Conflicting messages on gay players in pro sports

So on the same day that an NBA player comes out, and the NFL distributes a flyer to players, reiterating its "anti-discrimination policy on sexual orientation", it seems Kris Kluwe might lose his NFL job.

He's the very outspoken punter who always stands up for gay rights, like a lion protecting its young. I love the guy because he's wildly intelligent and writes in a wonderful, slashing way. This guy can tear you into ribbons if he wants to. And if you're anti-gay, he wants to. He really, really wants to.

Seriously, on the same day all this happens, they're going to can a guy for his support for gay rights? Here's an outtake from an article about it:

“It’s a shame that in a league with players given multiple second chances after arrests, including felony arrests, that speaking out on human rights has a chance of getting you cut,” Kluwe reportedly told Pro Football Talk via a text message.

You see why I like him. He's never at a loss for words. Let's hope the aura of a good day for gay people in sports will prevail, and Kluwe will keep his job. I think of him as the Dan Choi of the NFL. We have to protect our allies. It's not like we've got a ton of them in pro sports.

The National Christian Football League

What's up with all this Christian nonsense on the field? It's bad enough that in baseball, players make the damn sign of the cross before every catch, pitch, hit, run, etc. But in football, it reaches new extremes.

The other day I was watching a game. I'm not sure who was playing. One of the players got hurt and both teams hustled themselves into a circle, knelt and prayed while holding onto one another. Awwww, now isn't that cute?

No, it's not. It's disgusting. How do you think non-Christian players feel when this sort of nonsense happens? There is real pressure for them to drop to their knees and join the idiots in the circle, and that's wrong. 

I'm going to do my human-rights trick and switch categories, so readers can see what's going on here. Let's suppose a whole bunch of gay players made it into the NFL. I'm sure there are many already, but let's suppose the number gets larger and all the players are openly gay.

How would straight fans feel if the gay players were always kissing each other on the field, and when they scored, they pulled out gay flags and waved them proudly? How does that seem to you?

Of course they shouldn't do that. There's no place for gayness on the field because it's a football game, not a gay get-together. It's the same damn thing with Christian prayer. It doesn't belong in sports, period.

If players want to pray, they should go to church more often and get it out of their systems so they don't feel compelled to foul the field with prayer. It's not an inclusive activity that welcomes all players into the fold. Undoubtedly, it makes many non-Christian players feel sick to their stomachs.

Prayer in any sport is wrong. Sports are about athletics, not a magic man in the sky. Players need to shove the prayers back in their asses and get on with the game.