by Matt Hoffman
Georgia House Bill 757 (HB 757) is, according to its sponsor Senator Greg Kirk, the direct consequence of the Supreme Court’s decision to redefine marriage as being not strictly between a man and a woman:
“When the Supreme Court changed the definition of marriage, dynamics changed. There was a need for a law—for this law.” Georgia Senator Greg Kirk
HB 575–titled “the Free Excercise Protection Act”–would essentially neuter anti-discrimination civil rights laws, enabling, for instance, a potential employer to deny a job to a person whose lifestyle conflicts with the employer’s religious preferences.
The bill has been called on both sides as being both about religious freedom and anti-gay. Yet it has cleared the legislature and now sits at the Governor’s desk. Several companies and sports leagues have publicly used their clout to try to influence the Governor who has until May 3rd to veto the bill before it becomes law.
Perhaps most notable is the NFL. In an strongly worded statement, the league wrote that Atlanta might be pulled from consideration for being the host of an upcoming Super Bowl:
“Whether the laws and regulations of a state and local community are consistent with these policies would be one of many factors NFL owners may use to evaluate potential Super Bowl host sites.”
With the loss of revenue (and, let’s face it, prestige), Falcons and MLS Atlanta owner Arthur Blank responded with his own statement condemning the legislation:
“House Bill 757 undermines these principles and would have long-lasting negative impact on our state and the people of Georgia.” -Arthur Blank
Other leagues and Atlanta-based teams have also addressed HB 757 but one organization who hasn’t discussed the bill publicly, but one who should, is Major League Soccer for no less than three reasons:
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Not doing so cheapens the legacy of Robbie Rogers. Robbie Rogers thought coming out meant calling it a career. Obviously this wasn’t the case as his coming out game was a watershed moment giving the league its most significant coverage on SportsCenter since David Beckham.
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Give your fans a reason to be proud. American soccer fans take to self-loathing like Maggie Simpson clings to her binky, but that’s nothing compared to how fans degrade the domestic league. Take your pick: lack of Pro/Rel, strange and arcane transactions rules, not adhering to the FIFA calendar; there are a lot of reasons for fans to hate the league. Why not give them something to embrace?
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Trust your method, your marketing, and your message. Despite getting into more purple (and dare I say red?) states, MLS generally tends to be a blue state affair. Major League Soccer thought enough of its ability to succeed in Atlanta, they agreed to set up shop in a town that already had a professional soccer team with the Atlanta Silverbacks. If teams embedded in the Atlanta sports scene like the Braves and Hawks are coming out against this (not to the mention the Falcons), you can realistic lose very little by getting the free publicity by taking a stand.
In his program Last Week Tonight, John Oliver recently skewered the NFL, comically suggesting the NFL has an integrity issue by saying, “Things are not going well when [the NFL]is losing the moral high ground to a TMZ reporter.” Given TMZ’s reputation of the very worst elements of the National Enquirer on steroids, Oliver’s remarks were no compliment to the embattled league that has had no shortage of controversies over the last 24 months.
That’s mildly remarkable considering the term “TMZ scum of the earth” returns, over 49,000 hits on Google.
Yet, as things stand, the NFL the reddest of any American sports league*, has publicly condemned the legislation. If the NFL is ceding the moral compass to TMZ (a site that mistakes LeBron James for Greg Oden in the best of times and publishes fabricated pictures of JFK with naked women at its worst), where does that leave MLS?
*NASCAR came out against a similar anti gay measure in Indiana last year.
As the May 3 deadline comes closer to fruition, Major League Soccer is running out of time to answer that question.
