What’s Football Got To Do With Gay Marriage?

A few days ago, former NFL punter Chris Kluwe published an article describing the circumstances of his release from the Minnesota Vikings.  One of the better punters in the league, he aggressively voiced his support for gay marriage throughout his career.  While he notes other potential considerations in his release—his declining skills and large contract—he believes that the team’s decision to release him was because to his outspokenness.  He describes the head coach and General Manager at the time as “cowards” and his position coach as a “bigot.”

If Kluwe’s account of his coach’s insensitive comments is true, he clearly has a case.  His comments—which are stated in the article—are insulting and intolerant.  I have issues, however, with some of Kluwe’s broader agenda.

Kluwe—like many pro-gay marriage advocates—seems to think that it is impossible to be against gay marriage.  In their minds, anyone who does not vocally support “marriage equality” is bigoted and intolerant.  The Vikings organization offered Kluwe a national platform to voice his views; he seemed entirely unable or unwilling to compromise or understand the position in which he put the organization.  Football teams aren’t in the business of politics.  A head coach’s job isn’t to endorse political causes.  Calling his coach a “coward,” then, is completely misguided.

For some reason, gay marriage advocates seem to think that every prominent person must take a definitive stand for gay marriage.  A reporter in search of a controversy asked Chick Fil-A CEO Dan Cathy about his gay marriage views and he affirmed his belief in traditional marriage.  Although completely unrelated in any way to his job, thousands called for a boycott of the restaurant.  I’m sure I would disagree with almost everything that most CEO’s believe in.  Who cares?

Which brings us back to Chris Kluwe.  Granted, the NFL is not the most forward-thinking institution.  Homophobia is rampant, and Kluwe is entirely right to voice his concerns about this.  But is the correct response to call out his coach and GM cowards for not going out of their way to take a stand on a political issue?  That seems a little ridiculous.  I’m not staying he should have just shut up and focused on punting, but it’s not like the Vikings were preventing him from expressing his opinion.  He needs to recognize the situation he put the organization in with his comments.  Taking political or religious stances alienates significant portions of the fan base.  It’s not the organization’s job to take political stances either.  The sooner Kluwe realizes this, the better.

Here is an interesting analysis.