NHL player, Sean Avery, speaks-out in support of marriage equality

17 posts / 0 new

Tue, 2011-05-10 17:03

Freedom 55

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGGH3M9NKBI&feature=player_embedded]YouTube: Sean Avery for HRC's NYers 4 Marriage Equality[/url]

Quote:
I'm Sean Avery and I'm a New Yorker for Marriage Equality. I treat everyone the way I expect to be treated and that applies to marriage. Committed couples should be able to marry the person they love. Join me in supporting marriage equality

...[url=http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/306536]and gets criticized by a sports management agency[/url] for his "misguided support".

Tue, 2011-05-10 17:12

Dodger718

Well, I've finally got one reason to cheer for Avery.

Tue, 2011-05-10 18:01

Searosia

Heh, I was thinking the same Dodger...thought Avery would be one of the last people to touch social justice issues.

I like the reaction to the "gets criticized by a sports management agency" article...it looks like Todd Reynolds (head of management company that made the 'misguided' comment) saw a pretty big outcry against his comments. I'll try to find the article for it, but the players he represents are getting emails urging them to reconsider their management choice.

Tue, 2011-05-10 18:06

Searosia

In reading more, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised on Avery...the link a toronto sun article where Avery said this in Feb 2011

Quote:

"If there's a kid in Canada or wherever, who is playing and really loves the game and wants to keep playing but he's worried about coming out, I'd tell him to pick up the phone and call (NHLPA executive director) Donald Fehr and tell him to book me a (plane) ticket.

"I'll stand beside him in the dressing room while he tells his teammates he is gay. Maybe if Sean Avery is there, they would have less of a problem with it."

Not sure if I agree with how he's stated this, but the intent is there.

Thu, 2011-05-12 12:24

Caissa

After a spate of tweets in support of a hockey agent's stand against gay marriage, Rogers Sportsnet moved Wednesday to fire on-air host Damian Goddard.

Sportsnet suggested in a release that their problems with Goddard did not start with his decision to share his political views online.

"Mr. Goddard was a freelance contractor and in recent weeks it had become clear that he is not the right fit for our organization," the sports broadcaster's communications director, Dave Rashford, said in a short statement.

The decision to let Goddard go from his hosting job was made last week, sources said. If that's the case, we may be witnessing a new employment phenomenon: career suicide via social media.

http://www.thestar.com/sports/article/989686--sportsnet-fires-host-follo...

Thu, 2011-05-12 13:18

Sven

Okay, so Avery now has one redeeming quality...

Thu, 2011-05-12 17:29

milo204

i've actually just gained a tremendous amount of respect for avery. through his actions, he's exposing homophobes in hockey, and that he said he would stand beside any player that wanted to come out to their team...awesome.

Thu, 2011-05-12 19:07

N.Beltov

Sherlock Holmes once remarked that "when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth" and, in this case, the improbable truth is that this otherwise hyper-annoying hockey pest (and sometimes thug?) is a pretty enlightened guy.

Thu, 2011-05-12 20:27

bagkitty

1) I must admit I don't know who the hell Sean Avery is (I don't have the hockey gene). 2) When did a willingness to say that you think that people should be treated with decency make one enlightened?

Thu, 2011-05-12 20:43

#10

N.Beltov

In an often thuggish mafia-like, and brutal sport, a sport in which at one time goaltenders were threatened with violence from their own teammates for daring to wear a mask to protect themselves, what passes for normal "decency" (as you call it) is just that - enlightened. It's all relative to the people around you.

Thu, 2011-05-12 21:00

#11

alan smithee alan smithee's picture

Avery's style of play is to be an agitator and a jerk.

But that's his job when he's on the ice.

I think it's great that Avery is out spoken in his support for,not only gay marriage,but for athletes in the closet who decide to come out.

It's too bad not many of his peers think the same.

I always found Sport shows and Networks to foster a right wing point of view....Which brings me to Damian Goddard.

I congratulate Rogers for dumping his pathetic bigoted ass.

Why can't those who disagree,for whatever reason,with someone's personal business,just keep it to themselves or their private circle?

Get over it!

Thu, 2011-05-12 21:54

#12

Le T

Now if only he wasn't a fucking sexist creep.

Fri, 2011-05-13 01:47

#13

milo204

beltov, i had no idea goalies were threatened like that! any incident in particular? i'll bet it was mtl, cause wasn't plante the first one to wear a mask?

bagkitty, to me it's that in a right wing, macho, often anti-gay environment, it takes guts to come out and say what avery did...this is the first time i'm aware of when a major sports player has said anything like that, so to me that should be commended and encouraged. These people have a major platform with access to media--anything they can do to bring attention to pressing issues like homophobia is great.

Also, i think it help a ton to have a "jock" and tough guy athlete speak on this issue, as his crowd is some of the worst for homophobia and let's be honest, they're not going to listen to a skinny vegan punk rocker, but they really look up to pro athletes.

Fri, 2011-05-13 03:15

#14

bagkitty

N.Beltov wrote:

In an often thuggish mafia-like, and brutal sport, a sport in which at one time goaltenders were threatened with violence from their own teammates for daring to wear a mask to protect themselves, what passes for normal "decency" (as you call it) is just that - enlightened. It's all relative to the people around you.

Thanks for the description of at least some of the hockey culture... I can't say I disagree with it. Of course this does leave me wondering about the fawning hockey threads hereabouts... I have assumed it was just a matter of people putting their critical faculties on hold.

Fri, 2011-05-13 03:22

#15

Freedom 55

milo204 wrote:

this is the first time i'm aware of when a major sports player has said anything like that

In 2009 NFL linebackers, Brendon Ayanbadejo and Scott Fujita, both [url=http://news.change.org/stories/gay-marriage-and-the-national-football-le... out in support of marriage equality[/url].

Sun, 2011-05-15 10:21

#16

N.Beltov

milo204 wrote:
beltov, i had no idea goalies were threatened like that! any incident in particular? i'll bet it was mtl, cause wasn't plante the first one to wear a mask?

I can't find a reference to the threats other than the efforts of coach Toe Blake to force Plante to play without a mask after getting a broken nose from an Andy Bathgate shot at MSG in New York.

The vignette is not bad. Have a look.

Fri, 2013-07-05 14:30

#17

onlinediscountanvils

video: [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?hl=en&client=mv-google&gl=CA&v=OvqKH3qqmoA&... Kluwe, Brendon Ayanbadejo, and Scott Fujita panel at Google[/url]