Questioning Sexual Orientation is Not Okay!

Well, I cannot put it any simpler than the headline of his post. With all this talk of NFL organizations possibly questioning player sexual orientation, something has to be said as I for one consider it ludicrous. As far as I am concerned the topic of sexual orientation has absolutely zero value when weighing any body's potential, especially a professional football prospect.

Now, I may not have ever stepped foot on a professional football field but I have been part of a few different locker rooms at the high school and college levels, and never have I personally been concerned with what the guy at the locker next to me was looking at, thinking about, or doing on his own time in terms of sexual desires and activities. From my perspective, I simply was to busy to have the time to care, nor did I really have anything to fear.

I learned at a very young age that everybody is different, whether it's the color of their skin, their sexual orientation, or whether or not they eat meat. None of the things they choose to do in their own time reflects what type of teammate they are going to be. Superficial stereotypes and unwarranted prejudices like that have done nothing but cause ripples in the framework of the team concept and often lead to a breakdown in communication and critical thinking. Overall, this type of ignorance simply impedes the forward progress of a society, nevertheless a football team.

I remember the uproar over the issue of female reporters being allowed in the locker rooms for interviews some 20 years ago. That died down as people got over it very quickly. Now can we get over this? I mean, can we move on from the idea that our personal lives and choices we make as free-thinking, responsible, law-abiding adults has any bearing on whether or not we can score touchdowns or tackler ballcarriers when its game time? The whole idea is neanderthalic and oppressive. It doesn't matter if homosexuality is genetic or a choice either, as American citizens have the freedom to engage in "the pursuit of happiness" as they see fit.

Do NFL teams think gay players would be bad teammates or are these NFL executives "just curious"? I'd hate to think that the former was true, but either way this is just as unprofessional as it gets and is most-likely illegal. To question homosexuality in terms of it being a negative thing is about as low as asking whether or not black people are capable of working alongside white people, or whether or not women can work alongside men. I have been coworkers and friends with a number of individuals that were openly gay and I have, on more than one occasion, been told that I was very attractive by openly gay men. I know this because they told me and I never felt embarrassed, ashamed, or even slightly offended by any of these open display of affections shown to me by a member of the same sex. If anything, I was flattered. Once they realized that I was comfortable with my heterosexuality and was keeping it that way they never pursued it again. It would be no different than if a woman I was not attracted to came on to me. All I had to say was "Sorry, I'm not really interested in pursuing a relationship of any kind outside the extent of our current one". Enough said. End of story. It's not that difficult.

The only rule that NFL teams need to apply here is a "no relationship" clause within the organization to prevent any personal disruptions within the fabric of the franchise. Many companies in other industries apply that concept and seek to keep it professional. This goes for everybody and whether or not you are gay does not matter as in-house sexual relationships would simply be forbidden. Nobody is excluded and the problem is solved. If a person is gay and is comfortable sharing it with the world then good for them. If others want to keep it quiet that is their choice that should be respected as well. How hard is this?

The culture of football drastically needs to change on a number of levels in regards to the ethical treatment of players. Their safety on the field has been recently spotlighted in lieu of scientific data confirming what we already know about head trauma and concussions, and their freedom of choice in their personal lives are seemingly also at stake. Team executives and their elitist community continue to treat their players as nothing more than subordinates with no feelings or needs as people. But these are people. We should not forget that.

As it is the NFL have lost my respect as a brand over the years and they continue to find ways to take the fun out of the game for me. Believe it or not, I am losing interest. For a die-hard fan like myself that is hard to say but it is something that is naturally occurring due the state of the game in relation to where I believe we should be as a society. If the people at the top keep taking things in the direction that they are then I will eventually stop watching altogether. I will not support it.

My wife and I are expecting our first child in a month. I promised her that I would never ridicule our child or "disown" them for who they are or what choices they might make in life as long as they weren't hurting anybody else. I said this with tears in my eyes because I never would want a child of mine to feel that he or she was all alone in a world that looked at them as being unfit to perform professional responsibilities or unable to be a valuable member of society for something they should never, ever be ashamed of. I will always have their back.

Wouldn't it be nice if the NFL treated its talent the same way?

POV: Change IS Good

Six Things I Would Change in the National Football League:

1. Allow blockers to hold more in the pocket - This one is purely on the refs, considering the fact that they could easily call holding on just about any play on any given Sunday, thus continuously altering the flow and momentum of games. If NFL officials are so worried about protecting players from serious injury, particularly concussions, then why not allow the in-game protectors and regulators to get away with a little more. I would much rather see a left tackle get away with a quick hold than to see any starting QB get hauled off on a stretcher. 99% of people watching would probably never know the difference anyway.
2. Allow kickoff returners the option of waving off dangerous returns - This is a complex one but with all the talk of even eliminating kickoffs completely from the game it seems logical to at least give teams the option of opting out on a return. Similar to waving for a "fair catch", the return man can signal for a "no return" and the team automatically gets it at the 20 no matter if it reaches the end zone or not. It may cut down on a lot of dangerous returns and silly mistakes that get people hurt on kickoffs but still allow teams the opportunity for returns if they can and want to. If we're going to start coaching the game differently and teaching how we play it differently then maybe it's time to start looking at how the game sets people up for injury as well. If we can reduce the number of dangerous plays then we will therefore reduce the number of on-field injuries. 
3. Cut down on commercial breaks - If you want to know what I'm talking about just watch an NFL game with anybody from Europe or Australia. No doubt they will complain about the constant barrage of commercials and the game stoppage that comes with it. From a pure spectators standpoint as a person that truly loves the game I have to agree with them. The commercials suck. It disrupts the flow of games and often leaves opportunities for half-interested viewers to get up and do something else. If the league could some how lessen the amount of actual game stoppage and commercial distractions it would make it much easier for us at home to enjoy the product. However, in order to do this there obviously must be a way for the networks and the league to continue selling ad space. I'd prefer to see a continuous stream of sponsors on display at the bottom of the screen than pausing every couple of minutes to get force-fed a dose of Bud Light, Tide, or Prescription Drug promos. I'm not going to buy any of that crap anyway so just stop. There are plenty of realistic ad-placement options out there and I seriously doubt anybody will change the current format anytime soon. But if the industry wants to continue improving it should seriously consider how people view the game. If you didn't know already, I don't watch the Super Bowl for the ads and loathe the very notion that people do.
4. Increase the roster sizes - It's really simple folks. The more players you have the more guys you can rotate in and play regularly. With more guys playing there will be less players being tired at the end of games. This should help lessen the risk of injury considering many of them happen when athletes are fatigued. 
5. Give two bye weeks per season - This would extend the season one more week, which should make everybody involved happier (minus the wives). The networks will get an extra week of NFL markets collectively tuning in and the athletes will be able to rest their bodies and heal from injuries.
6. Widen the field - There has definitely been talk about this already and I for one think it's a great idea. With a wider field there will be more room for offenses to operate. This would allow for more separation between receivers and would-be pass defenders, which should result in less big hits on what the league calls "defenseless" players. Of course, the overall offensive production of the entire league would also increase, thus attracting more people that like to watch big plays. Yes, I would miss the big hits too, as I am more of a fan of the defensive side of the ball. However, I'd be just fine giving up more points for less injuries. 

Living Up to Expecatations

You have got to hand it to the Ravens. They exceeded the entire country's expectations but lived up to their own. They battled through injuries all season-long and, like all the great teams are suppose to do, they came together when they needed each other most.

Say what you want about the individuals on that football team. Personally, I'm a bit tired of bitter fans spouting witless Ray Lewis homocide jokes and Joe Flacco IQ banter. It's unoriginal. It's truthful. And it's just sad.

The truth is that the joke is on YOU.

The Ravens and the city of Baltimore get it. They had their own set of expectations to live up to instead of yours or mine and they did it. If they hadn't won the Super Bowl they would've considered any efforts as a failure.