Date Posted: June 9, 2011
Print Edition: May 27, 2011
By Karen Aney (The Cascade) – Email
Sean Avery isn’t often a name synonymous with positive things. He’s notorious for cheap hits and angry explosions, and has even been suspended for his demoralizing comments about ex-girlfriend Elisha Cuthbert. Because of this, it was a surprise to many when he decided to voice his support of homosexual players in the NHL.
This began in February of this year when he pledged to stand next to any player in the dressing room who decides to come out to his teammates about being gay. “Maybe if Sean Avery is there, they would have less of a problem with it,” he said. This stance has taken a deeper turn, though – not only has he spoken with the media about his support, he has now formally voiced his stance in an ad campaign for the human rights coalition New Yorkers for Marriage Equality Campaign. There’s no turning back now – he’s in a commercial. It has a white background, corny music, and subtitles. In other words, it’s official.
It has sparked some interesting reactions. First, Burlington hockey agent Todd Reynolds went on record as saying that Avery’s choice to make his support known is “very sad” and “wrong.” Surely this sentiment was felt by many, but most chose not to voice it. Damian Goddard, a sportscaster for Rogers Sportsnet, decided to air his support of Reynolds, tweeting “I completely and wholeheartedly support Todd Reynolds and his support for the traditional and TRUE meaning of marriage.” Less than 24 hours later, Sportsnet terminated Goddard after more than a decade of employment.
The interesting aspect of this situation is that Goddard tweeted his support on his personal twitter account, from his personal computer. This brings up some employment rights issues, but further than that it demonstrates the extent of the influence the sports media has. What’s more, it acts as an example of just how loud the world of sports fans can be – and that they, by and large, support homosexuality. While this isn’t completely unprecedented – the death of Brian Burke’s son Brendan and his subsequent stance on homosexuality is one example that comes to mind – the immediacy of the fallout is a testament to how important this issue is for the public.
The Internet allows information to travel quickly; perhaps this is one reason for the chain of events that is transpiring. Less than a week after Goddard was fired, Phoenix Suns CEO Rick Welts publicly revealed he was homosexual. He cited a few different reasons for his announcement, such as the recent end of a 14 year relationship and the need to be a mentor in the sports world, but it’s difficult to imagine that the fallout sparked by Avery did not contribute in some way. In an interview on May 20, he said that the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive: “hundreds and hundreds of texts and voicemails … Parents of kids who are struggling with the same issue. Kids themselves who just reached out to say thank you.” Whether or not you agree with homosexuality, the public’s stance is impossible to ignore. Avery and his counterparts have sparked a revolution.
