Derrick Gordon – When the Skills of the Player Outshined His Sexuality
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By Debbie Edwards
It’s that time of year again, the time where college football is winding down, and, as such, sports fans are focusing their excitement on basketball. The chill in the air, gumbo or étouffée on the stove, sitting by a nice fireplace, life slows down just a bit at this time of the year.
Since I am away from my home state of Louisiana, I rely on the internet to check in on my favorite college team, the LSU Tigers. Historically, LSU has been a powerhouse in football, but its success in basketball is not on the same plane. So, anytime the Tigers pull out a win, especially one in convincing fashion, I take notice.
Recently, I came across an article that really made me take note of sports, sportsmanship, and segments of our society that one would hope could personify sportsmanship and dignity. LSU beat UMass by a score of 82-60. Yet the title of the article eluded to UMass guards Derrick Gordon not hearing jeers from the crowd about his sexuality. This article made me reflect about something much deeper than basketball.
Derrick Gordon came out as a gay man in April of this year. Gordon is the only basketball player on the D-1 level to publicly announce his homosexuality. He is a solid basketball player. His season average is 13.6 points per game, 5 rebounds, 2.6 steals, and 3.4 assists. He is most certainly an asset to his team, and would be to any team, yet the story was not about his athleticism or his statistics. The story was about fan behavior and expectations towards a young basketball player, currently a junior, who happens to be gay. The expectation was that the LSU fan base would heckle or harass this man because of his sexuality. I asked myself, is this reputation that we, the LSU fan base, have earned?
The article then went on to say that there are concerns that this type of behavior is expected when UMass travels to Utah to play BYU and when they travel to New York to play St. Bonaventure. My heart sunk. Louisiana, known for its southern hospitality and 2 Christian Universities are hotspots for harassment and bullying? Something with this type of behavior and the mission statements of these universities are inconsistent.
This is not an article about morality or Christianity or anything that is pro one cause or against another. This article is about basic, common courtesy. I was raised in South Louisiana in an environment that could be considered very conservative. Through all of my teachings and Bible readings, the quality that stood out to me the most is that of love and hospitality. It is the reason why most people from South Louisiana delight in excellent culinary skills. We want people to feel at home. We supply an abundance of food and drink, wanting our guests to feel satisfied and at ease. We practice hospitality and perfect it as if it were an art, because, in many respects, it is.
I was relieved to read that Derrick Gordon did not hear any rude or offensive comments while in Baton Rouge. I hope that the community will foster an atmosphere of tolerance and sportsmanship. Furthermore, I encourage the community at St. Bonaventure to hold fast to their mission of building an inclusive community, valuing diversity and holding these values both on campus and off. I also encourage the community at BYU to live in accord with their mission to reflect devout love of God and a loving, genuine concern of neighbor. If there is any confusion as to who our neighbor is, one needs only to look at Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan.
So, in closing, the article that I referenced may be the wake-up call that we all need to heed. Most of us value sportsmanship and express disappointment when athletes don’t show it to one another. Should we not be held to the same standards in our approach with others?
