There have been some dizzying developments in the homophobia and sports department this week. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that jock institutions were actually worried about their gay and lesbian (and all the other LGBTQ etc letter) fan base.
Let’s start with Sean Avery stepping up for gay marriage, making a video in support of the New Yorkers for Marriage Equality Campaign as the state debates pending legislation. Pretty damned impressive. Hockey has been notoriously homophobic, with not a single out gay player currently playing or retired.
And those gay players do exist, according to to Stephen Reid, communication director for the Toronto Gay Hockey Association. He appeared on CBC’s Metro Morning, saying he’s personally talked to NHL players who wouldn’t dare be open. Too much terror there in the locker room.
But isn’t it cool that gay marriage has a champion in, not only a hockey player, but one of the most aggressive, macho, alpha male guys around. Avery isn’t exactly Lady Bing Trophy material.
Then along comes player agent Todd Reynolds who starts trashing Avery via Twitter for his pro-gay marriage views. “Legal or not, it will always be wrong,” writes Reynolds, who himself starts getting major heat, also via Twitter.
Since when did the sports universe become so gay-friendly?
Then the coup de grace. Sportsnet on-air personality Damian Goddard weighs in, again via Twitter, to say that Reynolds is right about gay marriage. And then – be still my heart – Sportsnet fires Goddard.
What’s going on? Actually, Sportsnet may not be that all that worried about us gay sports fans.
A few things to consider:
1. Within hours after announcing the firing Sportsnet clarified, saying that “Goddard wasn’t a good fit,” – a comment right up there with the human resources variation on “moved on to other opportunities” – and that Goddard’s canning was in the works before the gay marriage issue surfaced. But that sounds weird to me. Why fire him now when observers are only going to make the obvious connection to his views on gay marriage?
2. Sportsnet may have feared a wrongful dismissal law suit. The ground rules haven’t really been laid out regarding an employee’s right to express his opinions through a private twitter account.
Of course, many people – like me – think the words private and Twitter are an oxymoron. And as this issue plays out, it could become a firing offence if you’re a public figure attached to an institution and tweet an opinion that threatens the economic interest of your employer. We’ve avoided that problem here at NOW because we don’t tweak our content based on who advertises. But sports media aren’t exactly famous for their independent stances.
3. Sportsnet is a subsidiary of Rogers, whose president Keith Pelley is a good friend of Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Brian Burke. Burke’s son Brendan, who died in a car accident as you’ll recall, was an openly gay man and was publicly supported by his father.
Currently, the radio and television rights to Maple Leaf games in under negotiation and Sportsnet is a major player. You better believe the station would love to be the Leaf’s TV broadcaster.
Do you think Brian Burke placed a call to Pelley suggesting that Sportsnet’s chances of getting the rights would greatly improve if the station dumped Goddard?
