The Nadir Of An Unpopular Tweet

Normally, I stay out of the way when people say things that aren’t directly related to hockey.

Today, my hand is forced.

Let me start this off with a bang:  I hate Sean Avery, the player.

One of the most gutless things I’ve ever seen is when Sean Avery attacked an unwitting Ladislav Smid this past season when Smid and the Oilers visited Madison Square Garden.  That’s not the reason I hate Sean Avery, it’s just one of them.

Completely unrelated, Sean Avery went on record recently saying that he supports full marriage between same-sex couples in New York.  And while the tide is turning more in favour in the court of public opinion on that matter, it’s still somewhat unusual for a professional athlete to take a stand on homosexual marriage.  For that, Sean Avery deserves commendation.

Fast forward to about ninety minutes ago, and then this beauty rolls out on the Twit-lines

If you don’t know (and I didn’t), Uptown Sports is an agency that represents hockey players.  Some of these players inclue Mike Fisher, Cody McCormick, Andrew Brunette, and Chris Neil.  You might have heard of those guys at one time or another.  Uptown Sports represents hockey players.  And they must have been either drunk, high, or extremely convicted to say something like that.

And you know what?  Anyone is entitled to their opinion.  So long as you’re not inhibiting the rights of others, say what you damn well please. And Uptown Hockey has every right to this opinion.  Good on you, kid.

BUT

What kind of agency says this stuff?  You’re representing players and millions of their dollars, and you trot something that’s going to be at least somewhat unpopular (as well as way off base) online?  On the Internet?  For everyone in the hockey community to see?

What are you thinking?

Then, you play the surprised card when a bunch of people tweet back with their (some not so nice) responses?

AND THEN you appear on TSN 1050 Toronto in an attempt to pour water on the fire?  Go on, click and listen.  Tell me that doesn’t sound like a guy walking all over his lips.

"But I’m a little disappointment (sic) in some of the response. If you oppose a viewpoint, you’re immediately targeted by some people as a hater, a bigot, intolerant, homophobic and many other terms. That’s obviously not the case for people who know me. … I don’t hate anyone. And I’m certainly not a bigot. But I believe in marriage between one man and one woman. It’s a social debate that’s raged on for quite some time. In Canada and the U.S. it’s a hot-button topic right now. I guess maybe it was how I was raised. I believe in voicing your opinion and not being part of the silent majority."

-Todd Reynolds, Uptown Sports

A few things about all of this

• You’re not the ‘silent majority’.  As a matter of fact, you might be the direct opposite.  You are the verbal minority.  You went on one of the most popular sports stations in Canada to talk about your belief how consenting adults shouldn’t have the right to lawfully enter marriage.
• Stop talking about ‘sanctity’.  If half or more of the marriages in either Canada or the States didn’t end in divorce, I might be willing to give you a leg to stand on with ‘sanctity’.  They don’t, and it doesn’t matter.
• I’ve learned over the years that when you talk about yourself as something you’re not (eg; a ‘hater’, a ‘bigot’), there’s a smidgen of a chance that one of those terms might be true.
• And this might be the most important:  YOU’RE REPRESENTING CLIENTS AND LOTS OF MONEY. WHY YOU WOULD WANT TO PUT THEM IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS OUTBURST BEFUDDLES ME. Do you not like money?  Did you think this would end in a positive way?  Did you think that everyone that read that tweet would send you cigars and congratulatory towel slaps on a bare ass shouting GOOD GAME, MAN?

Again, Todd Reynolds is entitled to whatever thoughts, ideas, whimsies, dreams and desires that he so chooses.

The fact that you are entitled to your opinion is a wonderful thing.

The fact that you’re surprised that it’s unpopular and people are calling you on it dumbfounds me.

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