In a world full of hot takes, Salon writer Steve Almond went full supernova with this headline in a recent article:
Odell Beckham and the NFL’s fear of gay men: “Football is the most homophobic subculture this side of the Westboro Baptist Church”
Okay, this seems rational. Let’s probe further:
“Last Sunday, the New York Giants star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. lost his composure quite publicly in the team’s loss to the Carolina Panthers. He attacked his defender, Josh Norman, in a manner best described as weaponized helmet assault, and was eventually suspended for a game by the NFL.
Beckham has suggested, through proxies, a plausible motive for his nutter: various Panthers hurled gay slurs at him.
Because if there’s one thing that justifies a pro football player going crazy on national TV—at least in the eyes of other football players and fans—it’s being called a faggot.
And why might that be? Maybe because football is the most homophobic subculture this side of the Westboro Baptist Church?”
Okay, I’m aware that facts and evidence may mean nothing to Steve Almond. However, for the benefit of our level-headed and entirely not-unhinged readers here at Newsbusters, it’s important to note that the NFL investigated Odell Beckham’s claim that the Panthers called him gay slurs, and found no evidence of it whatsoever. Nor, was any evidence of such a slur produced by the sports media. Who, as we know from the Michael Sam situation, would have been all too happy to report it despite their dozens of mics, cameras, and reporters who were on or near the field as the Panthers and Giants were getting ready to play.
Almond then launches into a recent history of the NFL’s dealing with homosexual players:
“Think about it, folks: the entire football universe freaked out last season at the mere prospect of welcoming its first openly gay player, Michael Sam.
Of course, nobody ever just comes right out and says, “football hates fags.” Instead, players and sports pundits speak in a familiar code.”
Um, the entire football universe freaked out? Within days of Sam’s announcement that he was gay and entering the draft, the NFL Commissioner, while speaking at that famed bastion of right-wing ideology otherwise known as Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow PUSH Coalition said about Sam:
"Good for him…"He's proud of who he is and had the courage to say it. Now he wants to play football. We have a policy prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation. We will have further training and make sure that everyone understands our commitment. We truly believe in diversity and this is an opportunity to demonstrate it."
Hmm. I don’t think the Westboro Baptists would approve that message. And how did the NFL demonstrate their commitment to making sure Michael Sam got every chance in the world to stay in the NFL? By calling around and begging teams to sign Sam after he got released by the Rams.
Almond also chronicles the recent incidents of players making homophobic remarks, such as then 49er Chris Culliver saying he doesn’t “do the gays,” and Richie Incognito. Here’s the problem with that though, the NFL punished both of those players. In addition to punishing Dolphin safety Don Jones for simply tweeting “omg” after Sam kissed his boyfriend on national television.
That is “Westboro-like” behavior? Okay.
As for the “familiar code” that NFL players speak in? Almond cites former Cowboys receiver and current NFL analyst Michael Irvin:
“’For some reason, everybody goes after him with gay slurs. He’s a different kind of dude. He has the hairdo out, he’s not the big muscular kind of dude. The ladies all love him. He’s a star. I wonder why people are going in that direction. It blows my mind. I told him he can’t let stuff that people say get to you.’”
“Translation: the fact that Beckham bleaches his hair and doesn’t have big muscles puts his heterosexuality in doubt, which is why he gets called a faggot all the time. But he has sex with lots of “ladies,” which makes him totally legit, so he shouldn’t worry about it.”
Again, at the risk of repeating myself, there is no evidence that any of these slurs were ever indeed hurled at Beckham. So, to say that Irvin is speaking out of his behind here is probably a generous appraisal. But the logic is faulty too. His blonde-dyed hairstyle is the reason he gets picked on? Why hasn’t anyone slurred the NBA’s George Hill, whose dye game is far more advanced than Beckham’s? After all, hasn’t the NBA experienced the same homophobic slur issues the NFL has?
Anyone who thinks Beckham’s hair is the closest thing we’ve had to non-masculine/gay hair in the NFL needs to harken back to the David Carr years.
The fact that Carr even survived in the NFL with that haircut should be enough to put any rumors of a rampant homophobic culture to rest. But it won’t. Of course.
