Tim Hardaway Doesn't Want to Macrame a Pair of Jean Shorts With You
>> Thursday
If you haven't heard/seen this yet, you will undoubtedly catch it ad nauseum for the next few days on SportsCenter. Cue former Heat (not the guy from Golden State and not Penny [big or little]) guard Tim Hardaway.
Former Miami Heat guard Tim Hardaway said on a radio show Wednesday afternoon that he would not want a gay player on his team.
"You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known," Hardaway said. "I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people. I am homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States."
"And second of all, if he was on my team, I would, you know, really distance myself from him because, uh, I don't think that's right. And you know I don't think he should be in the locker room while we're in the locker room. I wouldn't even be a part of that," he said.
All right. Slow down. Yes, what he said is insanely intolerant and archaic. Yes, he sounds like a clown for saying it. Yes, it's the kind of vitriol everyone could do without. But don't think for ONE minute that what Hardaway said isn't on the mind of 80% (or more) of NBA players.
People, if there is one simple truth about athletes, it's this: they're not statesmen for a reason. They are, by and large, testosterone pumping machines that are exceptionally athletically gifted. They're competitive, high-strung and desperately masculine (despite how often those traits coincide with homoeroticism [see the 1980s]).
It's always a shock to me when people hear athletes talk about social topics and are outraged when what they hear isn't the most progressive and enlightened discourse. Of course athletes are homophobes. Great. Pity for them and even more pity for the poor guys in each league that are forced to repress their natural urges. But come on, don't crucify a guy for being honest and not going with the cookie cutter-obviously holding back something-to be PC answer.
That said, Tim Hardaway is an idiot.
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7 comments:
Very well put.
By the way, though, Golden State/Miami--You're thinking of the same guy. Unless I'm reading that sentence wrong.
Oh shit, that's right. Damn. Well, hopefully Chris Mullen will come in and set this whole thing straight.
It's true that you cannot expect athletes (and other celebrities such as actors and musicians) to constatly be "statesmen," but when you are in a position of notoriety, you should be expected to carry yourself in a certain manner. Think about how many people in the nation there must be that probably made disparaging remarks about Amaechi around the water cooler this week. Coming from the mouth of Joe Sportsfan, it won't make any waves, but from a five time all-star speaking in a public forum such as a radio show, that's a different story.
Is it fair? Not always. Go back to what Charles Barkley said back in the day about not wanting to be a role model (and I'm sure Chuck Wagon would have some interesting opinions on the Amaechi story, by the way). The fact of the matter is, people like Barkley and Hardaway are seen as public figures, and right or wrong, expected to carry themselves in a certain manner as a result.
Eh, I'm not really sure I agree with you for that. For Barkeley, maybe. But for Hardaway, at this point he's a has been that most people born after 1994 don't remember. This isn't LeBron, Kobe or MJ talking, it's a washed up former-kinda-good-but-not-HOF-good basketball player. I wasn't, by any means saying that he shouldn't be mocked mercilessly, I was just saying that this isn't a surprise.
I agree that it's not a surprise. Let's not forget that he's a player who played in the days where NBA players adamantly refused to play on a court with Magic Johnson for fear that some HIV infected blood might get on the ball.
But still, viewpoints are one thing, where to express them is another...
Kind of my whole outlook on life is that you can't suppress reality. Tim Hardaway is feeding us reality. We're better off hearing that and then deciphering why guys like him feel that way and what, if anything, can be derail that mindset before it becomes permanent.
If Mr. UTEP Two-step had censored himself and said the "right" things, it doesn't really accomplish anything. Keep in mind that he wasn't trying to propogate the opinion; he was just sharing his personal take. If anything, it's more constructive for us to hear how absurd that reality is than to have the Hardaways sidestep the issue.
Yeah, some people (very few, I'd guess) would say, "Hey, if Tim Hardaway is man enough to say it, I feel ok believing it. And he's right!" But it's hard to say if that effect would outweigh the opposite. It's the whole Archie Bunker thing--a lot of people took the character seriously and felt like he was speaking up for their racist/sexist ideals, but I think more people had their eyes opened by the satire than had their ignorance reinforced.
Sometimes, as with Tim Hardaway, it's not meant to be funny, but the eye-opening effect can work the same.
I'm guessing Timmy must really have wanted out of the Southern Nevada YMCA commitment he had this weekend.
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