Stopping the Hate in Professional Sports

From the few professional sports games I've been to, it seems to be a national pastime to shout out homophobic slurs at members of opposing teams, as well as fans of opposing teams and referees who make unsavory calls. While I understand this is part of the tensions that arise during something as supercharged as a professional game, whether it be baseball, basketball, football, or any other sport, it doesn't excuse the fact that these slurs and taunts are hurtful and damaging.

The most recent of these incidents happened earlier this week with Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers. Bryant, incensed by a technical foul placed on him by a referee, called him a "fucking faggot" on live television. In this video, it's easy to read Bryant's lips as the camera zooms in on him after he sits on the bench.

GLAAD and the HRC commended NBA Commissioner David Stern for fining the Lakers superstar a grand total of $100,000 for his homophobic slur against the referee. GLAAD President Jarret Barrios said, "Discriminatory slurs have no place on or off the court. Professional sports players need to set a better example for young people who use words like this on the playground and in our schools, creating a climate of intolerance and hostility. The LA Lakers have a responsibility to educate their fans about why this word is unacceptable."

Bryant quickly apologized for his words,earning a comendation from HRC President Joe Solmonese. As much as I wish I could say this incident was isolated, it isn't GLAAD has worked with several other organizations and teams. Among these are the New York Yankees, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), and the Hershey Bears hockey team.

The Yankees Stadium has cracked down on punishing those who engage in homophobic slurs. In this video, Yankees fans are surrounding a few Red Sox fans, singing a highly offensive parody of The Village People's YMCA, yelling instead "Why Are You Gay?" Yankees spokesperson Alice McGillion spoke out against the behavior of the Yankees fans, reaffirming GLAAD that the Yankees have a zero-tolerance policy on this kind of behavior. Guards are now supposed to patrol the crowds, ejecting anyone who partakes in behavior like the behavior seen in the video above.

WWE has pledged to work wit GLAAD to prevent further behavior like the behavior displayed by wrestler John Cena. Cena, in productions of the show WWE Raw, which is shown on USA, made fun of fellow wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's film career, feminizing him. In another production of the show, Cena made cracks about another fellow wrestler known as "The Miz," insinuating that he and his wrestling partner were secretly dating one another.

GLAAD contacted WWE about the behavior displayed by Cena, worried about the message his behavior sends to the people who watch WWE Raw, which is rated PG and is targeted for a younger audience. WWE released this statement after GLAAD's contact with them,
saying “WWE takes this issue very seriously, and has already spoken with our talent about these incidents. We are taking steps and working with GLAAD to ensure that our fans know that WWE is against bullying or discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. We strongly value our fans in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, and apologize to them for these incidents.”

This article briefly describes a similar incident with the Hershey Bears, and has roughly the same outcome. With all my previous experience concerning professional sports games and their exuberant fans, this news brings joy to my heart. It's nice to see professional teams like the Yankees, which is recognized all over the US and garners much respect from fans, take a stand against homophobic taunts and slurs. My respect for GLAAD grows more and more every time I see an article detailing their work to put an end to discrimination. Stopping taunts like these has only produced a ripple in the pond of discrimination, but it signifies a change in the overall tone of sports, and I can't wait for these ripples to turn into waves.