Posted on 02/23/2014 10:19:39 PM PST by Rufus2007
On Friday’s broadcast of ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption,” co-host Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser speculated on the importance of Jason Collins’ contract with the Brooklyn Nets as the first openly gay player in NBA history.
According Wilbon, the novelty of Collins’ participation has been diminished by former Missouri defensive play and NFL prospect Michael Sam’s announcement.
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This was just done to beat the NFL as being the first league to have an openly gay player. Why else would they give a 35 year old a 10 day contract? It’s a joke.
There are 300 players around the Italian and European leagues...with just as much talent, and likely willing to play for the same or less money. So, this is a gimmick....just to get some headlines, and he’ll shortly be back to being a non-NBA player. At age thirty-five...most players are done and can’t compete at the same level.
What happens if it turns out that he is just pretending to be gay for the notoriety to get advertisement deals?
This is how you will kill pro sports.
The ball goes into the basket that was made for it, not to be forced into a toilet.
Just in case somebody out there still doesn’t know it, the sports media is at least as left-wing as the general media. College and professional sports are rife with propaganda. The most talented players do not play, and it’s not all about winning or even money. If that were the case, Jason Collins wouldn’t have a contract.
“So, this is a gimmick....just to get some headlines, and he’ll shortly be back to being a non-NBA player. At age thirty-five...most players are done and can’t compete at the same level.”
This “hero” played for years in the closet, and “came out” at the end of his career (risking nothing). I hope the freaks treat him the same way they treat former NJ governor McGreevey - a pariah who came out as he was being forced out of office due to scandals (opposing “gay marriage” throughout his term). Nobod is rallying around him...
“This was just done to beat the NFL as being the first league to have an openly gay player. Why else would they give a 35 year old a 10 day contract? It’s a joke.”
35 year olds are given 10-day NBA contracts ALL THE TIME at this point in the season, mostly because injuries throughout the season have caused roster gaps in the short term that are filled with these contracts. Teams still have to fill rosters for contingencies, practices, etc.
Jason Collins, as a former 7’ backup center for a lengthy NBA career fits the profile of who you bring in at the tail end of a season, to play a couple of minutes if necessary or just sit on the bench in case. The fact he is 7’ is the deciding factor for most teams in making these late, short-term roster moves since when they do this it most likely is to replace a front court opening for a short term injured reserve move.
He is no different than a Juwan Howard, who pretty much sat for two seasons on the Miami Heat bench and collected two rings for nothing more than being a locker room presence at the NBA minimum salary.
As easy as it is for us to assume a political statement was made, if he wasn’t openly gay we wouldn’t even notice OR question this move.
Prediction......marginal players who are gay will be “coming out” to put media pressure on teams to sign them up to prove their not prejudiced,
Yep.
Looks that way to me too.
But non-sports-fans usually don’t understand how rosters are filled in any of the pro sports. Heck, baseball’s complicated roster procedures are hard to understand for dedicated fans!
Surprised the presstitutes aren't touting 'him' as the next Magic !
On ESPN’s Sport’s Center this morning, the black guy, Stewart something the other, don’t know his full name, but he was openingly clapping and giving this big applause. He thought it was just the best thing since sliced bread.
I have thought he was a poser from the beginning. This was the only way he would ever make an NBA team again.
Yeah, or the next President.
If this event is not a big deal, then why is the liberal media giving such big coverage to such a big deal????
Exactly. The media is blowing this up because of the “historical” blah blah blah stuff, but the Nets signed him for basketball reasons. Teams on the playoff bubble don’t sign “gimmicks” at this point in the season.
As someone who has watched the Nets quite a bit this year (not a huge basketball fan, but was born/raised in NJ, and now live in Brooklyn, so to the extent I follow the NBA, I might as well root for the Nets), he is exactly the type of player they should be signing to a 10-day contract. He’s a big, phyiscal interior defender who can eat up minutes. And he’s played with a bunch of guys on the team (as well as the coach) - familiarity is always a plus when you bring in guys late in the season. Not a great offensive player, but that’s not what they’re looking for in him.
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