Author wants to know why Duke-hating carries a homophobic component

Fitting, in this case, the sarcasm font is royal blue. Though it didn't need it.

 

In the '80s and early '90s Duke was everybody's favorite Cinderella, deposing North Carolina from its throne in the ACC and making forays into the Final Four. Mixing metaphors here, Duke was David knocking off the UNLV Goliath in the 1991 Final Four for Krzyzewski's first title. Everyone (well, mostly everyone) was pulling for Duke back then, because Duke was the underdog.

But Duke made the unforgivable mistake -- instead of retreating out of the limelight they stayed around. As a result, they were no longer the fresh face of college hoops. Now they were Goliath.

So we -- sportswriters and fans alike -- look for new fresh faces. Like Gonzaga of several years ago, or George Mason in 2006, or Davidson last year. We embrace a new Cinderella every year, but we get tired of waking up next to her year after year. Sorry, but we're fickle. Familiarity -- and success -- breed contempt. And in Duke's case, also a certain amount of envy.

 

Calling Duke players gay is an insult to gays.

 

I'm just amused that Missouri fans are lecturing on how fans should act.
Given what the Antlers have done over the years.

 

I would rather call BYU players gay, except for the fact that Mormons hate gay people so much I wouldn't see BYU ever admitting an openly gay person.

 

Mormons don't hate gays. They just hate teh gay!

 

Hate the sin, love the sinner? So to speak.

For the record, I don't think being gay is a sin.

 

I agree with you.

 

Perhaps you missed this:

I hate it when anybody does it, but I'm especially embarrassed when it's my alma mater.

 

I can't wait until uttering homophobic slurs is as unacceptable in sports - at any level - as uttering racial or ethnic or sexist epithets.

I went as a chaperon yesterday with my 12-year old daughter's seventh grade class to a holocaust museum. At the end of our tour, an 81-year old Hungarian survivor spoke for an hour and took questions. It just so happened that yesterday was the 65th anniversary of the date of the German occupation of Hungary, which took place after it was clear the war was lost, and they still killed hundreds of thousands. Most, as she told us, killed by 14 and 15 year old boys given rifles and the power to kill anyone they wished, for any reason.

Her message? Tolerance, tolerance, tolerance. And she urged each of us listening, if we heard slurs of any kind, to stand up and and confront the accuser, because if you don't...

I'd like to see some "students" demonstrate an ounce of her courage. When I see them standing together, and taunting, I see cowards.

And if you are covering a game at whioch these displays take place, and you stay silent, or don't write about it... Well, you answer to yourself, I guess.

 

Gotta admit Lamar's limp javelin was pretty funny in that flick.

 

The premise of this column -- that Duke players are called gay more than other players -- seems ridiculous on its face. And using a Wikipedia entry as the anecdote, as thought it doesn't happen to other players pages, is disingenuous. Tyler Hansbrough's Wikipedia page is locked at the moment, apparently because it was getting a barrage of "Tyler is a faggot"-type edits.

What a waste of space for TNR. Would've been interesting had she explored why homophobic slurs persist among sports fans. But claiming that her alma mater gets it worse with no evidence and then surmising its because people think of Duke as rich, soft, white people is worthless.

And is she really an "author"? I mean she is a researcher/reporter for TNR, but I can't find anything of note that she's written outside the magazine. I guess I generally think of that term referring to people who write books, etc.