1 00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:02,719 Speaker 1: There would not be a drama today about the Breakers 2 00:00:02,759 --> 00:00:05,160 Speaker 1: basketball team not wanting to wear the rainbow flag on 3 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:10,080 Speaker 1: their jerseys if the basketball league had stayed out of 4 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:12,680 Speaker 1: politics in the first place. Now, if you haven't caught 5 00:00:12,720 --> 00:00:15,560 Speaker 1: up on this, there is unnecessary upset today because it's 6 00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:17,759 Speaker 1: emerged that the entire Breakers team will not wear that 7 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:20,720 Speaker 1: little rainbow Pride Progress flat on their jerseys during Pride 8 00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:23,960 Speaker 1: Round next year because some of the players don't want to, 9 00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:27,160 Speaker 1: and it's for religious and cultural reasons apparently, so because 10 00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:29,640 Speaker 1: some of the players don't want to, the whole team won't. Now, 11 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:32,159 Speaker 1: as you can imagine, this has absolutely blown up, and 12 00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:36,040 Speaker 1: it has led to accusations of homophobia, accusations of bigotry, 13 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:39,800 Speaker 1: accusations of cowardice, and look, I don't know, maybe all 14 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:43,080 Speaker 1: those accusations are right, but this didn't have to happen. 15 00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:45,520 Speaker 1: They didn't have to have this drama if they hadn't 16 00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:46,960 Speaker 1: tried to get all of the players to wear a 17 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:50,480 Speaker 1: symbol that you can guarantee some players wouldn't want to wear, 18 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:53,840 Speaker 1: because statistically that had to be a possibility. When you 19 00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:56,000 Speaker 1: have maybe I don't know, one hundred and fifty or 20 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:58,960 Speaker 1: so players rostered on for any particular season, it would 21 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:01,160 Speaker 1: have to be a possibility that some of them wouldn't 22 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:03,640 Speaker 1: want to wear it. Now, I don't think that this 23 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:06,720 Speaker 1: kind of rainbow washing helps anyone. There is no need 24 00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:09,000 Speaker 1: for a random sports league to run any kind of 25 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:11,360 Speaker 1: a week, whether it be Pride Week or Indigenous Week 26 00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:14,000 Speaker 1: or Women's men strual Rights Week. I don't know what 27 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:16,600 Speaker 1: kind of We just don't need it. Maybe it sells 28 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:20,040 Speaker 1: a few tickets, probably not a lot, but it can backfire, 29 00:01:20,240 --> 00:01:22,600 Speaker 1: and it has backfired in this case. So now instead 30 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:25,559 Speaker 1: of looking inclusive to the rainbow community, the NBL looks 31 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:29,680 Speaker 1: a complete opposite and has accusations of homophobia coming at it. Now, 32 00:01:29,959 --> 00:01:33,040 Speaker 1: you would have thought that everyone under the sun would 33 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:35,520 Speaker 1: have learned from the mass of rugby league debarcle three 34 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:37,880 Speaker 1: years ago, when those seven manly players refuse to wear 35 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:41,560 Speaker 1: the Pride jersey, and yet the basketball team decided all 36 00:01:41,720 --> 00:01:44,200 Speaker 1: the basketball league decided to start up its own Pride 37 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:47,680 Speaker 1: Week the very next year, having learnt nothing. Now, I 38 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:49,080 Speaker 1: say this all of the time, and I will say 39 00:01:49,080 --> 00:01:52,120 Speaker 1: this again. Sports needs to stay out of politics. There 40 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:54,240 Speaker 1: is no real upside in it, and there's way too 41 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:57,240 Speaker 1: much downside. And this is a case in point for 42 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:01,200 Speaker 1: more from Heather Duplassy, Allen Drive to news talks. It'd 43 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:05,280 Speaker 1: be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.