On the Debacle in Daytona

As I write this, the time is 6:36 EST, the Rolex 24 at Daytona ended a little over four hours ago, and IMSA just announced the winner of the GTD race. My Twitter timeline is clogged with epithets toward IMSA and it higher-ups. But as I wade through the anger, I cannot help but think that this is par for the course with sports.

Many are quick to crucify IMSA for their snafu in their first race of the new unified sports car series, often mentioning the snail's pace with which they moved during the off-season to publish  various rules and regulations. Don't get me wrong, I was in the midst of the pack of sports car fans with pitchforks banging on Scott Atherton's door since the checkered flew at the Petit Le Mans in October, but I'm not sure if I'm a part of the group tonight.

Every sanctioning body has dealt with this sort of criticism for a bad call. Look at NASCAR last year after "Spin-gate," which saw Michael Waltrip Racing driver Clint Bowyer purposely spin to solidify teammate Martin Truex Jr.'s spot in the Chase for the Cup. The decision to swap Truex for Ryan Newman in the championship battle came almost 48 hours after Bowyer's arm "itched of poison oak." It took the better part of a week for NASCAR to decide to add a thirteenth spot to the Chase for Jeff Gordon after some nefarious doings between Team Penske and Front Row Motorsports.

Going beyond the racetrack, stick and ball sports are subject to poor decisions. In 2012, the NFL decided to play on despite contract disputes with their regular referees. The situation came to a head when Seattle Seahawk's receiver (didn't) catch a game-winning touchdown in the fleeting seconds of a Monday Night Football matchup with the Green Bay Packers. The moment became popular fodder for meme-makers and the like and is still a black eye on the NFL's reputation today.

On the baseball diamond , we've seen this happen as well. Young Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga was one out from a perfect game when umpire Jim Joyce blew a call that resulted in a hit during the ninth inning. Proponents of the instant replay in baseball have used the moment as a shining example in favor of their cause. In the years following the incident, Galarraga and Joyce even co-penned a book about the ordeal.

I'm not saying IMSA's call in the kink of the Daytona International Speedway didn't hurt their reputation, but I simply don't understand the calls for them to get their stuff together. In sports, much like life, does anybody really have it together?

On The Duck Dynasty Controversy

As an elementary school teacher, my mom deals with little kids tattling on one another every day. She invariably asks them if what they are telling her is “a big thing or little things.” More often than not, the answer is a resounding “little thing,” followed by a sigh of disappointment from the child. Though my mom has to ask this question of little kids, perhaps American society should ask itself the same question at times.

The national news, as well as social media, has obsessed the past few days of a story that, in the grand scheme of things, is a little thing. Unless you have been living under a rock or stuck in a coma, you undoubtedly know that Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson has been under scrutiny for comments made to GQ regarding homosexuality. To be perfectly honest, I’m more surprised that people are shocked by Robertson’s comments than the fact that he said them. To quote late night TV show host Conan O’Brien, “I am shocked that an old bearded duck hunter who lives with his kinfolk in the Louisiana bayou did not have progressive views on gay people.” In the words of Arrested Development’s Michael Bluth, “I don’t know what I expected.”

In the days following Robertson’s faux pas, some have rallied around the bearded icon, while others have condemned the man who prides himself on his Christian morals and his hunting prowess. We could debate all day about this, but the short and simple answer is that none of it matters. One way or the other, the Duck Commander crew will return to television and continue to prosper, to the adulation of some and to the chagrin of others.

But at the end of the day, what power or influence does Robertson have over the country’s policies? None. Though his opinion may sway the ideology of some of the Duck Dynasty fan base, there is no way his thoughts will permeate the policy making of this country. This is why the case of Phil Robertson is a “little thing.”

However, occasionally, there are “big things” from which we are distracted because of our fixation on the minute problems. People who have paid attention to international current events know that gay rights are being severely compromised in Russia right now as the country prepares to host the 2014 Winter Olympics.

According to the Pew Research Global Attitude Project, 74% of Russians polled believed that homosexuality is something society should not accept, a statistic that is supported by recent laws passed in Russia. It is now illegal for Russians to support gay rights either by verbally backing or hosting gay pride events, or even insinuate that homosexual relationships are akin to heterosexual relationships.

Violation of these laws can result in a stiff fine and other punishments. In fact, businesses that publicly support gay rights can be forced to shut down for a maximum of ninety days, in addition to a fine of 1 million rubles, equivalent to more than $30,000 in the United States.

So, the question is, why do we blast Phil Robertson, a humble redneck with no political pull, while shying away from the much more severe offenses of Russia, an international superpower?

It is simpler to vilify Robertson because he is an easy target: a modern Jed Clampett who admits he is “a low-tech man in a high-tech world.” But Russia is a harder subject to admonish because of our history with the country. After decades on the brink of nuclear war, it might be a little easier to shy away from their shortcomings. Even some of the world’s most revered leaders have faltered when trying to negotiate such a situation. Simply put, it is easier to be a Drysdale than it is to be a Kennedy.

 We don’t have the courage to take on a powerhouse like Russia when it comes to a social policy. People want to support gay rights and help the cause, but they are afraid to make that step to fight the “big things,” so they concern themselves with a “little thing” to feel like they are doing something. But as the saying goes, go big or go home. Have the courage to stand up and fight, as well as the global awareness to know what matters most.

 And this begs the question, when a reality show star makes a controversial remark, is this a big thing, or a little thing?