ESPN Cans Curt Schilling Over Transgender Bathroom Tweet

ESPN fired former Major League Baseball star pitcher and TV Color Commentator Curt Schilling because of sharing a meme on transgender bathrooms on Twitter.

Disney owned ESPN insisted that the company was dedicated to inclusiveness, so it terminated someone with a view which different from the current politically correct line.  It is intriguing that Disney owned ABC Good Morning America report blurred out the image of a transvestite who would have been eligible to use whatever bathroom which he/she/zei felt like using.  It seems that the ideals of diversity and inclusiveness can not be particularized in a reductio ad abusurdum.


This was not Schilling's first run in with social media PR challenges.  A couple of years ago, Schilling went on attack mode against a Twitter troll who sexually harassed his daughter  sparked by congratulations over admission to Salve Regina University.

Later in 2015, Schilling was suspended from covering the Little League World Series for sharing a controversial tweet which compared Muslim "population infiltration" with Nazis.

There seems to be an academic and corporate corporate push to be intolerant towards "ciscentrism" and those who do not acquiesce to "the new normal" regarding self designated transgendered bathroom fluidity. It is dubious if ESPN would punish an employee for sharing progressive political memes.

Bruce Springsteen, et ali, have forgone concerts in North Carolina while the Bathroom Law is in effect. The NBA has threatened to pull the All Star game unless the Tar Heel State relents on traditional notions that those with male genetalia should not evacuate their excrement around little girls. During a NBC Today Townhall meeting, Manhattan mogul Donald Trump insisted that just not worrying about transgenders using whatever bathroom they like is no problem.

From its inception, DC-Jockularity recognized the convergence of sports and public policy.  ESPN's aggressive application of standards reinforces the idea that ABC/Disney/ESPN is a progressive entity which pushes its agenda even unto sports coverage and will not brook dissent.

Tarheel State Must Jump Thru LGBTQQ? Hoops to Host NBA All-Star Game

Reacting the North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory (R-NC) signing HB2 "The Bathroom Bill", the National Basketball Association has threatened the Tar Heel State that Charlotte is in jeopardy because the law discriminates against transgendered persons from using whatever bathroom they feel like visiting at that time.



Other sports leagues have threatened to boycott places to pressure governments to change their laws, like the NCAA's 15 year ban on South Carolina hosting sporting events over the Confederate battle flag flying on state capitol grounds in Columbia, or the NFL threatening to move a Super Bowl from Arizona over the state enforcing federal law on illegal immigration.

It is curious to see how the NBA is going to great lengths to protest this "discrimination" of people having different genitalia using separate waste evacuation facilities which has been in place for generations and is rife for confusion and abuse. 

This sort of progressive pressure again demonstrates that sports has been politicized by the tyranny of liberal fascism.

Trump Worms Endorsement from Dennis Rodman

During this Trump Summer before most primary voters seriously concentrate on electing a Republican Presidential nominee, the billionaire populist GOP candidate earned an unexpected assist.  Trump was endorsed by Dennis Rodman.

Of course, Rodman has also endorsed North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, so it is hard to discern what Rodman's political disposition is, other than supporting friends. In the past, Trump was chagrined by prior attempts to by Rodman to worm a connection between the Big Apple billionaire and the  Pyongyang's newest Dear Leader.

Allen West Counters Sharpton's Cries of Racism By Citing Sports

After the 2015 Academy Awards nominations did not include any nods for black actors and actresses, the Reverend Al Sharpton grabbed headlines which racially acrimonious analogies about the Oscars.  

Former Congressman Allen West (R-FL 22nd), who recently became CEO of the Dallas Texas based National Center for Policy Analysis, countered Sharpton's intimations that racism influenced the Academy Awards nominations by citing sports analogies. Sports allow us to celebrate excellence and achievement not about proportioned prosperity.

As Americans celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday, we should remember that the Civil Rights movement sought to allow the equality of opportunity not of achievement.

Kobe Bryant on Competition

Kevin Durant on MVPs

Kevin Durant, a 26 year old 6'9" forward for the Oklahoma City Thunder, won the 2013-2014 NBA Most Valuable Player award.  What was striking about Durant's 25 minute speech is what he chose to highlight.  Durant has been top scorer in four of the last five seasons.  But Durant  highlighted how he was molded by his upbringing coming from modest background in PG county (Prince Georges county outside of the District of Calamity) and how Durant appreciated all of the support that he received.

[L] Kevin Durant embraces his Mama at NBA MVP  (photo: AP/Susan Ogroki)

Durant personally recognized all of his teammates in his MVP speech, which recognizes that he could not achieve without the help of others.  But Durant reserved the highest praise for his mother, who he called the "real MVP". Wanda Pratt, a.k.a. @MamaDurant , expected to be mentioned in her son's speech but had no idea about the magnitude of the recognition.




This tribute has struck a chord with the public at large a demonstration of humility, an example that single-mothers can make a difference.  The NBA even made a commercial with selected snippets of Durant's speech

 However, on the second Sunday in May, it is an especially appropriate tribute to mothers.

P.K. Subban--A Classy Canadien Who Rejects Racist Rubes' Barbs

P.K. Subban, Defenseman for the Montreal Canadiens

After PK Subban scored the winning goal in double overtime for the Montreal Canadien's 4-3 win over the Boston Bruins in game one of second round of the NHL Eastern Conference playoffs, he was reportedly pelted with trash by bellicose Bruins fans at the TD Gardens.  When asked if he was hit by the debris, Subban said: I don’t know. It doesn’t even matter.”

What was harder to deny were the brigade of bigoted Bruins fans which took to Twitter to share thousand of racist comments to  trash the 24 year old defenseman from Toronto whose parents emigrated from the Caribbean to Canada.  It got so bad that the Bruins' President Cam Neely issued a statement:

“The racist, classless views expressed by an ignorant group of individuals following Thursday’s game via digital media are in no way a reflection of anyone associated with the Bruins organization.”

This torrent of intolerance is not the first time that some Masshole bigots have sullied the sport.  When Joel Ward clenched the series for the Washington Capitals over the Boston in 2012, some Bruins fans issued a barrage of racist rants on Twitter.   What makes this episode remarkable is that it took place in the turbulent cultural cross currents of the Donald Sterling Clippers controversy in the NBA.

When Subban chose to respond to these racists' rants, his thoughts could not be contained in 140 character limit of Twitter. Subban said:

First things first, the Boston Bruins are an Original Six franchise, they have been around a long time, they are respected. It’s completely unfair for anybody to point the finger at the organization of the fan base. They have passionate fans here, a great fan base and since I’ve been in the league, it’s been awesome. 

I’ve come to Boston many times, my family has come here and it’s been great. What people may say on Twitter or social media is not a reflection by any means of the league or the Boston Bruins.

You know what the funny thing is, is that we get stronger as a league. You see how people come together and it’s great. It’s not just about me. The NHL has tons of players from different backgrounds, from different places around the world and that’s what makes this league so special and that’s what makes sports so special, it brings everybody together.

Another great hockey game today. I’m sure everybody enjoyed it and I look forward to the rest of the series and everybody else should, too.

Even when pointedly interviewed on television about the incident, Subban refused to climb onto the racial victims bandwagon.




Subban brushed off the brusque bigotry, he spoke highly of the passion of his arch-rival  Bruins fans, while touting the virtues of hockey.  When pressed he called out the stupidity of the minority of insult hurlers.

Even diehard Bruin fans are impressed by Subban's class.  Someone reacting to the Boston Herald's coverage of the incident wrote:

I hate the Habs, but in regards to P.K. Subban praise is due. P.K. is a class person and a helluva hockey player, man can he skate — beautiful to watch. Fortunately, I believe we will be loving to hate P.K. (the player) for years to come. Oh, and those walking pieces of human debris who sent those tweets etc. ... can now crawl back into their rats nests while the rest of us enjoy a great playoff series.

Even some Massachusetts politicos have gone out on a limb to praise Subban's poise.  Charlie Baker, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, posted on Twitter

Passions can run high among hockey fans, especially a playoff series between members of the NHL's original six.  But P.K. Subban demonstrated remarkable virtue should be admired across the board as one classy Canadien. Subban's example is a better example of what sports can do.

Harry Reid on the Redskins

In the wake of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver's swift and severe punishment of L.A. Clippers' owner Donald Sterling's racist rant made in private, politicians rushed to jump in on the Politically Correct civic circus. 

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) used some of his floor time on the US Senate to rail against Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder's intransigence about changing the team name.  

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When Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson (D-Sacramento) crowed about "what sports can do", he gloated that President Obama and Vice President Biden expressed support for doing something to rectify the situation.

What form of polity is a government which nudges businesses to order society to their desired goals?  With the myriad of problems which face the Federal government and the Senate's inability to act, the Majority Leader ought to concentrate on legislating rather than dictating sports team nicknames. 

Kevin Johnson on "What Sports Can Do"

Mayor Kevin Johnson (D-Sacramento), a former NBA All Star point guard for Phoenix Suns, endorsed NBA Commissioner Adam Silver's lifetime ban of Donald Sterling for taped racist comments made in private to V. Stiviano.

Johnson confidently asserted that the swift and severe reaction to reprehensible comments shows what sports can do.



 However, it is questionable if sports allows people to talk about real issues, as history is instructive.  During the French Revolution, the goal of establishing a "Republic of Virtue" was thwarted by the mob rule from Robespierre's Committee of Public Safety which oversaw the "Reign of Terror"  when those accused of being "enemies of the revolution" were purged and eliminated.

As deplorable  as Sterling's utterances sound, they were made in private and did not correspond to how he conducted affairs as the L.A. Clippers' owner.  Sterling was accorded little to no due process as NBA Commissioner Silver swiftly acted to politically correct calls for action and deprive an "owner" the ability to attend, much less run, his business.

Does this sort of mob rule for political correctness encourage an honest exchange of views?

Mark Cuban on Political Correctness

When the Donald Sterling tapes first surface, Dallas Mavericks owner distanced himself from the L.A. Clippers owner's racist rant but noted that in this country people are allowed to be morons.  However, Cuban also noted the dangers of a slippery slope on ad hoc applications of political correctness.

But after new NBA Commissioner Adam Silver lowered the boom on Donald Sterling and basically banned him from basketball, the Mavericks owner changed his tune.

Phil Jackson on Wisdom

Kobe Bryant's Prudence Protecting Body Armor

In a wide ranging interview with New Yorker magazine, Kobe Bryant was asked about the widespread displays of solidarity in reaction to the Trayvon Martin shooting in 2012.  In fact, the Miami Heat posed in hoodies in homage to the slain teen domicilled in Miami Gardens, Florida. 

 Bryant’s reticent reaction to the iconic Miami Heat hoodies pose is in sharp contrast to the politically correct groupthink amongst African American activists just weeks after the incident and even before George Zimmerman was charged.

Bryant’s insistence of thinking for himself and not jumping to conclusions based upon group identity shows prudence in the traditional sense.

Unfortunately, in this American Wonderland, such judicious and independent thinking is unacceptable for celebrities who seek to profit from popularity in these politically correct times. For instance, The Urban Times alleged:

Over the span of Kobe Bryant‘s career….we’ve seen him do and say some very smug, cavalier and even cornball things at times but the comments that he made regarding the Miami Heat‘s support after Trayvon Martin was killed…by far takes the cake! 

So unity must overcome all. The piece progressed to pummel Bryant for not appreciating how he appealed to racial solidarity when there was the Colorado rape allegation from “a less than African American female.”  

As the social media firestorm blazed, the career Laker seemed to walk back his diffidence. Bryant tweeted:

That assertion has tries to have it both ways in buttressing his not jumping to conclusions as well as asserting solidarity that the judicial system did not work. This retort may well have been  public relations prudence to protect Byrant's  multi-million investment in BodyArmor, an emerging sports drink.  While Bryant will not be used in Body Armor’s marketing campaigns, this Trayvon controversy could tarnish the brand among basketball enthusiasts, thereby risking Kobe, Inc’s at least 10 percent stake in Body Armor. 

Kobe Bryant and Body Armor product line.

h/t: The Urban Times
     Hot Air

Joe Biden on Basketball

As part of the Obama Administration marking Black History Month, Vice President Joe Biden told a crowd of his hoops prowess.

If Biden wants to step up his game and take on POTUS, he ought to remember Charles Barkley's analysis of Obama's game.   Barkley spoke with President Obama prior to the NBA All Star Game.  In conjunction with the soft ball Oval Office interview, Barkley observed that Obama always goes to the left on the court.   So that's not just Obama's modus operandi in the political field.