Caitlyn Jenner Receives ESPY Award

According to Radar, Jenner demanded the award in return for giving her story to ABC.

ESPN has come under fire for awarding Caitlyn Jenner the prestigious Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYs Wednesday night. But RadarOnline.com has learned, it wasn’t initially their idea! According to an insider, Jenner’s reps approached the network suggesting she receive the award — and offering PR plugs on her upcoming docuseries in return. According to an insider, negotiations started as Jenner’s publicist was finalizing the terms of her interview with Diane Sawyer. Her agents approached ESPN, which is owned by Disney like Sawyer’s ABC, “and they suggested that she receive the Arthur Ashe award,” the source claimed. “It was a brilliant move because the executives at ESPN loved the idea, and immediately began making sure it got done. Caitlyn’s journey to accepting the award will also be featured on her upcoming reality show, I am Cait.”

From ESPN Magazine's Body Issue

Headline Of The Day

Details.

Tea Party: Gay Kisses Are Nauseating

"I like to think of myself as a tolerant person. I have, however, one prejudice that is based on biology and history. Michael Sam, the first openly gay professional football prospect, made history when he was filmed by an ESPN crew giving his lover, Vito Cammisano, a long, lugubrious kiss to celebrate being selected in the National Football League draft on May 10th. The sight of two men kissing passionately was not something I and a lot of other folks wanted to see. A spokesman for GLAAD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Discrimination, called the kiss 'a significant milestone,' describing it as 'touching.' No it wasn’t. It was nauseating to any heterosexual having to witness it or explain it to their children. We need to understand that being gay is not normal. Biologically, species exist because the male and female genders exist for the purpose of procreation and propagation. Historically, gays have been held in disdain in every era of civilization. Today in the Islamic Middle East you can be killed for being gay, but you can also be killed for being Christian. In the West both actions are an abomination." - Alan Caruba, writing for Tea Party Nation.

World Net Daily: Boycott The NFL

"Millions of American families were caught off-guard by the disturbing televised image of black football player Michael Sam and his 'boyfriend,' Vito Cammisano, mouth kissing after the St. Louis Rams drafted Sam. The liberal press is celebrating Sam for being the first openly gay player in the NFL. The world has become one upside-down place! Christians are being slammed while homosexuals are being lifted up. I don’t know how Christian men can watch the NFL after the league’s cavalier disregard for decency and after the punishment they’re dishing out to players who exercise their freedom of speech. If you’re still spending money on games, souvenirs and supporting the NFL brand and you call yourself a Christian, you’re a liar and the truth is not in you! We do have the power to say 'no' and stop evil if we’ll unite and stand for what is right." - Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, writing for World Net Daily.

Anti-Gay Dallas Host Tells Fox News: ESPN Is Promoting Left Wing Agenda

Amy Kushnir: "If you are trying to maintain traditional values and views in your home and if you share them, you are going to get lambasted." Kushnir says that since she stalked off the set of her Dallas show on Wednesday she has been subjected to death threats, rape threats, and petitions for her to be fired.

DALLAS: Chat Show Host Freaks Out Over Michael Sam's Kiss, Storms Off Set

Dallas morning show host Amy Kuchnir stormed off the set of her show this morning after arguing with her co-hosts over ESPN's airing of the now-legendary kiss between Michael Sam and his boyfriend. Amy is ever so pissed about something being shoved down her throat.

NFL Survey: 86% Of Players Say They Are OK With Openly Gay Teammates

ESPN surveyed 51 active NFL players to ask them the four questions seen above. The NFL has about 1700 active players, so the sample is rather small.

Forty-four players said a teammate's sexual orientation didn't matter to them, and 39 said they would be comfortable showering around a gay teammate. But 32 players said they had teammates or coaches who used homophobic slurs last season, and when asked whether an openly gay player would be comfortable in a NFL locker room, just 25 players said yes; 21 said no, while five declined to answer. One concern for players appeared to be learning how they could relate to a teammate they knew was gay and whether they would need to behave any differently around him. According to one starting receiver, "Whoever takes [Michael Sam in the draft] should have an open talk at the beginning of camp, where everybody can ask what he's comfortable with, what offends him, what boundaries there should be. When it comes to race, people already know the boundaries, to a certain extent. But I don't think football players are overly familiar with what can and can't be said around a gay person."

Right wing sites are focusing on the 25% who say they wouldn't shower in the presence of a gay teammate. Of course.

Freep This ESPN Poll

Six questions to freep. (Tipped by JMG reader Deuce)

ESPN Hires Tim Tebow

Via press release from ESPN:

Former Florida quarterback and Heisman winner, Tim Tebow, has been hired as a college football analyst for the SEC Network launching in August 2014. Through a multi-year agreement, Tebow’s primary role will be as an analyst for SEC Nation, the network’s traveling pregame show that will originate from a different SEC campus each week beginning August 28, 2014. In the months leading up to launch and after, he will contribute to a variety of ESPN platforms including SportsCenter, ESPN Radio, and the network’s Heisman Trophy coverage, offering in-depth perspective as a legendary Southeastern Conference player.

Tebow makes his debut on January 6th for the BCS National Championship game.

ESPN Buys Nate Silver's Blog

Nate Silver, the gay man who saved the sanity of millions of progressives during the 2012 election, is moving to ESPN.

ESPN bought the FiveThirtyEight site and name outright, which differs from the New York Times’ current licensing deal, Silver said. Skipper described ESPN’s partnership with Silver as a “long-term, multi-year” deal; the purchase price was not disclosed. Silver said that the main model for the new FiveThirtyEight will be Grantland.com, the ESPN-owned sports and pop culture site founded by sports columnist Bill Simmons. “Grantland was as close to anything in the media right now” as what he wants to do at ESPN, Silver said. When considering offers — and there were “a lot of them” — Silver said he looked at “who can actually put this vision into practice…I have a lot of confidence that [ESPN] is going to do this the right way.” Another model for the new site was Ezra Klein’s Wonkblog, which is owned by the Washington Post.

Click over to TIME for a great analysis of how this all went down.

Pat Robertson Praises ESPN Sportscaster

"Somehow we’ve said if it’s heterosexual fornication, it’s bad; if it’s homosexual fornication — that used to be called an abomination in the Bible — now it’s a protected civil right. And so somebody that says that that kind of conduct is sinful is now being pilloried in the press. He’s telling the truth! This is what the Bible says! These media types have chosen a lifestyle that takes them outside the protection of God. But don’t tell somebody that he can’t speak specifically about what the Christian faith says about certain conduct. There isn’t anything bigoted about that. So, our hat’s off to somebody who’s brave enough to say it. But, whew, let’s hope the people at ESPN will man up and defend their guy for speaking what is truth." - Pat Robertson, speaking today on the 700 Club.

Haters Rally Around ESPN Sportscaster As He Flails About To Save His Job

"Today on OTL, as part of a larger, wide-ranging discussion on today's news, I offered my personal opinion as it relates to Christianity, a point of view that I have expressed publicly before. I realize that some people disagree with my opinion and I accept and respect that. As has been the case in the past, my beliefs have not and will not impact my ability to report on the NBA. I believe Jason Collins displayed bravery with his announcement today and I have no objection to him or anyone else playing in the NBA." - ESPN sportscaster Chris Broussard, flailing desperately to save his job.

Hate group leaders are spearheading the hashtag #IStandWithChris and there have been hundreds of ugly tweets.

ESPN Sportscaster Attacks Jason Collins: The Bible Says He's Not A Christian

Think Progress notes that the attack came in front of openly gay fellow ESPN sportscaster LZ Granderson, who fired back: "I really don’t need Chris or anyone else telling me if I’m a Christian because Jesus tells me I am."

ESPN Polls Readers On Gay Athletes

The poll is here. (Tipped by JMG reader Matthew)

HomoQuotable - Brian Sims

"The truth is I was gay my whole life. I had dated girls in high school. I think I knew I wasn't straight long before I knew I was gay. I knew by the time I got to college that I was gay. My team actually came to me to ask me whether I was gay. They wanted to talk about it. They asked me about the struggle and when I was going to tell people. I didn't go through the same struggles as people today. Today, you have 14-15-16 year olds so confident and secure in their sexuality. I was not. I wasn't a gay 17-year-old ready to come out to the world. When I got to college, I realized I was gay. I just didn't know how to go about it. My college didn't have a LGBT group to give me the language to come out. It was my quarterback who asked me first."- Pennsylvania state Rep. Brian Sims, whom ESPN calls  "the only college football captain to ever come out."

ESPN Airs Gay Kiss After Pro Bowling Champion Wins Final Match

On Sunday ESPN aired the Pro Bowling Association finals in the World Series Of Bowling where the sports network may have made some history. Jim Buzinski writes at OutSports:

In what might be a first, ESPN this weekend showed an openly gay male pro athlete kissing his husband and they did not shy away from describing the relationship. The event was the 2012 PBA Chameleon Championship in Las Vegas, held in November, but shown on TV this Sunday.

Scott Norton won the event over Jason Belmonte and afterward broke down and cried in memory of a friend who had died. He was then shown kissing his husband, Craig Woodward, as they exchanged affectionate words (video below). During the telecast, ESPN’s announcers referred to Woodward as Norton’s husband or spouse.

(Via Zack Ford @ Think Progress)

ESPN Writer LZ Granderson's TED Talk: The Myth Of The Gay Agenda

Via Truth Wins Out. (Tipped by JMG reader Straight Grandmother)

ESPN Cans Hank Williams Jr For Good

Thanks to his Obama=Hitler speech, America will never again hear Hank Williams' opening theme to Monday Night Football.

Are you ready for some football? Hank Williams Jr. isn't anymore. The country singer and ESPN each took credit for the decision Thursday morning to ax his classic intro to "Monday Night Football." The network had pulled the song from the game earlier this week after Williams made an analogy to Adolf Hitler while discussing President Barack Obama on Fox News on Monday morning. "After reading hundreds of e-mails, I have made MY decision," Williams said in a statement to The Associated Press. "By pulling my opening Oct 3rd, You (ESPN) stepped on the Toes of The First Amendment Freedom of Speech, so therefore Me, My Song, and All My Rowdy Friends are OUT OF HERE. It's been a great run." But ESPN's statement said: "We have decided to part ways with Hank Williams Jr. We appreciate his contributions over the past years. The success of Monday Night Football has always been about the games and that will continue."

Teabaggers Back Hank Williams Jr.

"No Hank, no Monday Night Football. ESPN, owned by far left leaning Disney struck back at Hank Williams today, taking his trademark, 'Are you ready for some football?' song off fo [sic] the opening of Monday night football. Why? Williams dared to insult Disney darling Obama. As much as I love sports, I have just about had it with ESPN. Until Hank Williams is brought back to sing the intro to MNF, I won’t watch it and I encourage everyone else to turn off MNF. Hank Williams, Jr. is rumored to be thinking about running for the US Senate in Tennessee. As a Tennessean, all I can say is, 'Run Hank Run!'" - Judson Phillips, head of Tea Party Nation.