Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Been rumored a gay NFL player is coming out. Makes it a topic for sports talk radio. Last night a guy calls Tony Paige's late night show on WFAN, says his brother is gay. He would defend his brother "to the death." Yeah, yeah, from the tone, which sounds like a preface to the real point of the call, I can almost predict what's coming next, the "but." The caller says he is against "gay marriage." Says NFL teams should provide separate shower & locker facilities for gay team members so the straight guys don't feel uncomfortable. Then he goes off on a rant that gays shouldn't compare themselves to blacks, he "loves blacks" by the way, gays never had to suffer the same kind of racial discrimination & violence.
Paige, a black man, WFAN's resident boxing authority, friendly personality, non-confrontational style, good listener, talks about his family, has coached youth sports team & very concerned about safety & fairness, listens quietly through all this. He lets the guy finish. I know Tony won't yell at the caller, who has revealed himself as a particular, & for Tony a very familiar, type of bigot. There will be no back & forth discussion. The caller had his say & he is let go. Tony mentions the real problems would not happen in the locker room, but on the field, where a gay player would be subject to insults & taunts from opposing players & the crowd in the stands. He was referencing the abuse Jackie Robinson had to endure for years. without mentioning Jackie's name. I wished Tony had kept the caller on air & asked if he would attend his brother's wedding, if invited. That would drive right into the heart of the matter: How much does the caller really love his brother?
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." Thomas Jefferson
Paige, a black man, WFAN's resident boxing authority, friendly personality, non-confrontational style, good listener, talks about his family, has coached youth sports team & very concerned about safety & fairness, listens quietly through all this. He lets the guy finish. I know Tony won't yell at the caller, who has revealed himself as a particular, & for Tony a very familiar, type of bigot. There will be no back & forth discussion. The caller had his say & he is let go. Tony mentions the real problems would not happen in the locker room, but on the field, where a gay player would be subject to insults & taunts from opposing players & the crowd in the stands. He was referencing the abuse Jackie Robinson had to endure for years. without mentioning Jackie's name. I wished Tony had kept the caller on air & asked if he would attend his brother's wedding, if invited. That would drive right into the heart of the matter: How much does the caller really love his brother?
