"Gay" remark lands analyst in hot water...

[buckeyefan78]

Brian Kinchen made the remark in the Iowa-Northern Illinois game on Saturday...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/football/ncaa/10/31/espn.commentator.ap/index.html

[Richard the Lionheart]

You can actually see the clip of the broadcast on collegehumor.com

This whole thing seems like a big, hyper-sensitive overreaction to me.

[Alex]

I agree with Ricky. Too damn much sensitivity in this country today.

[The Pirate Bob]

I agree ricky......doesn't seem like we can have any fun anymore. People have to be so afraid of what they say that they can't even say the obvious out loud. We Americans (especially our politicians, who I put alot of the blame for this on) need a good enema. We are getting so uptight about the most trivial things. Our dang government has us so afraid to speak our mind and be ourselves, it's just sad what these fear peddlers are doing to our psychies.

What do you say we make a concerted effort to change that?

[tobynosker]

I agree that people overreact to these kinds of things, but his job is to analyze ballgames and not to make ridiculous, off-the-cuff remarks.

I know that everytime I get behind the microphone to do a ballgame, I have to be weary of anyone who could be hyper-sensitive to that kind of a joke, so I refrain from using them.

Kinchen knew what the reaction to his comment would be, and he said it anyways.

I have no problem with him serving a suspension because of it, but I would also expect him back in the booth pretty soon.

[soxfan]

An overreaction? Maybe. But it was a stupid thing to say, especially since there are plenty of gay guys out there who aren't effeminate in the least.

[KevinBeane]

I think ESPN overreacted, and I think a more appropriate measure would be for his bosses to censure him privately. It's not like he's ever gonna do it again. But I also am always amused that, when businesses take a disciplinary action in cases like this, a lot of the same people (not anyone here necessarily, mind you) who complain that such disciplinary actions are an affront to free speech and how the PC police are sending the world to hell in a handbasket are the very same people who believe businesses should be 100% "free," unregulated and unrestricted in their decisions otherwise.

More to the point (I guess I'm politicizing this even further but), the law (indeed the constitution) couldn't be any more clear about Kinchen's right to say such things and far, far worse. But on this issue, people who normally disdain government and lawmakers and are strongly pro-business and capitalism go completely the other way on this issue.

[eric]

If you place youself in the public eye, you have to be prepared to take the heat for your actions and remarks.

[Richard the Lionheart]

I think ESPN overreacted, and I think a more appropriate measure would be for his bosses to censure him privately. It's not like he's ever gonna do it again. But I also am always amused that, when businesses take a disciplinary action in cases like this, a lot of the same people (not anyone here necessarily, mind you) who complain that such disciplinary actions are an affront to free speech and how the PC police are sending the world to hell in a handbasket are the very same people who believe businesses should be 100% "free," unregulated and unrestricted in their decisions otherwise.


I don't think thats really the issue though. I'm not saying (and no one else is that I'm aware of) that ESPN should not be legally able to punish its employees. If they want to do that, that is their decision to make. I'm just saying that I disagree with it, and find it ridiculous, which isn't much of a suprise since I find 99% of what ESPN does ridiculous.