For the record, Kluwe and I share the same position on gay marriage. We both feel that folks of any sexual preference ought to enter into marriage as far as the state is concerned. Further, Kluwe and I advocate our positions in social media; me on Facebook, this blog and sometimes Twitter. Kluwe too.
Our primary difference, aside form the fact that his influence is significantly higher than mine, is that he is engaged in a profession that has a fantastically low career life-span and one that is over the top performance based. To further tip the scales in my favor, my company faces no arbitrary salary cap or limit to “active employees”.
This week, Chris Kluwe was released from the Minnesota Vikings. And the PC world is going nuts, including the governor of Minnesota:
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Gov. Mark Dayton thinks sports teams, like politicians, should be honest about decisions that are being made.
“Yeah, I don’t feel good about it,” said Dayton when asked about the Minnesota Vikings decision to release outspoken punter Chris Kluwe on Monday.
“I’m not in a position to evaluate the relative punting abilities, but it seems to me the general manager said, right after the draft, they were going to have competition,” Dayton recalled. “Well, they bring the one guy in, he kicks for a weekend and that’s competition?”
Serious.
The governor feels the need to weigh in on the personal moves of a professional sports team. I can’t imagine many things less concerning to a governor than that. However, in true liberal form, he makes his point and then “covers himself” at the same time:
“That’s their decision to make,” Dayton concluded. “They don’t give political advice. I don’t give them coaching advice.”
Yeah, perhaps you should have taken your own advice before you opened your mouth.
I often find myself wishing politicians would avoid the topic of professional sports altogether. In this instance, unless the Governor knows something the rest of us don’t, he probably shouldn’t be making suggestions he can’t back up.
I often find myself wishing politicians would avoid the topic of professional sports altogether.
Yeah, me too.
But I can see where it’s tough. From everything I’ve seen Kluwe is a pretty smart cookie. And perhaps he knows that right now is his shot to make a difference on a subject that means something to him.
And so he takes the opportunity.
Fine.
And if the governor wants to join in and echo Kluwe’s support, I think that might be okay too. But this isn’t about the issue, this is about a player being let go.
And I don’t know. It just seems way way outside the scope of the governor.