Posted Wed, 17 Jul 2013, 4:58pm
by Denny AllenIn
a move that was largely ignored by mainstream media in Canada, major league
baseball has followed the lead of the NBA and the NFL in beefing up
measures to protect players who may be harassed based on their sexual
orientation.
Granted,
the move was announced somewhat ill-advisedly on the same day as baseball’s all star game so there were other stories to draw the media’s attention, but in
"Diversity is a hallmark of our sport," Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig said. (AP)light of the Toronto Blue Jay’s media fiasco back in September featuring Yunel
Escobar and his under-eye, anti-gay slur, one would have expected the issue to
draw at least some major media coverage here.
Similarly in a country that prides itself on its progressive policies towards the gay community why has there been little or no coverage leading up to the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games of the newly enacted Russian law banning "gay propaganda," meaning any person - whether native Russian or a visiting tourist - considered to be "pro-gay" can be arrested.
Groups such as OUTSPORT TORONTO have decried the antediluvian Russian law but unless mainstream media or heaven forbid those with political clout in Canada pay some attention to the issue, the games run the risk of being a world-class example of discrimination the likes of which would never be tolerated in Canada.
As the adage goes “Canadians are so apathetic... but who cares?” On this issue it’s about time we show the rest of the world that Canadians do care.
Denny Allen is a partner with the communications and PR firm "Simply Said" Communications, and we are pleased to have her as a guest author for OUTSPORT TORONTO. She can be reached at dallen@simplysaidcomms.com .
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