The Sports Thread

[Gazoo]

Breaking news:  Sheryl Swoopes, arguably the greatest female basketball player ever (at least she has the most awards & championships at all levels), has come out, the first major pro US athlete to do so at the peak of their career.  She is the current WNBA MVP.

http://sports.espn.go.com/wnba/news/story?id=2203853

Thanks for the alert!  I've emailed this to a good friend, and as I noted to him, kudos to Ms. Swoopes for her courage and honesty -- I fully expect the WNBA to offer her no support whatsoever when the fallout comes.

[RGMike]

Breaking news:  Sheryl Swoopes, arguably the greatest female basketball player ever (at least she has the most awards & championships at all levels), has come out, the first major pro US athlete to do so at the peak of their career.  She is the current WNBA MVP.

http://sports.espn.go.com/wnba/news/story?id=2203853

A big story, but we're talking women's basketball here; those who do watch the WNBA probably suspected a lot of those women are dykes. But as she's black and a single mom, it's significant -- black homophobes LOVE to paint homosex as a white male yuppie "disease".

[mshray]

Breaking news:  Sheryl Swoopes, arguably the greatest female basketball player ever (at least she has the most awards & championships at all levels), has come out, the first major pro US athlete to do so at the peak of their career.  She is the current WNBA MVP.

http://sports.espn.go.com/wnba/news/story?id=2203853

Thanks for the alert!  I've emailed this to a good friend, and as I noted to him, kudos to Ms. Swoopes for her courage and honesty -- I fully expect the WNBA to offer her no support whatsoever when the fallout comes.

Somewhat surprising results on the ESPN viewer poll (and a particularly cogent analysis by their regular WNBA writer here: http://sports.espn.go.com/wnba/columns/story?columnist=voepel_mechelle&id=2203893 ):

Thank you for voting. See below for the results from across SportsNation.

Your responses in bold text below.


1.) Is this a big story?
60.6% Yes -- Like it or not, sports are one place where people of disparate opinions are forced to come together.
39.4% No -- Sports are sports, and we shouldn't look to them to influence or address social issues.
 
2.) Will Swoopes' announcement prompt more athletes to come out?
55.8% No
44.2% Yes
 
3.) Are you surprised an athlete of Swoopes' stature came out while still active?
50.7% No
49.3% Yes
 
4.) Does Swoopes' announcement change your opinion of her?
80.2% No
19.8% Yes
 
5.) Will Swoopes' announcement make her any less marketable?
51.3% No
48.7% Yes
 
6.) What impact will Swoopes' announcement have on women's basketball?
52.8% Mostly neutral
27.5% Mostly negative
19.7% Mostly positive

7.) Are sports fans more tolerant of openly gay female athletes than male athletes?
87.4% Yes
12.6% No
 
8.) Would it bother you if the star of your favorite team came out?
63.4% No
36.6% Yes
 
9.) How long will it be until a star player in the NBA, NFL, NHL or MLB comes out?
32.2% More than 10 years
31.6% Within five years
21.8% Within 10 years
14.3% Within a year or two

10.) How would you rate the tolerance of sports fans compared to the general public?
30.0% About the same
29.7% Slightly less tolerant
25.2% Much less tolerant
10.1% Slightly more tolerant
5.0% Much more tolerant
 

Total Votes: 7,647

P.S.  I called Dave & told him when I voted for Little Feat.

[RGMike]

Well, congrats to the White Sox -- I was rooting for 'em, but I didn't expect 'em to sweep.  They deserve our thanks because

(a) we may never see Roger Clemens again

(b) We've been spared 3 more days of FOX's dreadful coverage (and boy they must be pissed -- the WS is a sweep 2 years in a row, that's a shitload of lost revenue $$$).

[mshray]

First Sheryl Swoopes.........


..........and now Ozzie Guillen???

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=1756&e=1&u=/051027/483/hta19010270538

[RGMike]

First Sheryl Swoopes.........


..........and now Ozzie Guillen???

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=1756&e=1&u=/051027/483/hta19010270538

ROTFLSHIPMP!!!

Especially funny after his "child molster" comment earlier this year...

[RGMike]

Los Angeles Saints?

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/10/27/sports/s092551D27.DTL

Well, saints and angels go together...

[Gazoo]

I'm going to a taping of Stephen A. Smith's "Quite Frankly" this afternoon.  Topic is gays in sports -- and this was arranged well before Swoopes's coming-out.  Should be interesting.

[Lightnin' Rod]

I'm going to a taping of Stephen A. Smith's "Quite Frankly" this afternoon.  Topic is gays in sports -- and this was arranged well before Swoopes's coming-out.  Should be interesting.

Topic aside, I wouldn't watch Stephen A. Smith if you put a gun to my head.  Quite frankly, he's a blowhard.

[RGMike]

I'm going to a taping of Stephen A. Smith's "Quite Frankly" this afternoon.  Topic is gays in sports -- and this was arranged well before Swoopes's coming-out.  Should be interesting.

bring your earplugs!  On the list of annoying things about ESPN, he's right up there. But we expect a full report!

[RGMike]

Another article about Raider Nation...

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/10/27/BAG7VFEO8H1.DTL

[mshray]

I'm going to a taping of Stephen A. Smith's "Quite Frankly" this afternoon.  Topic is gays in sports -- and this was arranged well before Swoopes's coming-out.  Should be interesting.

I remember what he was like a couple of years ago, and I think he's a prime example of someone achieving career advancement only after creating an over-the-top persona.  Tell me if you ever notice him slipping out of character and reverting to his genuine self.

[Alicat]

SBC Park changing names again...
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/10/27/MNGBAFERJC13.DTL

AT&T Park?

Oy vey.

[Lightnin' Rod]

Another article about Raider Nation...

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/10/27/BAG7VFEO8H1.DTL

Yeah, I already read that.  It's disheartening.  The sad part is that 98% of the fans aren't any more likely to cause trouble than fans anywhere.

The other two percent perpetuate  the image.  The dress up crowd is then associated with it, though, as the article states, they are generally well behaved.

[urth]

SBC Park changing names again...
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/10/27/MNGBAFERJC13.DTL

AT&T Park?

Oy vey.

Oy vey indeed. Lot of folks will not be happy about this--the Giants and the City of SF probably leading the list. Think of all the signage that will need to be changed...again.