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We told you about Jimmy Carter coming to Berkeley. That’s exciting news, but there is possibly an even more thrilling pontificator on our horizons.
John Amaechi, the first openly gay former pro basketball player, is coming to VLSB Wednesday night to promote his new book, Man in the Middle. For those of you still skeptical of this ex-NBA role player’s ability to top Carter, we ask you this: Is Jimmy Carter six-foot-ten, British, and flamboyantly homosexual? Didn’t think so. And that’s his mistake.
The sports media shitstorm that followed Amaechi’s self-outing was nothing short of ridiculous. Talking heads from all jocks of life appeared on ESPN to give their spiel on athletes and gayness, while ball players were repeatedly questioned on how comfortable they’d be playing with the dudes from the “other team.”
Then the athletes had their homophobic responses, essentially conveying the following message to America: We don’t like Amaechi because we’re part of a quasi-gay male bonding ritual that we can only enjoy if we firmly establish a straight pretense—and this guy threatens that pretense with his actual open gayness.
This long-winded subtext was delineated most biliously by former NBA star Tim Hardaway. For those of you don’t waste your lives watching ESPN in the middle of the afternoon, Hardaway went on an insane homophobic rant when asked about Amaechi.
But we should put all that history on the backburner and instead enjoy Amaechi’s waning 15 minutes. He’s actually a bright dude, and should prove it on Wednesday. His brightness adds to his amusement quotient. He’s a bit like a GEICO cavemen: a sensitive misfit, whose intellectual tendencies contradict his social category. Take this excerpt from an ESPN profile on the man:
He doesn’t much like jock talk, but he will jabber for hours about national drug policies, juvenile crime and social problems; he says he ‘teeters between being opinionated and arrogant,’ yet he attempts to be open-minded; he listens to opera before games, and he writes poetry.
Dude, that’s so blue state.
It warrants mentioning that we somehow made it through this entire piece without making a basketball metaphor related gay joke. A Pulitzer should be in the cards.
Comments:
Apr 24, 2007 at 7:27 am
And a soft touch with either hand. Excuse an ignorant Tennessee girl, but what is VLSB?
Apr 24, 2007 at 2:22 pm
VLSB = valley life sciences building. 2050 vlsb to be exact. i shall be there. along with john amaechi jr.
Apr 25, 2007 at 6:46 pm
Thanks for the info!
Apr 23, 2007 at 8:00 pm
Amechi had the greatest baby hook of all time. He was a thrill to watch.