The recent firestorm caused
by what Manny Pacquiao said (and ultimately didn't say in quoting scripture)
regarding gay marriage brought
to mind the famous quote of another iconic athlete associated with Nike. During
his heyday, Michael
Jordan was asked why he wouldn't give an endorsement to Harvey
Gantt, a well-liked African-American who, at the time of his run for Senate
against the ultra-conservative Jesse Helms, was the mayor of Charlotte. Jordan
had starred at University of North Carolina and his support would've been
instrumental for Gantt’s campaign.
Instead, ever the pitchman, “Air”
Jordan stayed neutral, stating, “Republicans buy sneakers too.”
Well, in that vein, I guess the
“Pac-Man” figures that gays must not buy many pay-per-views. But in an ironic
twist, while his fight against the relatively unknown Tim Bradley is a tough
sell, suddenly, Pacquiao found himself a national story- even finding himself
banned from The Grove in Los Angeles, a popular shopping center, when it
prohibited Pacquiao from conducting an interview with Mario Lopez from “Extra” (as someone who grew up in Montebello, I just
want to state that Pacquiao is welcome any time at the Montebello Town Center-
but I digress).
Perhaps Pacquiao would have
been better off stating something along the lines of, “Hey, if gay people want
to deal with the headaches I did last November with Jinkee, let them.” But it
seems as though the biggest mistake he's made (whether you agree or disagree
with his stance or not) is in taking a strong position on a heated debate in
our country. Perhaps he had no other choice because unlike the apolitical
Jordan- who seemingly never took a stand on anything that didn't take place on
the basketball court- Pacquiao is the polar opposite. In fact, he has been
a congressman in the Philippines for well over a year now. He's expected to
take firm stances on these issues.
He is no longer just an
athlete or boxer; he is now a man who is a legislator in his homeland and can
influence public policy for his people. There's a reason why Floyd Mayweather (who
jumped on the bandwagon by tweeting his endorsement for gay marriage on
Wednesday) or any other pugilist isn't asked such questions. Seriously, while
Sergio Martinez has taken up the cause of anti-bullying, do you care about his
thoughts on how to balance the budget or create more jobs? Do we want to know
Andre Ward's opinion on foreign policy?
No, because they are just
prizefighters. They haven't tried to be anything else.
Pacquiao decided long ago he
wanted to become a politician and while some may yearn for the separation of
church and sport, maybe it simply isn't possible in this case. Personally, I've
always felt his foray into the muddied waters of politics was a questionable
one. I mean, think about it; even the most popular of politicians have at least
40 percent of their populace opposing them. Despite idolatry unmatched by any
other in the Philippines, Pacquiao most likely falls under that same category. And
his opinion is more than just that; in many ways, it's an ideology. Perhaps he
opined so strongly on this particular issue because he was speaking to his
constituents back home (who are largely Catholic and probably share the same
views) with some good ol' fashioned pandering. Hey, it's what politicians do.
But the problem was, he was broaching a subject based on American issues and statements made by the Commander-in-Chief,
Barack Obama.
“[Pacquiao]'s entitled to
his opinion, doesn't have to be my opinion, doesn't have to be anyone else's
opinion. But he has an opinion and it's not a far-out opinion,” said his
promoter Bob Arum, who's no stranger to politics as he once worked under the
attorney general for the Kennedy administration before getting into this boxing
racket. “About more than half of the people in the country are opposed to gay
marriage. I mean, that's just the way it is. Other people have different views
but if we're going to have intelligent dialogue about these issues, everybody
is entitled to express their opinions.”
But be careful what you wish
for. Manny wanted to be a politician and politicians will be asked to answer
these sorts of questions. That said, according to Arum, there are no regrets on
his part.
“No, he absolutely wanted to
say this. He's absolutely opposed to gay marriage, period,” said the promoter,
who needs all the help he can get in drumming up interest for his June 9th event in Las Vegas. “He's a Catholic; he's a practicing Catholic, an
evangelical Catholic- whatever the hell that is- and this is his view. So he's
not ashamed of that.”
DEBATE
Predictably, Martin Luther
Mayweather tweeted that he was an advocate of gay marriage: “I stand behind
President Obama & support gay marriage,” adding a short time later, “I'm an
American citizen & I believe people should live their life the way they
want.”
Uh, yeah, I guess he's “endorsing”
gay marriage the way he once advocated against domestic abuse prior to his
fight with Diego Corrales. It seems Manny and Floyd simply can't see eye-to-eye
on anything. So I propose this, in lieu of them not facing each other inside
the squared circle, I say we set up a presidential-style debate and have them
discuss not only this issue but the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, how to create
more jobs and the cost of gasoline.
I say Chris Matthews or
Larry Merchant act as the moderator.
PACER FLURRIES
Here's an interesting
background story on that Jordan/Helms to-do: http://providencedailydose.com/2008/07/06/michael-jordan-on-jesse-helms/...So
is Bradley now the most popular boxer in the gay community? Ernest Gabion of
Everlast quipped he's now the “Desert Rainbow”...The latest on Nonito Donaire is
that he might be returning June 30th on HBO (and yeah, this has
changed more than a few times). “That looks to be the case,” confirmed Arum,
who says this card (with Brandon Rios in a possible co-feature if he doesn't
land the bout with Juan Manuel Marquez on July 14th) might land at
the Mandalay Bay...So Kim Kardashian's backside is the only one Skechers Shape-Ups
shoes really helped?...Heaven help LeBron James if the Heat can't be the
Pacers. It will be one long summer for him...
