backs gay athletes
Richard Lutz reports what’s on everyone’s lips this week in the States.
Sex and race seem to dominate the headlines of the sport pages this week. And in many cases, the front page headlines as well.
And no more than in the state of South Carolina, a rural area consumed by professional and college sports worlds.
Two stories are getting acres of newsprint coverage and hours of airtime. One is about racism and the other is about gays in sport.
The first concerns 81 year old Donald Sterling, owner of the highly successful LA Clippers basketball team. As his squad heads for the professional playoffs, he was recorded as telling his girlfriend not to be seen in public with black men.
A furore erupted, especially as basketball is dominated by black athletes. He was promptly fined £1.5 million by the league, is now suspended from ownership and warned by his coach and team they will quit if he doesn’t sell up.
This week Sterling dug his hole deeper with a TV interview in which he meandered all over the place on CNN and said: ‘I’m a good member (of the sports world) and made a mistake.’
His mistake was letting his racism slip with a recording device whirring somewhere near his mouth. He added: ‘I’ve embarrassed the league.’
If he is forced to sell The Clippers (who could go on to win the league championship), a purchase could be in the region of a $1 billion. Rumours have it that Oprah Winfrey, boxer Floyd Mayweather Jnr and even basketball legend Magic Johnson may be sniffing around.
Now on to sex.
This week the National Football League drafted the latest crop of super-athletes from the college scene. Contracts are worth tens of millions. South Carolina’s favourite son was first pick overall. He goes to the humble Houston Teans. The state basks in his glory.
But the story hitting the headlines here and across the States is Michael Sam. He was picked by the St Louis Rams. He celebrated by kissing his boyfriend. The 260 pound defensive end had already come out after ending his college career with the University of Missouri. But this photo really did it.
He will be the first openly gay NFL player. President Obama has applauded the move and, well, NFL bosses and teams are quietly mulling it all over.
What the outcome will be is to be seen. Baptists have protested his sexual preferences.
But one interesting angle is how the St Louis Rams will handle things.The city is in Missouri. This state has an anti-gay employment law, which means a jobseeker can be refused a job because of sexual preference. If the Rams keep him on, it will be a major blow to the anti gay backers. Sport and politics- a volatile mix.