Thursday, March 7, 2013

Should Athletes in college take the You Can Play Pledge



In an article titled “Pirates take You Can Play Pledge” it discusses the American Hockey League team the Pirates taking a pledge to end homophobia in hockey.  The pledge stated that the athletes would support their teammates, coaches, and fans gay or straight.  This to me spoke volumes because of the fact that there are not many sports that have done this.  Hockey is a very aggressive and masculine sport.  So it really got my attention that these men took this pledge.
This pledge not only covered homophobia, but it also covered racism and sexism.  We have to realize that homophobia is not the only discriminate topic.  As for this topic effecting collegiate sports and other sports besides hockey, I feel it is effective for all sports professional and collegiate to take this pledge, but I have to wonder about the athletes who hold strong beliefs against gay rights.  Does this pledge cause conflict between the ones who are not accepting? And since there are LGBT organizations now in college, could this pledge work in a college sports setting as well? However the pledge could be a dangerous situation because of the fact that not everyone is accepting to the lifestyle.  But should we support this pledge or should we go against it? That is the question.
-Lauaren Tucker

2 comments:

  1. I think this is a very good topic to explore further. I agree with you that it is definitely surprising to see such a masculine sport taking such a pro stance on homosexuality. This pledge, however, would most likely cause conflict like you suggested. Overall, a good blog post. I would honestly like to know more about what different players, coaches, and fans think about this You Can Play Pledge. One thing, you might want to cite the article, just in case since you reference it. :)

    -Liz Harrison

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  2. Awh, this video gave my body Goosebumps. This video is so inspiring. It nice to see sports member bring this topic up.
    -Marissa Stawkey-

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