op-ed Screaming match not conducive for dialogue

Author: Nick DeSantis

A few weeks ago, after the incidents of homophobic graffiti sprang up around the campus, I felt a tangible amount of positive energy stemming from the community's response to hate speech. However, I'm a little nervous about the devolvement of the discussion into value judgments about whether or not homophobia is worse than athlete-phobia. Lest you believe I sit on the fence here, I do believe that expressions of homophobia are worse than expressions of athlete-phobia because queer students do not enjoy nearly the same level of institutional prestige that athletes do. Both are wrong, but there is a difference.

Don't believe me? There's no NCAA National Championship trophy for gayness on display in the trophy case in the lobby of the athletic center. The Vermont State Legislature has never recognized the superiority of Middlebury's gay students with official legislation as it has some of our sports teams. However, we must all realize there are negative consequences to constructing the issue this way, and we end up straying from the real issue.

Pitting athletes against queer students not only moves the conversation away from its proper focus, it also puts queer athletes between a rock and a hard place. I believe that it's more important to deal directly with the root of the problem itself than argue about which group has it worse. We must find a way to deal constructively, not destructively, with the issue of homophobia.

Before I say more about this issue, I want to lay all of my cards out on the table. First of all, I'm currently the Sports Director at WRMC, the campus radio station. I'm one of the biggest Middlebury sports fans that you'll meet on this campus. Though I'm not a member of an athletic team here, I was a member of my high school's varsity tennis team. I believe athletics serve an important purpose for many students on this campus. I am also vehemently opposed to homophobic statements of any kind, and more than anything else, I want people to seriously consider the issue of homophobia in athletics.

The fact is, there is a specific cultural history in this country that connects homophobia to sports, and to ignore this history is to be blind to a reality that manifests itself more often than we notice. Need a little convincing? Let me cite a few examples: John Smoltz, the Atlanta Braves' All-Star pitcher, had this to say about gay marriage: "What's next? Marrying an animal?" Penn State basketball coach Rene Portland also made her opinions clear when she cited her official team policy: "no drugs, no alcohol, no lesbians." And finally, in an April 12, 2005 poll released by PR Newswire, nearly one third of Americans said that they believed it was "not appropriate" for gays to be involved in youth sports in coaching or officiating roles.

Even if you'd like to believe that homophobia only exists at the highest level of athletics, these people enjoy the admiration and envy of millions of Americans. As such, it is irresponsible to turn a blind eye to the culture of homophobia in sports. To do so accomplishes nothing, and squelches every bit of positive energy that someone creates when they express support for the queer community. So what should we do? I challenge all members of the community to look in the mirror when they say, "I support the queer community." Instead of getting into a screaming match when someone connects athletics and homophobia, have the courage to examine the potential truth of that connection.

Even if you're an athlete who is not homophobic, if you truly support the queer community, you should be asking yourself what you can do to deconstruct the homophobia that exists in sports. In making this connection, I am not accusing you of anything. I'm merely asking you to do some soul-searching. The worst thing you can do is go into a shell of denial. In the end, we should be supporting each other and encouraging discussion instead of launching verbal bombs at one another. Only when we are willing to truly examine the roots of our favorite cultural institutions (such as sports) can we really laud ourselves for being a place of honest, open, and productive dialogue.

Nick DeSantis is a sophomore from Diamond Point N.Y.