John “Jurko” Jurkovic, and Tom
Waddle showed that it is not so easy to place athletic accomplishments above
notoriety for a sexually abnormal or counter-cultural lifestyle.
During a trivia segment (“Jurko versus Waddle”), host Carmen
DeFalco read off questions about superheroes and sports “Iron men” due to the
release of the new movie, Iron Man III. For the unfamiliar, the “iron man”
designation in professional sports is commonly reserved for the player who
holds the record for most consecutive games played or started in that sport
(Cal Ripken Jr.
in Major League Baseball and
Brett Favre in the National
Football League).
Read my transcription and see if you spot the inconsistency
between their expressed hopes for gay athletes (past, present, and future) and
their knowledge of NBA iron man, A.C. Green.
Carmen: Question three: A three time champion with the NBA
Lakers, he’s the NBA’s iron man, having played in 1,192 consecutive games…
Waddle: That would be Kurt Rambis.
Carmen: That’s not a bad guess, but it’s wrong.
Jurko: Can you finish the question for [me] please?
Carmen: A three time champion with the NBA Lakers, he’s the
NBA’s iron man, having played in 1,192 consecutive games.
Jurko: I am gonna go with James Worthy
Carmen: That’s incorrect.
Waddle: Can I go with, uh, uh,
Carmen: He went to Oregon State.
Jurko: He was a Beaver.
Carmen: And he used to say that he’s a virgin.
Waddle: Oh, A.C. Green.
Carmen: A.C. Green it is.
Waddle: Dang it! All you had to do is say virgin.
Carmen: It’s alright
One of them then starts singing Madonna’s “Like a virgin
touched for the very first time.”
Maybe you see it now that the Jason Collins story
and this A.C. Green exchange are put side-by-side. A. C. Green
holds an NBA record
and yet is remembered for his sexuality (in this case, chastity prior to
marriage). Despite the falsetto rendition of Madonna, the exchange was not
mocking in tone or disrespectful of A.C. Green, but it did demonstrate how
difficult it was and is for the media to practice what they preach when it
comes to athletes and sexuality. For Waddle and Jurkovich, it was Green’s
abstinence, not his play that they remember.
For the record, A.C. Green does not mind being remembered in
this way. Quoted in a short 2008 Sports Illustrated piece,
Green says, “I love that people remember me for that. I took a stand, and I was
a voice for a generation. I’m proud of that.” The same article talks about how
his teammates treated him and the foundation he now runs. Despite what teammate
Michael Cooper says, there is nothing “good-natured” about betting on who could
get Green to go against his religious convictions and bringing women to his
hotel room. That displays ignorance and intolerance, not “respect for his
decision.” When quoted in the SI piece about his foundation,
Green says, “I love what I’m doing. And it's important work. I want kids to see
that there is more to life than chasing skirts.”
Some final thoughts-
(1) This post is long enough already. More could be said,
especially about the Christian faith that influenced A.C. Green’s chastity
prior to marriage. So too, the reaction of religious athletes (of more
religions than just Christianity, by the way) to the Jason Collins story will
no doubt receive coverage both good and bad. Keep an eye on www.GetReligion.org for
thorough evaluation of those news stories.
(2) The media will continue to fixate on Jason Collins, and
the question will continue to be asked, “Are professional sports ready for an
openly gay athlete in the locker room?” Perhaps they should also ask, “A decade
after A.C. Green retired, can professional sports teams and the media appropriately
handle an athlete whose Christian practice of the sixth commandment becomes
public?” On that one, ask quarterback Tim Tebow
and Olympian Lolo Jones.
