Last week, Boston Red Sox player Jarren Duran was suspended for two games after responding to a heckling fan with a homophobic slur. Men’s pro sports have a rocky history with LGBTQ issues, and although teams are trying, some question whether it’s enough.
Boston Red Sox' Jarren Duran at bat during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024, in Baltimore.
And when he unleashed a profanity laced tirade, including a homophobic slur at a fan who had been heckling him, all of baseball heard it. And we've worked really hard over these past two and a half decades to make sure that Fenway Park is a place where everyone feels welcome and our players to feel welcome, our fans, our media, everything.
DEARING: We like to, every once in a while, do a little baseball on public radio, Ken. It's unfortunate though that this is the circumstances we're doing this in. And I want to start specifically with situating the Jarren Duran case.SCHULTZ: Yes, it was.
And his job was partly in instances like this to reach out to players and speak to them one on one, as someone who had played the game, which is a voice that they respect, and let them know where they had transgressed, where they had done wrong and what they could do. And there is nothing about a two game suspension that would cross a player's mind in the future if they transgress, that would make them think twice about dropping a slur on the field like that. So it's very much a PR thing.
And Hendriks gave an interview to the Boston Globe a couple of days afterwards. And he did the thing that Mor League Baseball players tend to do. And one of them is being criticized by fans or by media, which is usually they circle the wagons around one of their guys. DEARING: Ken, as I understand it, there is not yet a Major League Baseball player who has played in the Major Leagues while out.
SCHULTZ: Yes. And someone, there was a reporter who asked about that when they were talking to Commissioner Rob Manfred, and he gave a very Rob Manfred word salad. Essentially ended up with him giving up the game and saying that yes, we are aware that we've given an All-Star game to the team that doesn't have a pride night, but they just spent a billion dollars to build a new ballpark.
DEARING: Ryan, I'll note right away, we're going to talk about many dimensions of mental health crisis here. And for listeners, if you or somebody that you love are experiencing a mental health crisis, you can use the mental health crisis hotline. The number is 988, and you can call or text 24 hours a day. Seven days a week, for help and resources.
And that was a plan you had for years, and football was a place that aided and abetted that plan. It wasn't a place where you ever either were drawn out, and encouraged to be who you were, or created opportunities for you to change your thinking about whether it was safe and positive to be an openly gay man.
O'CALLAGHAN: So yeah, surprisingly well. And that's really been the theme of everyone I came out to, for the most part. Obviously, there were a couple who I lost friendships with, but one of the first people I came out to is Scott Pioli, who at the time was the general manager of the chiefs. When I was with the Patriots, he was the GM there and he drafted me.
O'CALLAGHAN: Yeah, and you know, that was honestly similar to when I came out to my mom, you know I hadn't, I had deliberately pushed them away and when I came out to her she was like, oh, thank God, you're just gay. I also at the same time, never heard anything positive, people talking about their gay brothers or anything like that, but there's been positive examples of players who have come out. Even recently, Carl Nassib, when he was with the Raiders, he played, I believe two years after he came out. And he was welcomed with open arms and the NFL has done quite a bit in the last few years to show that they're an ally.
There was one specific who disowned their child after they came out, but seeing my story led them to reconsidering what they had chosen to do. There are always going to be people who are not allies. Beyond that, they're just hateful towards the community. But I firmly believe they are a just very loud minority.
And if you do want to come out, no, you don't have to. I can say that more than likely it will be a positive experience. I'm not telling anyone they have to come out, but I think the best way to start is to find this one person in your life who you are pretty certain would be accepting. And just have a conversation with them and let them know that, saying what you're about to say, to them, is a big deal.
DEARING: Ryan O'Callaghan played right tackle in the NFL for six seasons with the Patriots from '06 to '09 and the Kansas City Chiefs from '09 to 2012. And his book is My Life on the Line: How the NFL Damn Near Killed Me and Ended Up Saving My Life. Ryan, thanks so much for sharing your story.DEARING: And again, if you or someone you love is experiencing a mental health crisis, you can reach out to 988 by text or phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
SCHULTZ: It increases the difficulty somewhat, because there still is a loud cadre of fans who are anti-gay and anti LGBTQ, and they make themselves known on social media and also sometimes at the ballpark. And I do not believe they're anywhere close to the majority by any means, but because they have volume sometimes on their side, they have the ability to scare both players, to keep them in the closet.
DEARING: So we actually reached out to listeners and said, if you're a member of the LGBTQ community, how are you experiencing Major League Sports? Leah, called us from Madison, Wisconsin. She and her wife are huge sports fans and they're always paying attention to how inclusive the teams are.
But because, essentially people are both worried about that normalizing influence of sports, that if a trans person can participate, then heavens, we might accept trans people as equals and citizens and people with the same rights as everybody else in this country.
I raised the question of boycott backlash to Bud Light. There was push back on Target for its Pride displays. It's now stepped away from that. We know that the National Hockey League now doesn't allow any display of Pride insignia of any kind on its uniforms during a season. Where does the business of sports fit into this?
And that's been a piece of the subtext in this conversation so far. One of the things that I want to bring forward is the differences in the ability to be out in the professional women's leagues. You look at the WNBA, which is growing in power, in viewership, in seats, in the stands in television contracts, et cetera.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Postdoctoral Fellow in Human Immunology (wet lab) - Boston, Massachusetts (US) job with Boston University Atomic LabAtomic Lab (https://atomic-lab.org/) at the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Boston seeks a Postdoctoral Fellow with expertise in human immunology in infectious diseases and vaccinations.
Read more »
Postdoctoral Fellow in Systems Immunology (dry lab) - Boston, Massachusetts (US) job with Boston University Atomic LabAtomic Lab (https://atomic-lab.org/) at the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Boston seeks a Postdoctoral Fellow with a background in AI, data science and bioinformatics.
Read more »
Bill Belichick's girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, enjoys glitzy night out in gold gownThe former New England Patriot coach’s 23-year-old love interest parted the night away at Boston Magazine’s Best of Boston Soiree last week.
Read more »
Boston Red Sox vs. Houston Astros - August 21, 2024Astros (Verlander 3-2, 3.95) play host to Red Sox (Criswell 5-4, 4.56) and Duran, fresh off his 4-4, HR, 2 RBI game
Read more »
DiJonai Carrington calls out WNBA for lack of 'promo' for Boston gameDiJonai Carrington called out the WNBA over what she felt was a lack of promotion for the Connecticut Sun's historic game in Boston's TD Garden.
Read more »
Class of 2026 OL Adrian Hamilton Receives Offer From Boston CollegeYour daily briefing on what's going on with Boston College athletics, including full TV listings.
Read more »