Saturday, September 18, 2010
Jack Nicholson Was Right
Clinton Portis was reprimanded by the Washington Redskins and the NFL for his inappropriate remarks about sports reporter Ines Sainz this week. The star running back has been labeled as a sexist and vilified by the media for suggesting the presence of a beautiful woman in a football locker room may give some players the urge to engage in personal conversation. Charles Barkley was criticized for the admission he took money from sports agents while at Auburn in the early 80's and his defense of Reggie Bush for doing the same. It is clear that public perception is far from the truth. As Jack Nicholson so eloquently put it in A Few Good Men, "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!" Ines Sainz, Erin Andrews, or Lisa Guerrero walking around in a football locker room is a problem waiting to happen. Football players aren't mature enough to to treat these women like they're one of the guys. Most amateur athletes take money from boosters and agents because they're on scholarship and many times come from a life of poverty. That's the reality of the situation. Is that ok? It's unfortunate that in this society people confuse the way things should be with the way things really are. Money and morals aren't always enough to change a person's behavior. If you're starving and someone offers you $1,000 chances are you'll take it. Just because you make $12,000,000 a season doesn't turn off your hormones. The question isn't whether these things will continue to happen, but rather what will be the response of the American public the next time it does. Can we handle the truth?
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This instance is deeper than lowering expectations of male athletes, its about a skewed reality of equality. Send Tiki Barber into the Women's locker room after the US Open to interview Maria Sharipova, and see how the world reacts. Outrage! Horror!
ReplyDeleteThe truth is that women need to decide if they want Special rights or Equal rights. Equal means equal, send Tiki in! Otherwise,rather than Roger Goodall requiring the entire NFL to undergo a proper conduct training course, perhaps the female reporters going into a sweaty naked den of 60 horomone-laden football players should themselves get a conduct training course. You're on their turf, ladies.
KG, I hear you. The question is, have you ever seen that? A man going into a women's locker room is completely taboo. When we see that kind of exchange we'll see how the country reacts. Safe to say it won't be the same reaction as Ines Sainz going into a men's locker room. Thanks for reading my friend. Please continue.
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