Escobar accepts Blue Jays' suspension but still may not get it: Griffin

The Jays pre-empted any move by major-league baseball in suspending their own shortstop Yunel Escobar for three games without pay for his disappointingly homophobic actions in the printed message written on his paste-on eye strips on Saturday, during a game against the Red Sox. Written in Spanish, in block letters, obviously with a Sharpie, the message read "You are a faggot." Yunel said his intentions were not hompophobic.

Three games may not have been enough, but the fact that the punishment was issued by the team, not the league improves any local perception that justice has been served. The team didn;t wait for the league to act and then didn't ponder an appeal. Justice was meted out swiftly. That being said, Escobar just doesn't get it and neither do any of his Jays' teammates who may have been, no, make that had to be close enough to read the hurtful message written under his eyes and they laughed, or ignored it. Teammates are as guilty.

The game will surely move forward. The Jays will move forward. This controversy will fade into the mists of time. The suspension without pay that amounts to about $92,000 will be forwarded to two organization, You Can Play and the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). 

Escobar, according to a Jays press release sent out just before the 3:30 p.m. press conference, will participate in an outreach initiative to help educate society about sensitivity and tolerance to others based on their sexual orientation. His participation will be conducted in consultation with all parties involved. Escobar will also participate in a sensitivity training program in accordance with the Jays and Major League Baseball.

But it's not just Escobar and it's not just the Jays. It's every clubhouse in major-league baseball that has the same problem. Maybe it's even any locker room or clubhouse in any of the major pro sports. These statements should come as a surprise to no one.

Consider the weekend's 24 hour sequence of events. On Saturday, Escobar made his horrible lapse in judgment. Then just one day later, as is the custom every year with every team, it was time for rookie initiation, which is an annual event staged on the travel day of the final road trip for every team. The point is to make the first-year players wear ballet dancer outfits, Wizard of Oz garb, cowboys, sugar-plum fairies, super-heroes, anything that would tend to embarrass, humiliate and make the kid feel less than a real man.

When this happens, everyone laughs, some of us uncomfortably. We in the media play along. Photographers take myriad shots for the paper and online, TV cameras record the long walk to the team bus for kids made to feel effeminate -- the point. They wear their colourful outfits through airports and into the city to which they are traveling, mingling with the public all the way to the team hotel.

What's the difference between that homophobia and what Escobar did. Now Escobar is being suspended for three games without pay, while everyone else is still having a good chuckle about the rookie hazing. Maybe there has been a flicker of recognition linking the two in some minds. Consider that on Sunday night there was a Tweet by Jays' catcher J.P. Arencibia that included a posed team photo of the rookies, glitter, glamour and all. By Monday afternoon, the Tweet and the photo had been taken down. Coincidence?

If you were to pass through any major-league locker room on any day, either at home or on the road, in fact in any of the Big Four sports, you might get used to the clearly homophobic references and innuendoes, the politically incorrect language, the lighthearetd barbs and the sophomoric humour, some of it funny, most of it not, but there has to be a reason why even in this seemingly enlightened day and age with same-sex marriages in many countries and states, with politicans and actors openly declaring their sexual orientation, that team sports in North America is the last bastion of the macho male.

The Escobar incident reminds me in a way of the 50-game suspensions for performance-enhancing drugs that keep popping up accompanied by much wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth. There are two ways of looking at failed drug tests. One is that the MLB program is not working, that PEDs are still a problem. The other is that there are young impressionable players watching the druggies and that if even 10, or 20, or 100, or even one learns a lesson from the failures of Bartolo Colon, Melky Cabrera or Macus Stroman, that past failures have helped future understanding. The conclusion is the game is moving forward, away from the steroid era.

It's much the same with baseball's apparently ingrained homophobia and the Escobar suspension. One way of looking at it is that the game never changes and it will always be an issue. The other is that there are young players watching the Escobar incident and that if even 10, or 20, or 100 or even one learns a lesson from Yunel's failure that failure has helped the future understanding. The conclusion is game is moving forward.

That being said, this incident does not mean Escobar must be traded by the Jays. In fact it may be even better to have him still inside the clubhouse as a reminder. Maybe on the final weekend, the Jays on Fan Appreciation Day could invite the local GLAAD executive and members out for the final game and have their chapter president throw the ceremonial first pitch to Escobar and maybe have a giant cheque presentation by Yunel to the two organizations. Maybe next year, the Jays could sponsor their own float in the Pride Parade.

In the meantime, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain and feel free to cheer for the Strawman to find a brain. The game and Escobar will survive.  

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Bob Evans]

Thank you for this blog post Richard, especially for pointing out that the players don't get it. Escobar's comments (and Farrell's and Vizquel's) suggest that many people on the team don't get how serious this casual homophobia is and that what goes on in the locker room isn't okay.

As a long time Blue Jays fan I'm disgusted by Escobar's behaviour, but his non-apology and ridiculous explanation, by the Blue Jay's tepid suspension and Farrell's ignorance (willful?) about homophobia in MLB. Even more so, I'm not surpised but am angered by Omar Vizquel's reaction.

Good for players like Villanueva speaking up and saying it's wrong, while acknowledging that he's said these sorts of things before.

I'm reconsidering my commitment to the Blue Jays in light of their response ... Bob

[David Burkholder]

Richard, I have to take issue with you about this on several points. First of all, of course, it was stupid of Yunel to think he can have this kind of "fun" in public, however, what he wrote does not mean what you wrote. It CAN be interpreted that way, but it was written in Spanish and means "You are a big Mary" ... writing anything else adds gas to the fire. It is clear as context builds that Latinos use it quite differently than as a direct insult, except in Cuba, which explains why Yunel who grew up with this being quite bad, finds it used quite differently among his baseball pals. All of this together is why Jose B said he could not begin to explain what it means. I'm not trying to split hairs here. This was not directed at somebody, probably Yunel thinks one of the guys will see it and get a laugh; unlikely that he was taking a poke at Dustin P or something like that. Most likely he was being a naughty boy and seeking a little thrill. It is interesting that the gay community is not making much noise about this. Secondly I am getting a lot of homophobia from loudmouthed people like Mr. Blair and Mr. McCown ... that word means fear of gay people and I am hearing from these gentlemen (term used politely but loosely) that they have been stomped on for inappropriate comments before and now are trying to sound righteous but are coming across, to me, at least as having less than a clear, fearless relationship with the issue of gay lifestyle. I think it was entirely unfortunate that the headline "homophobic slur" has been put on this issue and understand why Yunel acts and sounds confused by the incredible and stupendous amount of hatred that has been directed his way. He has been compared to people who shouted insults at other people in angry, hateful ways and indeed in this situation he has been the recipient of such when that is surely something he did NOT do. The roar of the lynch mob is treating this as if he did do that. I'm afraid that, in repeating the public narrative about this, you are going along with the misunderstandings I explained at the top of this. I really don't expect that you will publish this, but I trust you, somehow, and would expect you to use the opportunities that might arise to soften and contribute nuance to the public narratives. If I have not made myself perfectly clear, it seems to me that what we English speaking people are reacting to is the f-word which is an implied, imputed or interpretation of the Spanish phrase. That is "our" dirty word, not theirs. Surely Yunel is aware that he did something terribly wrong; what he may not get, yet, is just what that was. The sensitivity trainers will be working overtime to explain that to him.

[Greg]

I'm not certain that it's fair to say that "homophobia" is the whole impetus for the laughter at rookie hazing. For instance I imagine that it's funny seeing a 6'3" 220 lb. professional athlete in a Tinkerbell costume even if it's a WNBA power forward rather than an MLB outfielder.