Last week, Larry Johnson of the Kansas City Chiefs was suspended by the team for two weeks for telling a reporter to "get your faggot ass out of here," not long after letting loose similar slurs on his Twitter page.Considering it was less than 20 years ago that Zeke Mowatt harassed female reporter Lisa Olson with his manhood in the locker room, it's not too surprising that homophobia coexists alongside casual misogyny in the sports locker room.
But does the punishment fit the crime? In this case Johnson's priors played a part in his suspension, but considering the reputation of the locker room as a testosterone-filled zone where offensive jokes are fired freely, should Johnson have gotten a break just by the nature of where he works?
Don't get us wrong -- tossing around words like "fag," "faggot" and "queer" isn't right. But it wasn't that long ago that those three words were commonly uttered in workplaces, homes and schoolyards everywhere, so are we surprised they flow freely in the hyper-masculine environment of professional sports? Do we really expect athletes to be above an overall culture that continues to celebrate the gay joke, from Judd Apatow movies to hip-hop?
Is Johnson's suspension PC overkill or is making an example of individual players the best way to affect change?
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Monday 02 November
By Alex Moaba
In a span of 24 hours, LJ called a reporter and his Twitter followers f*gs and Twittered that his dad was more qualified to coach the team than Todd Haley. Sooo, yea, I'd say he deserves the suspension.
- PC liberal
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Monday 02 November
By Takahashi
That's touchy grounds. You're right in both that the use of terms degrading to a sexual orientation are wrong, but you're also right in the sense that it's simply how a locker room functions.
In any male sports arena, the locker room is sacred grounds, used to increase moral amongst the players. It simply makes sense that jokes/comments/statements that are degrading and offensive to fly around.
These players who have reached such a level of celebrity status by taking part in the NFL too should know how to behave accordingly to the social model presented. They need to watch what they say, now more then ever. Knowing that comments like such being made can effectively make or break a labels applied to them.
This brings me to another question, why should these reporters be aloud to venture into the locker rooms? Coaches should know what goes on there, as well as any of the public relations people who deal with the press. I just wonder sometimes... Like the female reporter in the locker room (as mentioned above, with Zeke Mowatt). Even being let into the locker rooms, shouldn't reporters too know what to expect? It's typical behavior of anyone in that position, and not everyone welcomes the press with open arms.
So then, on one end it's nice. By demonstrating the punishments of such behavior, it demonstrates how it's wrong and hopefully will change behaviors of others. After all, it's one of the only ways to shape the social model. But making that punishable might make the players feel as if they've lost their freedoms, in a place that is where they get ready for a game, where they do what they must do to get pumped up and ready to go.
I cannot say if it's right or wrong. It all depends on your point of view.
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Monday 02 November
By Takahashi
*Note: I'm only talking of the locker rooms, not the behavior on twitter. That's an a completely different argument in my eyes.
Monday 02 November
By Dan Solomon
I bet it doesn't increase the morale of any of Johnson's gay teammates.
--d
Tuesday 03 November
By Ford MF
Saying "that's just the way locker rooms work" is bull. It's not even that long ago that it would have been socially acceptable for a bunch of dudes in a locker room to call Larry Johnson a n*gg*r. It is no longer socially acceptable to do so because of people "overreacting" like this.
Monday 02 November
By Chris
IMO he should be suspended longer. Reaching the year 2010, that behavior is COMPLETELY childish and unacceptable. Does he know how many gay NFL fans their are, he needs to apologize publicly, I am sure if someone said the N word he would flip out.
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Tuesday 03 November
By Dave
I don't think this is homophobic at all. Terms like gay and faggot have moved beyond their homosexual roots and have evolved into general insults. Just because I call a guy a faggot does not mean I am saying he wants a dick in his ass. I've heard people say "This party is gay" meaning that it sucks, it has nothing to do with there being any homosexuals in attendance. Maybe if the reporter was in fact a homosexual then I would say that it was homophobic.
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Tuesday 03 November
By Ford MF
No, there is no wiggle room here. If you use a term for homosexuals as a blanket negative, you are a homophobic bigot, plain and simple. It's like old people who refer to bargaining with someone as "Jewing them down".
Tuesday 03 November
By Ford MF
Saying "well, that's simply how a locker room functions" is utter bigoted horseshit. Not even very long ago, it would have been socially acceptable for a bunch of dudes in a locker room to call Larry Johnson a nigger (not while he was within earshot, of course). The only reason it is no longer socially acceptable is because of people "overreacting" like this.
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Tuesday 03 November
By Ford MF
It boggles my mind that this is still even a debateable topic.
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