Pro Sports: The Never-Ending Home of Idiots

Two little tabloid reports today remind us that pro sports has been, is and probably always will be – to some extent – a durable home for homophobia.

A couple years ago, Mike Piazza held a press conference to refute rumors he is gay.  Well, he was talking about it again this week. Why?  Because he has a book coming out, duh!  A whole new chance to distance himself from any “nasty” rumors that he is a homo and, simultaneously, get some book hype.

And, in a related story of homophobia, Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano (who I think is the best pitcher, year in-year out, in the game) went off about fans calling him a “homosexual” and that he proves his is “no homosexual” when he pitches. 

Well, I’ll ignore the obvious joke about a catcher and a pitcher denying they are gay that would be about ten miles over these two players’ heads, and just say it is a sad reminder that our sports teams – and our sports culture – is still rife with incipient homophobia.  I am not commenting on these two people’s lives, values, whatever.  But clearly, they have some negative viewpoints on gays.

It’s really too bad, you know.  I love sports, passionately.  Before I got too old I played sports incessantly.  I still turn to sports for the same reasons as anyone else does, gay or straight: to lose myself, at least for a few hours, in a world of true merit and talent, not politics and bigotry and preconceived stereotypes about what one person can and cannot due because of his/her color, age, sexual orientation, etc.

I have personally never encountered any homophobia while playing sports; then again I didn’t play at the pro level.  But without a doubt it is all over the pro leagues, as ingrained as pitching and catching is at a gay bathhouse (sorry – had to get the joke in).

(Photos: Getty Images)

A Cubs and Northwestern fan, Joe Moag is a major sports junkie, and although he still runs, he hasn't been able to dunk anything more than a donut for decades.