Wizards in the Media Thread

[montestewart]

Maybe Haywood was reading this thread; he issued an apology, kind of clumsy, but still an apology. I don't recall the Hardaway incident(s) that he and others are referring to.

[keynote]

^
An *extremely* clumsy apology. "I don't support or condone homosexuality"? Oof. Where was his agent on this one?

[montestewart]

^ I thought he said "condemn" not "condone." Regardless, often an apology works best when it's not accompanied by any qualifying statements.

[LyricalRico]

I'm actually tired of the insincere, mandatory "apologies" that go out when somebody doesn't like what somebody else says. Everytime I turn around, somebody is demanding an apology for something. Matter of fact, I'm offended by people who demand apologies. I demand an apology!

[montestewart]

If anyone was offended by anything I might have said, I'm sorry. I neither support nor condemn apologies.

[nate33]

^
An *extremely* clumsy apology. "I don't support or condone homosexuality"? Oof. Where was his agent on this one?

He said "I don't support or condemn homosexuality". Big difference.

I think his apology is sufficient. This thing is getting blown WAY out of proportion. At worst, he demonstrated a level of ignorance with his implication that he (and other players) should be uncomfortable when getting dressed around a homosexual man. Big deal. It's not like he is advocating the extermination of gay people.

People get offended way too easily these days.

[Bickerstaff]

What Brendan said hurt more than it helped, I'm sure, but he was nowhere near Hardaway territory. Hardaway basically said that he hated gays. This Kelly Dwyer blogger seems out of line to me. I'm all for calling Brendan out on this, but to act like he;s a monster is ridiculous.

[keynote]

^
An *extremely* clumsy apology. "I don't support or condone homosexuality"? Oof. Where was his agent on this one?

He said "I don't support or condemn homosexuality". Big difference.

Oops. You're right. I didn't misread it though; that was a typo on my part. But my position still stands. Dude said that he didn't support homosexuality - on the record; in a presumably prepared and edited statement on his blog. Wood would've been better off just saying that he doesn't condemn it and leaving it there. Or, he could've just apologized for the remark itself and moved on, rather than stating his full position towards all homosexuals.

I think his apology is sufficient. This thing is getting blown WAY out of proportion. At worst, he demonstrated a level of ignorance with his implication that he (and other players) should be uncomfortable when getting dressed around a homosexual man. Big deal. It's not like he is advocating the extermination of gay people.

People get offended way too easily these days.

That may be. And, if Brendan had plans to run his own car dealership after he retired, I'd agree that his statement would've been sufficient. But I think he might be hard pressed to get a plumb gig in the media these days while being on the record as not supporting homosexuality.

[nate33]

I think his apology is sufficient. This thing is getting blown WAY out of proportion. At worst, he demonstrated a level of ignorance with his implication that he (and other players) should be uncomfortable when getting dressed around a homosexual man. Big deal. It's not like he is advocating the extermination of gay people.

People get offended way too easily these days.

That may be. And, if Brendan had plans to run his own car dealership after he retired, I'd agree that his statement would've been sufficient. But I think he might be hard pressed to get a plumb gig in the media these days while being on the record as not supporting homosexuality.

Is that the litmus test these days? Has PC gone this far? You have to actually "support" homosexuality to get a job in media? It's not enough to be neutral on the subject?

[keynote]

I dunno. I'm no expert. Depends on the job, I guess. But "neutrality" doesn't mean acceptance. It sounds more like "don't ask, don't tell," which isn't too popular in the gay community either.

We might need to shift this over to the politics thread (does that even exist anymore?), but the bar has moved - especially in the media/entertainment sector. And media savvy athletes and entertainers do well to keep contrary views to themselves. That's all I'm saying.

[nate33]

keynote, just so you know, I'm not trying to pick a fight with you. You may well be right that mere neutrality isn't sufficient in this PC society.

Maybe I'm just out of touch. When I read Haywood's comments, my thoughts were: "Hmmm, that didn't come across that well. Haywood needs to be a bit more careful." I was honestly shocked when I saw Kelly Dwyer's diatribe against Haywood.

[montestewart]

Historically, most athletes that get endorsement revenue, media gigs, etc. stay away from controversial subjects. What Haywood originally said was not monstrous, and his apology, if not perfect, was an apology. For all I know, a friend or family member called him out. For me it's not a political issue, and he's not obligated to support or even condone anything. I just think an apology works best without any ifs, buts, or other qualifiers. Apologize if you want to, move on, let your actions speak for you. I'm ready to focus on basketball, and still perfectly happy that Haywood's a Wizard.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Haywood's recent media campaign may have hit a snag. Apparently, he decided to call out Stephon on the radio using some poorly chosen words:

Brendan Haywood has spoken out a lot lately regarding issues athletes deal with, but these are his most controversial comments by far. Haywood basically calls Stephon Marbury a homosexual in this interview with Hardcore Sports Radio. Brendan has never played with Steph, but Marbury’s 24-hour video feed of himself was enough to sway him of Steph’s sexual interests. Really, you have to think Brendan is simply voicing the thoughts of many other players who have seen the videos he mentions below. Some are calling Steph brilliant, many more seem to be be calling him nuts, and another popular thought is that he’s committing career-suicide. Haywood covers all that including how disturbed he was watching Marbury, his thoughts on Twitter / social media, and the Wizards’ chances next season.

On Stephon Marbury’s personal video camera this summer:
“At first it was cool, but after a while it just became disturbing. He’s on YouTube crying with no shirt on for no reason, sweating while his boy’s rubbing his shoulders. What’s that about? That’s like gay porn. I don’t understand it. He’s dancing to a song called ‘Barbie Doll’, doing like stripper moves. I have no idea what’s going on with the guy, it’s almost like he’s trying to end his own career. There’s not a GM out there that would touch Marbury right now… Have you seen the ‘Barbie Doll’ clip? Click on YouTube and go to Barbie Doll. There’s no way any other professional athletes would wanna get dressed around this guy, because you gotta think something is a little, he’s swinging from both sides of the fence.”

Note to Brendan: Folks are less tolerant of this kind of thing in 2009 than they were in 1999. If you're trying to position yourself for a post-ball career in media, then you need to ixnay these kinds of comments with the quickness, lest you get banished to wherever Tim Hardaway is hiding right now. In other words, don't start shopping for condos near the TNT studios in ATL just yet.

This political correctness is going way too far.

Dudes rubbing Marbury's shoulders ... Him dancing to the Barbie song, getting his Chippendale on ... And him eating the Vaseline .... Marbury smoking weed on camera ..

Brendan didn't say anything offensive, other than to speculate that Marbury's possibly ruining his career. I could see that a group that's faced discrimination wouldn't want to hear that.

Personally, I think Marbury's losing his mind. I think he's probably been bisexual a while, but that's not what's disturbing. He's acting like a guy that could off himself. Everything he's doing is for shock value and a bit demeaning to him IMO. I'm worried for Marbury long-term.

As for Haywood, I guess when you're in the public eye you just can't say anything about anybody. That and if all freaks in this world decide whatever they do can't be called out we're heading in the wrong direction. (Not calling homosexuality freaky, just Marbury's antics of late. He's acting freaky).

[Severn Hoos]

Perhaps now is an opportune time to discuss that extension with Brendan....

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

keynote, just so you know, I'm not trying to pick a fight with you. You may well be right that mere neutrality isn't sufficient in this PC society.

Maybe I'm just out of touch. When I read Haywood's comments, my thoughts were: "Hmmm, that didn't come across that well. Haywood needs to be a bit more careful." I was honestly shocked when I saw Kelly Dwyer's diatribe against Haywood.

Whatever happened to the days when guys like Mitch Green could say "Michelle Cicely Tyson is a ho mo"? People need to keep a sense of humor.

Kelly Dwyer is a . . . .

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

^
An *extremely* clumsy apology. "I don't support or condone homosexuality"? Oof. Where was his agent on this one?

That's the most I would have said, too.

Homosexuals need to be clear on one thing. Everybody else doesn't have to be down with their lifestyle to the point they have to lie and say they approve of it.

Personally, I like everyone to be happy. God made everybody. Homosexuals are no bigger sinners than I am. I was at the beach yesterday. Fine woman on one side of me. Gay couple on the other side.

All of us were checking out booty!

So what if they were checking out mine from a distance? I was busy looking the other way. Everybody was happy!

I know I'm starting something today!

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Historically, most athletes that get endorsement revenue, media gigs, etc. stay away from controversial subjects. What Haywood originally said was not monstrous, and his apology, if not perfect, was an apology. For all I know, a friend or family member called him out. For me it's not a political issue, and he's not obligated to support or even condone anything. I just think an apology works best without any ifs, buts, or other qualifiers. Apologize if you want to, move on, let your actions speak for you. I'm ready to focus on basketball, and still perfectly happy that Haywood's a Wizard.

Exactly when did MJ apologize for calling Kwame a flaming f _ g _ _ t?

[keynote]

keynote, just so you know, I'm not trying to pick a fight with you. You may well be right that mere neutrality isn't sufficient in this PC society.

It's all good; I didn't feel that way.

Maybe I'm just out of touch. When I read Haywood's comments, my thoughts were: "Hmmm, that didn't come across that well. Haywood needs to be a bit more careful." I was honestly shocked when I saw Kelly Dwyer's diatribe against Haywood.

When I read Dwyer's article, my thoughts were: "Hmmm. Figured."

Right now, Wood's relatively low media profile is saving him substantial grief. If Kobe or LeBron had said this, the pundits would've ripped him to shreds.

Now, as a New York City resident, I might be more sensitive to this. I've been in social settings where someone made a Haywood-esque crack, and I've watched it go over like a fart during church. But perhaps, in other parts of the country,the comments would earn a few chuckles and little else.

In any event, I like Wood, and I hope that this miscue doesn't chill his interest in speaking his mind on other topics. I'll definitely be rooting for him to pick things up where he left off before the injury.

[Dat2U]

Let's not compared this to Tim Hardaway's situation, because lets be real, the only reason Tim Hardaway has disappeared off the NBA broadcasting landscape is because he was totally incapable of putting together a coherent sentence!

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

What Brendan said hurt more than it helped, I'm sure, but he was nowhere near Hardaway territory. Hardaway basically said that he hated gays. This Kelly Dwyer blogger seems out of line to me. I'm all for calling Brendan out on this, but to act like he;s a monster is ridiculous.

To return from my attempts at levity, I'll say common sense would be for Brendan to not comment on a politically sensitive issue. Say nothing and there's no apologizing necessary.

As for calling out Brendan, my thoughts are he's just another guy with a blog. Does he represent the NBA and the Wizards? Only in the eyes of somebody hypersensitive as far as I'm concerned.

If Kelly Dwyer didn't make a stink about this who else would have?

Has PFLAG chimed in? No.

I think the whole thing is much about nothing. Marbury's flaky as hell and Brendan spoke the truth, not in hate.