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ESPN’s Wilbon: Influence..‘Religious Right’ in Footb' Preventing Players from Accepting Michael Sam
National Review Online ^ | July 23, 2014 | Andrew Johnson

Posted on 07/23/2014 9:59:57 AM PDT by C19fan

The NFL hasn’t been sufficiently accepting of Michael Sam, who came out as the first openly gay professional football player earlier this year, due to the religious Right’s influence in NFL locker rooms, says one ESPN commentator.

On Tuesday, Pardon the Interruption’s Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon were discussing former NFL coach Tony Dungy’s recent comments that media attention would have pushed him away from drafting Sam. Kornheiser said he was optimistic that NFL players would be personally tolerant of Sam, though.

“I’m more skeptical,” Wilbon countered. “I think there is a component, a subculture of the religious Right, that is very influential in football — maybe not the other sports, but football — and I don’t see this going as smoothly as you see it.”​


TOPICS: Sports
KEYWORDS: boycottdisney; corporateliberalism; espn; gay; gaydisney; homofascism; nfl; sam; waronreligion
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It looks like it is open season on people of faith at ESPN. I was listening to ESPN Radio at 6-7 pm Eastern time. The host had on former NBA and openly gay player John Amaechi (he came out post-NBA). Amaechi said the following:

1: People of faith are irrational, he did use the term irrational, because they follow a book. 2: He accused Dungy of being a homophobe and bigot. Amaechi claimed Dungy and others who have used the term "distraction" when discussing Michael Sam are using the term to hide behind their bigotry. He called Dungy a coward.

I have heard Amaechi before and yes his comments in the past are on par with what he said. He is about a self-righteous conceited arrogant anti-religious bigot.

1 posted on 07/23/2014 9:59:57 AM PDT by C19fan
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To: C19fan

He says that like it’s a bad thing.


2 posted on 07/23/2014 10:01:44 AM PDT by circlecity
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To: C19fan

So a member of a minority of less than 1.6% has superior rights to rest of the community.


3 posted on 07/23/2014 10:03:29 AM PDT by mountainlion (Live well for those that did not make it back.)
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To: C19fan

Oh, poor baby. Michael Sam should be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame immediately. If not the NFL should be sued. /s


4 posted on 07/23/2014 10:03:48 AM PDT by forgotten man
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To: C19fan

I am a homophobe and proud of it.


5 posted on 07/23/2014 10:04:24 AM PDT by Resolute Conservative
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To: C19fan

You’re welcome, Mr. Wilbon.


6 posted on 07/23/2014 10:05:22 AM PDT by bramps (Go West America!)
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To: forgotten man

They should give Sam the Vince Lombardi Trophy, even if the Rams don’t win the Super Bowl.


7 posted on 07/23/2014 10:06:04 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: C19fan
the religious Right’s influence in NFL locker rooms

I thought "the religious Right" meant political involvement - not everyone who thinks the Bible means what it says.

8 posted on 07/23/2014 10:06:07 AM PDT by ConservingFreedom (A goverrnment strong enough to impose your standards is strong enough to ban them.)
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To: Resolute Conservative

You’re scared of humans?


9 posted on 07/23/2014 10:06:08 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out for himself.)
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To: C19fan

“.....because they follow a book”

Oh the irony! What does he follow? Animal instincts? Every law we have in this country is written in a book. Including the one that says we’re not allowed to discriminate against Sodomites. Should we follow those books or not? The goal has always been to deconstruct western culture’s meta-narrative (the Bible) and replace it with the whims of the cultural elites.


10 posted on 07/23/2014 10:06:28 AM PDT by demshateGod (The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.)
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To: circlecity

Can I make an observation? How can we say the NFL has not been accepting enough? The season hasn’t started. They haven’t even played any exhibition games yet. We don’t know yet how he will be accepted because they haven’t played yet. WhT am I missing

I have to believe that management has told everyone to play nice with him. I would be shocked to see any overt discrimination against him.


11 posted on 07/23/2014 10:06:29 AM PDT by Dilbert San Diego (s)
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To: C19fan
The NFL hasn’t been sufficiently accepting of Michael Sam, who came out as the first openly gay professional football player earlier this year, due to the religious Right’s influence in NFL locker rooms, says one ESPN commentator.

I thought his supporters claimed Tebow got black listed because of he was too obviously Christian for the NFL. Now his supporters are saying Sam isn't being accepted because all the Christians in the NFL?

12 posted on 07/23/2014 10:07:06 AM PDT by DoodleDawg
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To: Dilbert San Diego

Any attempt to block Sam will be a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness.


13 posted on 07/23/2014 10:07:36 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: C19fan

Dungy stating the obvious is hardly being a coward. A coward would simply say nothing or make a PC statement.


14 posted on 07/23/2014 10:07:44 AM PDT by SeaHawkFan
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To: C19fan
I thought Dungy's comments were weak tea.

He was basically arguing that while he himself was presumably totally OK with Sam, others who were not as "enlightened" as he is could cause problems about Sam, so he wouldn't have drafted Sam for that reason.

Now we all know that moral degeneracy has not been a bar to participation in the National Felons League for some time now, so Dungy should have the courage of his convictions.

15 posted on 07/23/2014 10:08:26 AM PDT by wideawake
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To: Dilbert San Diego
"I would be shocked to see any overt discrimination against him."

To the contrary. Overwhelming pressure will be put on the Rams not to cut him even he turns out to be the total stiff he appeared to be at the scouting combine. I think that was a big part of Dungy's concern - it will be darn near impossible to cut him in his first three years or so.

16 posted on 07/23/2014 10:09:11 AM PDT by circlecity
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To: C19fan
I think there is a component, a subculture of the religious Right, so this isn't based on fact but some individual who want to reinforce the link between the support of gay people with rejection of Christianity

rather than worrying about how the Christians will handle the gay, the larger question should be why gays are disparaging Christian players

17 posted on 07/23/2014 10:10:02 AM PDT by blueplum
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To: circlecity
These people are nuts.

Sams is a very late round draft pick whom probably does not have the talent to be playing in the NFL.

He is a rookie who has not even made it through training camp, much less warmed the bench in and NFL game. Sams is being treated like a rookie and Rookies always get treated like rookies , that’s just the way it is.

Sams is a man with a Diva complex who expects to be treated like a cross between Payton Manning, President Obama and Liberace .

The guy may not even make the cut through training camp.

18 posted on 07/23/2014 10:11:08 AM PDT by rdcbn
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To: C19fan
I guess the correct answer to any question from the media about Michael Sam is "In an effort to spare everyone from your phony moral outrage...my answer is whatever you want my answer to be".

Puke.

19 posted on 07/23/2014 10:12:11 AM PDT by BookmanTheJanitor
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To: Resolute Conservative

Never allow the opposition any traction by accepting their label. I’m not personally or unreasonably afraid (that’s the base meaning of a phobia - unreasoned fear) of any homosexual or their perversion - I’m concerned for what the country will become because of accepting that perversion as normal. That’s what must be opposed, IMO.


20 posted on 07/23/2014 10:13:25 AM PDT by T-Bird45 (It feels like the seventies, and it shouldn't.)
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