What happened to free speech, what happened to living in a free country and how far will this political correctness go? People bash Christians all the time and nothing is done about it. There is never a public appology.
2007-02-16 12:46:03 · 22 answers · asked by ? 7 in Sports ➔ Basketball
It's idiotic that they banned him from it. His views have absolutely nothing to do with the all-star game, and wouldn't have interfered with anything. Them forbidding him from attending it is pathetic.
"Free speech" is only relevant when it's in favor of such issues. If he had started exclaiming about how much he's in support of gays, he would have been hailed for it. That's how hypocritical and intolerant people are in regards to free speech in this country. He shouldn't be getting this much crap for what he said, and he shouldn't be banned from the game.
2007-02-16 15:11:41 · answer #1 · answered by Emma 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
David Stern, the NBA commish, is very concerned with the image of the NBA and it's players (even former). I think he was just sending a message that the NBA doesn't agree with his comments. I will come out and say that Tim Hardaway, while a great player back in the day, is a friggin moron. Seriously that guy would lose at a 2nd grade spelling bee. By the way, there are two groups that it is still ok to pick on, that's christians and fat people. Don't rip on gays or white people or black people. That's bad. Christians and fat people are apparantely fine to pick on.
2007-02-16 20:53:21 · answer #2 · answered by NightTrainWooWoo 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Political correctness is indeed ridiculous, and it's getting more so every year, it seems.
Yes, Hardaway does have the freedom to say what he did...and I like the fact that someone in the NBA family finally came out and said exactly what he thought.
However, the NBA is also free to "ban" him from representing the league in any way. That is Stern's right, and he's apparently decided to exercise it, just as Hardaway did.
Yes, we do have freedom of speech, but with that freedom comes responsibility. This is, in a round about sort of way, a similar example to the Dixie Chicks... at least in terms of the "right" to say something.... the Chicks had the "right" to say what they said about President Bush...but their (now ex) fans also had the right to not buy their CDs any more, and to contact local radio stations and ask them not to play Dixie Chicks songs. The Dixie Chicks lost a majority of their old fans (but in the process, picked up some new fans as well).
Hardaway has a perfect right to say what he did. And the NBA (actually David Stern, acting on behalf of the NBA) has a perfect right to disassociate itself from Hardaway. Nobody's doing anything here they're not allowed to do.
Besides, I'm sure Hardaway couldn't care less about being "banned" from All Star weekend... it's not like he kept showing up for All Star weekend every year since he retired or anything like that. In fact, this is the first I've heard ANYTHING about him since he retired in 2003.
2007-02-16 21:35:01 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Free speech is alive and well, and the NBA has exercised their rights in their reaction to Hardaway's comments. It's not the government saying he can't be part of All-Star events, so his rights haven't been violated inthe least bit. The NBA is a corporation.
It's their league, they can say who gets to represent them in their highest profile media event other than the finals. It does nothing but harm the already tarnished image the NBA has to have a former star spewing hate in the media about other players. They are perfectly within their rights to exclude him from All-Star weekend. Don't like it? That's really too bad. As much as Tim Hardawy has the right to speak his mind, the NBA and commissioner Stern also have the right to express their displeasure with him.
2007-02-16 22:16:42 · answer #4 · answered by ccmonty 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Tim wanted another 15 minutes of fame. The NBA made the right decision. His 15 minutes are up; let's move on. Now the NBA and all sports associations should ban and muffle players who are convicted of crimes. Now the media should muffle these same players. Some recent examples that come to mind: murder, rape, spousal abuse, illegal drug use, banned performance enhancing drugs. People have been bashing Christians since the beginning of Christianity. I admire players who give God His credit for their success. The media is religionphobic, they focus on the controversial because that's what the public wants. The early Romans made sport of killing Christians, and they made the Colossium to accomodate the masses of bloodthirsty fans. A large number of fans today are seemingly no different in morality than the fans of ancient Rome. If you compare the fans at a youth sports event to the fans at a professional event, the glaring difference is the shocking, even hateful things you will hear at the pro event. Those players have families who care about them. You probably don't have to look too far into any family tree to find a gay person. The times of making a big deal about the fact that someone is gay will soon be over, so we should all get used to it. My niece, the most articulate one, is gay. She won an academic scholarship, graduated college with a BS, and beat out 40 applicants for her job as a librarian. She went farther in college than 95% of my extended family. I am obviously and rightfully proud of her, and I love her. I even hug her, and it hasn't made me gay.
2007-02-17 10:01:35 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
yes, there is free speech, because he is not going to jail. that is what is protected. The nba, not gov., took action. NE way, if an nba player said christianity is stupid, i hate it, then yes, he would be banned too. but nobody really says that.
it would be stupid to let him stay in the events. THe gay people have money too, and if you want that money, you gotta get rid of the guy who makes it public he hates them.
Anyway, i agree with his comments, i think it is a flaw of genetics, because some poor people just cant help it; they are in such pain that some kill themselves instead of coming out. However, This doesnt mean that we as a society should accept gayness. Just like violence and evil, it may never be eradicated, but only by fighting it can we keep the pestilence at bay.
2007-02-16 20:58:02 · answer #6 · answered by billy 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
First of all, Hardaway is retired, so he was banned from public apperances, not from the game.
Second of all, athletes have always been held to a higher standard in terms of public presentation -- think NBA dress code, press conference training, etc. -- than most normal Americans. Religion plays less of a "can't play as well as us" role in sports -- I don't remember anyone claiming Jews or Lutherans or Baptists play differently (or are weaker) than Catholics or Muslims when it comes to basketball, or any other sport for that matter. Sexual orientation, gender, and race are often pointed to when it comes to athletic performance -- think the "Friday Night Lights" episode when Mac makes comments comparing his black athletes to junk-yard dogs, or comments made pre-Title IX.
As for public apologies, they're pointless. Hardaway meant what he said and only checked himself when the press storm hit and hit hard.
2007-02-16 20:57:21 · answer #7 · answered by jennieryan88 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
His participation was no longer wanted. Just imagine. You own a business, and one of your employees makes similar statements and even though they are his personal feelings they reflect strongly on your business. I'm sure you would throw the guy a party with a cake with "Go 1st Amendment" "Free Speech for all!" then feature him in your radio and television ads.
The NBA didn't say Tim Hardaway couldn't say he hates gays. They said they no longer wanted his help because he said it.
HE STILL HAS HIS FREEDOM OF SPEECH
2007-02-16 22:56:28 · answer #8 · answered by Alphonse 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's just the NBA's way of cleaning their hands of the situation. Sounds harsh but they have had enough bad press and All-Star weekend (outside of the playoffs) is their biggest media event of the year. They don't need a cloud of controversy on their hands.
Anyway, Hardaway must not feel strongly enough about what he said because he ended up apologizing. If he really HATED gay people, he should've stood up for his cause.
2007-02-16 21:26:42 · answer #9 · answered by RichMac82 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It was an excellent decision, there is no place for people in a public position to be talking like that about homosexuals, christians or any other group.
Free speech only gives you the right to discuss politics, it does not give you the right to defame someone, incite violence, steal copyrighted material or broadcast anything offensive. This is why we don't get to hear 50 cent use the F word on the radio.
I am not afraid of homosexuals but I am very afraid of religious fanatics who would happily kill someone because they hate their lifestyle.
We are fighting a war against muslim extremists yet there are some christians who appear to be just as irrational.
2007-02-17 05:01:41 · answer #10 · answered by naj1_1 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋