StrangeSox

QUOTE (farmteam @ Jul 21, 2014 -> 09:32 PM) Perhaps you should define your definition of "distraction." Is it just other players being uncomfortable in the locker room? Media presence? Any distraction that Sam doesn't personally or intentionally create? Well in Sam's case it seems to be defined as anything that could be used as am excuse for people who want continue exclude openly gay players. It's not my criteria for discriminating, so it's not mine to define.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Jul 21, 2014 -> 09:24 PM) And what if Sam said no, I'm doing the show? I'm not sure what level on control a team can exercise over a player, but that'd show a pretty poor decision making process on his part. If it truly was a distraction, it'd show on the field and he'd struggle to make the team.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Jul 21, 2014 -> 09:26 PM) The anti-Christian stuff was called an analogy. You bring those into debates from time to time. The third point is exactly what you told me at the start of this. "imagined issues" I believe is the phrase you used. edit: and repeatedly putting "distractions" in quotes. It wasn't an analogy, you threw in some weak sarcastic line about all Christians being wackos and bigots or something. That's a way of assigning that dumb position to me. The third point isn't what I've been saying but knock yourself out if that's the interpretation that allows you to keep justifying am argument against drafting gay players.

QUOTE (zenryan @ Jul 21, 2014 -> 09:20 PM) except it isnt a lie about him being a distraction. If it wasnt going to be a distraction, then the Rams wouldnt have told Sam to not do the Oprah documentary. Just like AJ McCarron running around doing a reality show with his girlfriend can be a distraction, especially for a rookie. But dungy didn't say he wouldn't draft him because he was going to do an I'll-advised reality show that is obvious personal distraction. It was more generally his being gay that was an unacceptable distraction for him. Plenty of players have all sorts of personal distractions, but only "being gay" is a bridge too far for some.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Jul 21, 2014 -> 09:20 PM) Not sure how I'm doing that based on your responses. You've had ample opportunity to explain yourself, but here are the options you put forward: 1) draft Sam, not a terrible person 2) don't draft Sam for football reasons, not a terrible person 3) distractions don't exist, they're only fabricated by bigots and cowards, so if you don't draft Sam based on his homosexuality and anything else related to that (but still non-football related), you're a bigot and terrible person. What exactly am I missing? An awful lot of your typical bulls*** e.g. weird broadly anti-Christian stuff you're assigning to me, Your whole third point. You seem to be incapable of a good faith understanding of a position you don't agree with.

QUOTE (farmteam @ Jul 21, 2014 -> 09:15 PM) Well this is where it gets murky. Like I said earlier, the team should just treat him for what he is -- another player trying to make the team. But by the same token, a gay player should act the same way -- as another player trying to make the team. That's why I didn't like the reality show and stuff. Team had every right to quash that legitimate distraction. It was a personal distraction that would take away from the player's ability focus on football. Some s*** heads protesting his being gay doesn't approach that level. And if you're an nfl head coach afraid of the media second guessing you, you have zero business being that position anyway.

For someone who whines about others putting words in his mouth, jenks sure does love jumping straight to the worst straw man version of what other people are saying pretty quickly.

Not sure what else you call it but bigotry. If he can't cut it on the field, then cut him. Don't use "distractions" as an excuse to keep gay players out of the nfl.

What gives away the game is that it's pretty much just people with a history of being s***ty on lgbt rights that make excuses about distractions.

QUOTE (farmteam @ Jul 21, 2014 -> 08:28 PM) He was a 7th round pick. From everything before the draft, and even before he came out he was in the 5th-undrafted free agent range. He shouldn't make or not make the team because he's gay. It shouldn't matter at all. Look, I get that that is pie-in-the-sky thinking because people external to the organization (namely the media) will make it seem to matter, whether right or wrong. But that's my point -- a GM and owner should have the common sense to say "Treat him for what he is -- a guy trying to make our football team. If the media makes a ruckus out of it, we'll deal with it the same way as when our star DB got busted for DUI last season." Or, if they want to really go after it, they could use it as a teaching moment. That does clash with the "treat him like any other football player" point of view, though. And the Tebow comparison isn't completely on point; Michael Sam didn't choose to be gay, Tim Tebow did choose to be a messianic asshole. For every imagined "issue" caused by hiring a gay person, it's just as easy to imagine a positive especially with the rapidly increasing public acceptance. It's not like the media coverage is negative or critical. You get the support of the lgtb community and their supporters. Your.team gets to be the center of a majority positive storyline for the biggest sport in the country. On a personal level, you can make a difference by rejecting bigotry and letting him stand on his own merits on the field. Or you can be a coward or a bigot and hide behind "distractions" as your excuse for using someone's sexuality as a hiring criteria.

Also still gotta lol at protests and security risks. Gtfo with that bulls*** right now.

It's not about "caring enough" it's about caring so little that you will use any imagined personal inconvenience as am excuse to maintain a s***ty status quo. Which makes you kinda a s***ty person.

Well at least they turned over the black boxes

If one of your criteria boils down to "is he or she gay," you are a dumb bigot. Pretty straight forward. Edit lol at security concerns because there's a gay person the team. Or God forbid a coach face criticism from the media, that's unheard of. stop making weak excuses for letting bigots keep gay people out. Edit 2 I guess you may not personally be a bigot, but could be more of a cynical coward along the lines of George "segregation now, segregation forever" Wallace. Still pretty s***ty.

Refusing to hire someone because they are gay is bigoted and s***ty. Period, end of story. That's all this boils down to. That's entirely what dungys basis and everyone who whines about "distraction" is. Whether he can hack it in the nfl is a separate discussion.

Favourable media coverage and promotion of your company is a pretty s***ty excuse to not hire someone because they're gay.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 21, 2014 -> 04:22 PM) This. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/tony-dungy-s-...-195216393.html It is especially bad when you think about how recently it was that a black headcoach wouldn't have been "totally smooth" Ugh, dungy has a history of being an anti-gay bigot already. So yeah, not shocking, and it does make him a bad person. Edit: deadspin also reminded me of his advocacy for Michael Vick after he served his time for torturing and killing animals for fun and profit. Definitely no distractions there!

I have no idea what that's in reference to, but yes, you are. It's only a potential "distraction" because of dumb bigots and that stance only adds to ithat climate of acceptable bigotry.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 19, 2014 -> 03:37 PM) Of course, the real counter to this airplane downing in how collateral damage is viewed is happening in Gaza right now. I figured that's what he was alluding to

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Jul 19, 2014 -> 09:10 AM) I flipped on the ol' Roku last night, and navigated my way to RT - they seem to have some.....different.... thoughts on what happened. Like why did Ukrainian air traffic controllers tell the plane to fly lower? WHY? Seriously though, it's interesting trying to hear the spin from RT. rt is literally the Russian governments propaganda channel

Ok Cupid and several Mozilla board members as well as a significant portion of the open-source community that supports Mozilla: "extreme gay activists"

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jul 17, 2014 -> 10:33 AM) I completely agree. Traveling for work can be fun in small stints but when it is a regular occurrence it gets old. 3-4 times per year, to me, is the perfect amount of work travel. There are definitely benefits. I just left the coast of Maine and now I'm in New Hampshire. Who knows when I'd have gotten to these states on my own, if ever. I've been to SoCal several times and I've spent a few weeks in SLO. But I'm already in the middle of a two week trip and i might have to head out Washington state a few days after i get back. This is a heavy spurt for me, but some of my co-workers spend close to 150 nights in hotels a year. I got close to 100 myself a couple of years back.

Traveling for work can get old fast. It's not the same as traveling for pleasure. And if, as you say, life goes by fast, why spend it all working so much if you're not enjoying yourself? I appreciate my free time plenty without needing to routinely work more than 40 hours a week. Spending years working 60-100 hours sounds absolutely miserable, and that's with me generally enjoying what I do.

Gomez has always annoyed the s*** out of me

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 15, 2014 -> 07:43 PM) I'll never get the hate for Jeter. A douche like Arod or Bonds? Sure. Jeter? Call him overrated if you like, but the guy is one of the best pure hitters of our generation. Just backlash against the media fawning