Brendon Ayanbadejo is not the most famous linebacker on the Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl team that will play this coming Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers. By no means. That honor would apply to the ever so talkative and energetic Ray Lewis who Ayanbadejo backs up. But he is a man who stands by what he believes in.
He believes in gay rights and he believes in marriage equality for the millions of gay men and women throughout the U.S. He did an ad supporting marriage equality in the state of Maryland last year, which of course won. A state legislator in Maryland actually wrote to the Baltimore Ravens telling them to shut up Ayanbadejo. To give credit to the Ravens organization, they ignored the guy. So, Brendon Ayanbadejo is
So Ayanbadejo stated he is going to use the media blitz of attention that the Super Bowl draws, to advocate for gay rights and marriage equality. There are some who are opposed to this, stating that sports should be about talking only sports. I can see their point. But, in what seems the majority of the time, whenever a player is interviewed following a game when their team wins a championship, they talk about their god, advocating in part that belief to the millions of young (and not so young) people who might be watching.
Tim Tebow put bible verses in the eye black football players put below their eyes. He talks about his belief in a god and Ray Lewis talked about how God is going to make sure the Ravens win this game. As a nonbeliever, I am constantly surrounded by pro-religious or pro-god statements by athletes in sports.
Now, I don't know what Brendon Ayanbadejo's religious beliefs are, though I very much doubt he is a fundamentalist, but it is refreshing to have other views by athletes expressed. Let's face it, when there is advocacy for religious beliefs by players, a common belief that goes along with it (though not oppenly stated during interviews) is that gays deserve less equality, if not punishment.
The more religious a person is, especially in terms of being as evangelical as Ray Lewis or Tim Tebow, the more they oppose equality for gays and lesbians. Of course there are many believers in a god who believe in gay rights, but that does not take away from the fact there is a direct correlation between increasing religious belief and opposition to gay rights.
By the way, Denver Nuggets basketball player Kenneth Faried has two moms. These two moms were married in a civil union ceremony in New Jersey in 2007. Faried is urging support for a civil unions bill in Colorado, but he knows that does not go far enough..
There should be marriage equality in Colorado and throughout the U.S. More and more atheletes are coming out for gay rights. That shouldn't be too surprising. After all, Kenneth Faried represents much of America. Americans raised by two moms or two dads. They aren't people to be feared. They are part of the hope and future of America.
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