David Tyree: I'm Calling You Out, Jabroni

C/O HRC.org

So this might be kind of a weird first post on this blog-of-all-trades, but so be it. I just read David Tyree's statement against New York's bill for marriage equality, and, well, it REEKS of jabroni. Especially this passage:

"It's about how can marriage be marriage for thousands of years and now all of the sudden, because a minority, an influential minority, has a push or an agenda and totally reshapes something that was not founded in our country, not founded by man, it is something that is holy and sacred. I think there is nothing more honorable, worth fighting for, especially if we really care about our future generations."

I'm going to re-phrase what Mr. Helmet Catch's first sentence is really saying: "How can an institution exist for thousands of years, and then all of a sudden, because an oppressed minority is fighting for equality, that institution that was not founded in our country, suddenly change?"

Seriously? Just look at that sentence. Now imagine we're in Alabama, circa 1959. Hmm. Doesn't the meaning of that statement change?

It's shocking how people against the marriage equality bill like David Tyree can make statements like that, so blind to the historical ramifications of what they're saying. It's even more shocking that only a few years ago David Tyree's family weren't allowed to vote. 


If you're not buying this argument coming from a straight, upper-middle class white guy, here's the same thing from Charles Barkley on Bill Simmons' podcast in reference to what he sees as discrimination against homosexuals:

I grew up in Alabama at the time of the church bombings and Dr. Martin Luther King. My family has always been in the fight. [...] My grandmother, who's the greatest influence in my life, she made a conscious effort to make sure that any time you see or hear discrimination you stand up. You don't be no punk. You don't let your friends tell jokes like that, because if they tell an Asian joke or a Jewish joke, when you're not around they'll tell a black joke. So my grandmother always said, "Hey listen, you don't sit back and let it go like that."

So for the first post on JFS, I'm going to listen to Chuck. I'm going to go make a donation to the Human Rights Campaign (which is doing a major fundraising push in New York State to try to get this bill passed). Here's the link so that if you want, you can do the same thing.

Hate the column? Love the column? Send us an email at jabronifreesports@gmail.com. 


Gabe Lezra is the Editor-in-Chief (and founder) of Managing Madrid, a Real Madrid website dedicated to bringing English-speaking fans funny, top-quality analysis. His work has been featured on CNN.com and CNN's World Sport, and he regularly contributes to Bleacher Report.