If Mrs. Burke’s civics class taught us nothing, it’s that the First Amendment to the Constitution gives us unfettered rights to free speech. We can say whatever we want, whenever we want, without fear of consequence or repercussions, right?
Well, not exactly. The unencumbered right of free speech only truly extends to what we say about the government and governmental officials. The concept of total free speech is a total myth in the private sector.
And it may very well be in sports, as well. Think not? Try criticizing an umpire or referee after a game if you’re a player or manager. You might as well bring your checkbook along with you to the post-game press conference to pay the resulting fine. But that’s just money. We may discover that Chris Kluwe and Brendon Ayanbadejo may pay for their expressions with the loss of their careers.
Until fairly recently, both Ayanbadejo and Kluwe were NFL players, Kluwe, a punter with the Minnesota Vikings and Ayanbadejo, a special teams player and linebacker with the Ravens. Both players were let go by their respective teams, and you can’t help but wonder if their outspokenness didn’t play a significant part in their downfalls. Kluwe and Ayanbadejo were both quite vociferous in their support of same-sex marriage. In the lead-up to last November’s Maryland referendum, Ayanbadejo drew the scorn of Maryland Delegate Emmett Burns, who demanded that the team silence the linebacker about the topic. The Ravens didn’t muzzle Ayanbadejo and Burns eventually issued a statement recognizing that both had the right to say what they wanted. Meanwhile, Kluwe went ballistic on Burns, penning an occasionally profane screed against the politician and Baptist minister. Now, interestingly, both players are out of work.
Ayanbadejo immediately pointed the finger at the Ravens when he was cut, then pulled that finger back not long after. In uncharacteristic fashion, Kluwe has been largely quiet since he was let go, but Sports llustrated football writer Peter King wrote last week that if Kluwe isn’t in someone’s training camp later this summer, it will be because teams want their punters to be seen and not heard. Even Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton said,” I don’t feel good about it,” meaning Kluwe’s release.
It bears noting that, at 36 years old, and with 10 years in the league, Ayanbadejo doesn’t have as much tread on his tires as he once had. So, the Ravens’ decision to release him may have been for solid football reasons, the best of which is to bring in a younger person who makes less money. And punters are typically a little less important to a team than their supply of sports drink. Indeed, Peter King wrote the Vikings may have saved about $1 million a year by letting Kluwe go.
But in the days following NBA player Jason Collins’ decision to become the first male athlete in a major North American team sport to announce he is gay while actively playing, it seems ironic that Collins may find a job next year and two guys may be out of work mainly because they spoke up for his cause.