Really nice breakdown of Tebow, Collins and, most of all, ESPN’s “debate” programming…
That’s why Broussard was asked by a ham-handed replacement anchor how he felt about Collins saying he’s Christian and why Broussard took the opportunity to say of Collins’ homosexuality: “I believe that’s walking in open rebellion to God and to Jesus Christ. I would not characterize that person as a Christian because I do not think the Bible would characterize them as a Christian.
”Oh, good. And why should anyone care what some sportswriter thinks about what constitutes a Christian? For that matter, why should anyone care about what some disparaging TV windbag thinks about Tebow’s open embracing of his religion?
Did both guys set themselves up a little bit by seeking recognition? I suppose. But does that warrant either receiving the venom they have from a nation increasingly factionalized? Such behavior isn’t just happening; it’s being cultivated.
Yesterday, Jason Collins told the world that he’s gay – becoming the first active player in one of the four big American team sports to do so… and generating more press than any replacement-level third-string center in history.
(Tim Tebow’s release actually made yesterday the biggest press event for third-stringers ever… but I digress.)
For the most part, the reaction to Collins’ announcement showed how much attitudes towards homosexuality and the gay community have progressed. Unfortunately, some also showed how far we still have to go. ESPN’s Chris Broussard became the unofficial spokesman for the unenlightened when he took to the airwaves to say, “I don’t believe in homosexuality,” and calling the gay lifestyle “an open rebellion to God.”
While basketball Twitter was quick to condemn Broussard’s statements, ESPN’s preacher-in-residence also had a fair number of supporters. Some even went so far as to chastise Broussard’s critics as “intolerant,” and that Broussard is entitled to his opinion.
Because we’re supposed to tolerate intolerance?
Here’s the thing: you’re not entitled to your opinion. Some opinions are simply wrong; based on incorrect information or a faulty understanding of the world. Faulty opinions about other races and creeds has caused centuries of tragedy… and just because Broussard’s opinion is based on traditional Christian thinking doesn’t make it right.
What’s wrong with his it? Let’s get this out of the way, just for starters:
No one chooses to be gay.
Got that? No one chooses to be gay, just like no one chooses to be Italian, or have green eyes, or have brown skin. Condemning an entire class of people because of who the are is never acceptable. And make no mistake, Broussard – and quite a few others – did exactly that, saying homosexuality itself is a sin.
Now, I don’t know what flavor of Christianity Chris Broussard subscribes to… I was raised Catholic and have a degree from the fine Jesuit institution in the Bronx that was once home to John Skelton and the immortal Smush Parker, so I do come into this discussion with a more-than-basic understanding of Church teaching. And the version I was taught said homosexuality itself is not a sin… but that homosexual sex is, because it occurs outside the bounds of marriage. (That always struck me as one of the more vicious catch-22s in Catholic teaching… it’s OK to be homosexual and Catholic so long as you’re celibate.)
It’s possible that Broussard was trying to express that same thought; he did mention premarital and extra-marital sex as roughly equivalent sins. If that’s the case, though, one has to wonder why he didn’t feel the need to sit in judgement when Mark Jackson’s long-running affair with a stripper became public, or when Carmelo Anthony had a child out of wedlock.
And while we’re on the subject of equivalent sins, let’s review some of the other abominations expressly forbidden by the Bible… but I’ll leave that to Jed Bartlett:
A dismal, rainy April Friday, with mere days remaining in the NBA season, seems a perfect time to look back on this year’s fantasy NBA drafts to see where things went well . . .
And where things went horribly awry.
The formula for winning a fantasy NBA league is fairly simple: you need early-round picks that play to expectations; you need a couple of mid-to-late round picks that exceed expectations; and you need to avoid catastrophic injuries. The trick, of course, is knowing which players will meet and exceed expectations ahead of time. So let’s take a look at the expectations that were set at the start of the 2012-13 season, those that were met, those that weren’t, and what we could have done differently.
REALLY good point about the Mike Rice situation, made a Rutgers alum friend of mine in an interview with the AP:
“After the suicide of Tyler Clementi, I thought my alma mater would take the use of gay slurs by any member of the Rutgers community – students, faculty, administrators, or coaches – seriously,” said Debbie Hadley, a 1991 Rutgers graduate who is a naturalist in Jackson. “Clearly, Tim Pernetti did not. And yes, I believe he should be fired, too.”
Wednesday night. Miami at Cleveland. The Heat’s epic win streak in serious jeopardy, as the lowly Cavs surged to a 27-point third quarter lead.
And you could almost see the relief on Erik Spoelstra’s face.
Miami’s coach would have been perfectly content to end the streak, to take all pressure off his team as the playoffs approach and to give him the opportunity to rest key players down the stretch. After all, the Heat have already clinched the Southeast Division. They’ve got an 11.5 game lead over second-place Indiana for the top seed in the East … with 15 games remaining. It would take a disaster of Hindenburg proportions to knock them out of the top spot. And while LeBron James is only a little less durable than Wolverine, the other two thirds of Miami’s “big three” – Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh – have extensive injury histories.
Given the choice, I’m sure Spoelstra would be very happy to take a loss, and then put Wade, Bosh, and Ray Allen on modified duty for the rest of the season. Not that he’d admit that with Miami chasing the Lakers’ all-time NBA record for consecutive wins. But LeBron and company took that option away. In the second half, they played like the squad we’ve come to know and love or is it fear, erasing the deficit and surging to a 98-95 win.
It seems likely that they’ll make it 25 straight on Friday in Detroit. And with Charlotte, Orlando, Chicago, and New Orleans on the schedule after that, odds are good that the streak lasts for at least another week.
