Religious Right activists often attempt to defend anti-gay remarks by insisting that the remarks are merely expressions of religious faith. And that is exactly how they are handling the controversy over former NFL coach Tony Dungy’s comment that he wouldn’t draft Michael Sam because he wouldn’t want “to deal with” attention over his sexual orientation.
Take, for example, WorldNetDaily columnist Carl Jackson, who today not only suggests that Dungy should be immune from criticism because he is a Christian, but insists that anyone who dared to disagree with his remarks has actually “persecuted” and “crucified” him “because he had the courage to say what everyone else thought about the rookie pick.”
“The NFL is being successfully emasculated by the left as evidenced by their pink apparel, the exhortation of an openly gay male in an otherwise super masculine sport and now the demonization of a coach that epitomizes what it means to be a real man,” he writes. Of course, the “pink apparel” he refers to is meant to promote the fight against breast cancer.
There’s a reason Michael Sam was the 249th pick in the seventh round of the NFL draft; the owners, coaches and GMs alike determined he wasn’t good enough to endure the media circus that would accompany him. Tony Dungy, former professional AFL player and first black head NFL coach to win the Super Bowl, has found himself in the midst of a PC firestorm because he had the courage to say what everyone else thought about the rookie pick.
Make no mistake about it: Tony Dungy is being crucified by some of his colleagues in sports media not because they disagree with him, but like Tim Tebow, because of whom and what he represents – Christ, common sense, decency and objective truth. For immoral behavior to be accepted in any culture, moral behavior as well as the source of that moral behavior (Jesus Christ) must be demonized. Political flunky and all around arrogant jerk Keith Olbermann went so far as to say that Tony Dungy is “the worst person in the sports world.” Really, Keithy? Only in a society that refuses to recognize moral absolutes can degenerate bullies like Keith Olbermann get away with spewing such nonsense and vitriol.
It’s become increasingly apparent that sports networks are following in the footsteps of MTV; they’re just as focused on shaping culture as they are displaying talent. The sports media’s hyperbolic and hypocritical reaction to Tony Dungy’s statement regarding whether or not he would’ve drafted Michael Sam proves the Michael Sam pick was just as much a political and cultural calculation for the NFL as it was legitimate.
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There’s a valuable lesson to be learned here. The left’s triune god, their “Untouchables” per se, consists of minorities, women and gays. The NFL is being successfully emasculated by the left as evidenced by their pink apparel, the exhortation of an openly gay male in an otherwise super masculine sport and now the demonization of a coach that epitomizes what it means to be a real man. Those of us that are Christian, conservatives or both should expect persecution. However, we can rest assured that even if we’re the only voice crying in the wilderness, we’re still right.
