Charles Barkley may just be slow and kind of a grumpy old man,
but he has a point with this situation here…
“I really like ESPN. They do a great job. But like once every two or three months, they bring all these people on there, and they tell me how me and my team are going to respond to a gay guy.
“First of all, every player has played with gay guys. It bothers me when I hear these reporters and jocks get on TV and say: ‘Oh, no guy can come out in a team sport. These guys would go crazy.’ First of all, quit telling me what I think. I’d rather have a gay guy who can play than a straight guy who can’t play.”
Charles was also asked if he felt weird showering or being naked around a gay teammate…
A guy is never going to put himself in that situation in a professional locker room. It never crossed my mind, and I never felt any different about the guy.”“They’re not going to do anything in the locker room. Doesn’t work like that.”
“Any professional athlete who gets on TV or radio and says he never played with a gay guy is a stone-freakin’ idiot. I would even say the same thing in college. Every college player, every pro player in any sport has probably played with a gay person.”
“First of all, society discriminates against gay people. They always try to make it like jocks discriminate against gay people. I’ve been a big proponent of gay marriage for a long time, because as a black person, I can’t be in for any form of discrimination at all.”
“We gossiped behind each other’s back before; I’ll be the first to admit that. The first people who whine and complain is them Bible-thumpers, who are supposed to be non-judgmental, who rail against them.[…] I don’t worry about what other people do.”
Source: The Washington Post
I‘m glad he shed some light on that subject.
Just because he maybe masculine in the world of professional sports…
… doesn’t mean he isn’t trying to get some of this Foxy ass.
😉
Later
Of course, there are gay/bi people in pro sports, but I still don’t think someone will come out while playing…it’s a lot different once you’ve retired & don’t have to deal w/being a source of attention.
But I think the main reason is that person will become a poster child. The additional (and unwanted by many) attention would be a distraction in the locker room. His team will likely be cool, but the distractions? A problem
I think bosh got everybody questioning themselves
I love the way he explained that. If only Don Lemon, could have been so eloquent in his interview with Joy Behar.