Will you ever root for Duran again?

[BigSoxFan]

Lots of good discussion in the other thread about what was said and how it impacted Sox fans, especially those in LGBTQ community. Because of that, I’m curious to see quantitative data regarding peoples’ likelihood of ever rooting for him again. This poll is not intended to be dramatic and, instead, merely a reflection of current feelings towards him. Clearly, every possible answer won’t be reflected but I’ll do my best to very crudely and simply capture the main ones.

 

[Ale Xander]

Yes, conditional on his 1) contrition and never doing this or anything similar again and 2) playing for the Red Sox

 

[ponch73]

I fundamentally believe that multiple things can be true at the same time, even if they're difficult to reconcile.

A slur against a community, particularly one that has suffered unimaginably-tragic physical and emotional harm over time, has no place in a just, modern society.

None of us deserve to be defined by or judged permanently for our very worst moments, especially when we are in the early innings of our own adult lived experience, and must battle our internal demons, often while facing public scrutiny and sometimes public scorn/ridicule.

The basepath of contrition, atonement, empathy and growth is not necessarily an easy one to navigate perfectly, but I hope Jarren finds his way around it to ultimately return home gracefully.

 

[soxhop411]

Lots of good discussion in the other thread about what was said and how it impacted Sox fans, especially those in LGBTQ community. Because of that, I’m curious to see quantitative data regarding peoples’ likelihood of ever rooting for him again. This poll is not intended to be dramatic and, instead, merely a reflection of current feelings towards him. Clearly, every possible answer won’t be reflected but I’ll do my best to very crudely and simply capture the main ones.

Yes. Absent being convicted of murder or some of the other heinous crimes. Everyone should get a chance to redeem themselves. Hopefully he learns from his mistakes. If it happens again my opinion of him will be tarnished for good.

 

[Tuor]

I fundamentally believe that multiple things can be true at the same time, even if they're difficult to reconcile.

A slur against a community, particularly one that has suffered unimaginably-tragic physical and emotional harm over time, has no place in a just, modern society.

None of us deserve to be defined by or judged permanently for our very worst moments, especially when we are in the early innings of our own adult lived experience, and must battle our internal demons, often while facing public scrutiny and sometimes public scorn/ridicule.

The basepath of contrition, atonement, empathy and growth is not necessarily an easy one to navigate perfectly, but I hope Jarren finds his way around it to ultimately return home gracefully.

Thank you for this balanced, thoughtful, and reasonable post.

 

[cantor44]

"Recognize that the evil deed of the enemy neighbor . . . never quite expresses all that he is. An element of goodness can be found even in our worst enemy . . . The meaning of love is not to be confused with some sentimental outpouring. Love is something much deeper than emotional bosh . . . [it is] understanding and creative, redemptive goodwill for all men ...
We love our enemies by realizing that they are not totally bad and that they are not beyond the reach of God’s redemptive love."

- Martin Luther King Jr.

 

[ALiveH]

If somebody says something hurtful in an emotional moment, then immediately apologizes, accepts his punishment and publicly self-castigates, then a functional society needs to be able to forgive and move on. I'm sure we've all done as bad or worse than him in our worst moment, but we don't all live under a media microscope.

 

[Zedia]

.

 

[Stan Papi Was Framed]

If somebody says something hurtful in an emotional moment, then immediately apologizes, accepts his punishment and publicly self-castigates, then a functional society needs to be able to forgive and move on. I'm sure we've all done as bad or worse than him in our worst moment, but we don't all live under a media microscope.

the thing is, he sounded completely calm when he said this. was it really an emotional moment in the sense that he lost control? Not sure that would matter to me even if that was the case, but I found his calmness chilling. I could not and did not excuse Duran in any way when discussing this with my 10 year old kid. I'd need to see a lot from Duran in order to feel ok about this--something to truly convince me he could change.

 

[Mantush]

I voted "Yes, unconditionally." Duran is a role model for folks as far as I'm concerned. The way he's handled dealing with his mental health issues is admirable. Talking about them the way he has takes strength. I've said it in the other thread, but it bears repeating: I'm a member of the LGBTQ community. I am not offended by what he said. It was not directed at me. It was not directed at people like me. It was directed at an annoying heckler as another word for asshole. It's literally the South Park episode about annoying bikers playing out in real life.

 

[NDame616]

My best friend is gay. He shared the story in our FB group chat and his take was essentially "lol what a fn moron" and then continued to discuss what he had for breakfast.

If the closest person to me is gay and he doesn't care, hard for me to be outraged. IMO he said a stupid word, is punished and it's up to him what he does moving forward.

My son's (11) favorite player is Duran. I woke him up at the ASG so he could see him raise the MVP trophy. Yesterday I told him "Duran said a really bad word you're never supposed to say, in the batter's box, and was suspended for 2 games." We will both be rooting for him when he comes back. Hopefully he uses his platform for good.

 

[mikeford]

No but I've been pining to ship this guy out of town since the anti vaxx shit anyway. This just furthered that desire to see him go play elsewhere.

 

[cornwalls@6]

Yes, conditional on his 1) contrition and never doing this or anything similar again and 2) playing for the Red Sox

About where I am too. I would ad that I’d like to see actions beyond contrition, but even he just takes his medicine, never mentions it again, and never repeats anything like this, I can live with him being on the team and root for him to play well.

 

[simplicio]

While I respect the views of our LGBTQ members here and appreciate your sharing them on this topic, I'd also note that you all are from a subset of that population that survived to adulthood.

Rates of suicide attempts in American LGBTQ teens are over four times higher than their peers. This is not a South Park episode.

 

[RS2004foreever]

"Recognize that the evil deed of the enemy neighbor . . . never quite expresses all that he is. An element of goodness can be found even in our worst enemy . . . The meaning of love is not to be confused with some sentimental outpouring. Love is something much deeper than emotional bosh . . . [it is] understanding and creative, redemptive goodwill for all men ...
We love our enemies by realizing that they are not totally bad and that they are not beyond the reach of God’s redemptive love."

- Martin Luther King Jr.

Thank you.

 

[Midnight Ryder Jones]

While I respect the views of our LGBTQ members here and appreciate your sharing them on this topic, I'd also note that you all are from a subset of that population that survived to adulthood.

Rates of suicide attempts in American LGBTQ teens are over four times higher than their peers. This is not a South Park episode.

Bingo. And it seems to me that most of the "move on" crowd doesn't fully understand what hearing that word over and over again does to a person who already hates themselves because they think there's something fundamentally wrong with them. Here's a really good piece written by a gay Sox fan about it: https://www.overthemonster.com/2024/8/13/24219229/red-sox-news-jarren-duran-hurt-the-vulnerable-and-he-doesnt-even-realize-it

Somewhere out there, there’s a closeted baseball fan who’s been using this Sox season as an outlet. An outlet for joy, companionship, or just as a straight-up distraction from the battle they’re fighting within themself. Nobody else really knows it, but they don’t feel comfortable in their own skin because of the world that immediately surrounds them, and this makes almost every aspect of their life more difficult. They’re looking for answers. They’re looing for meaning. They’re looking to feel alive.

One of the few places they find this oasis is via baseball. Particularly Red Sox baseball. Following the Sox isn’t just an important part of their daily routine; it’s the best part of their daily routine. And right at the top of the lineup, reliably playing every day in an otherwise very unreliable world, is Jarren Duran. He exemplifies heart, hustle, hard work, passion, improvement, and even openness of past struggles. He’s a stud that brings swagger, speed, and spirit to the ballpark each day, and he comes with energy every time he plays. As much as any other guy on the roster, his game makes you feel alive.

Imagine what that fan is thinking today. Imagine how much sadder and emptier their evenings will be for the foreseeable future. Whatever light Jarren Duran was inadvertently shining into their world is now extinguished. In seconds, Duran revealed that he either hates an entire group of people, or just doesn’t care enough about their well-being to excise that word from the front of his brain’s filing cabinet so that when the temperature gets turned up, it’s not the first thing out of his mouth.

Edit: and now I've read another piece by the same writer in which, just like you said, he excruciatingly writes about almost killing himself when he was in the closet: https://www.overthemonster.com/2024/6/11/24174819/red-sox-news-pride-night-lgbtq-i-once-considered-myself-broken-then-baseball-saved-my-life

 

[Mugsy's Jock]

Yes, conditional on his 1) contrition and never doing this or anything similar again and 2) playing for the Red Sox

Co-sign.

I should add that I'm optimistic about #1, and thought Jarren's statements yesterday were a worthwhile start.

 

[RedOctober3829]

People make mistakes. I'll still root for him.

 

[HfxBob]

No but I've been pining to ship this guy out of town since the anti vaxx shit anyway. This just furthered that desire to see him go play elsewhere.

Since you brought anti vaxx into it, I have to ask if you feel the same about Houck.

 

[JCizzle]

People make mistakes. I'll still root for him.

This is where I'm at. However, to me it's based on his willingness to show contrition and evolve. The PR statement was worthless to me, but he seemed to say the right things during his press availability yesterday. That's the low bar for now and I expect him to continue to take steps from here.

 

[Manuel Aristides]

FWIW, maybe nothing, I sort of reject the "don't judge someone by their worst moment" theory being applicable here. (Not judging those who do, just want to share this perspective.) To me, if Duran had said something like this after the infamous "give-up" play, while he was apparently suffering from a lot of anxiety, depression, and stress, that would be a "worst moment" kind of context: he wasn't himself or at his best and that can lead to out of character moments that, yes, are moments that don't necessarily show someone's true character. If he'd said this slur the day after that play, I'd understand the application of the aphorism here.

But... that is not at all what happened here. He had that word so ready on his tongue that he tossed it out during an off-hand remark to a stranger. That indicates that he does not understand its significance, vileness, nor inappropriateness. The context of the moment does absolutely nothing to protect him, for me. A professional baseball player being heckeld I believe deserves no special protection or forgiveness in his retaliation. Most people would be fired if they were heard talking to a paying customer like that, much less on camera. I'm perfectly happy to judge someone by their "worst moment" when it leaps out of them unprompted, in public.

That's not to say Duran is dead to me or can't make it right. I'm not calling for him to be cut or traded or whatever; these guys are human and a lot of them are not very good dudes. This is not breaking news. It appears that Duran is one of those dudes, which is disappointing but shouldn't be surprising. If you let the fact that some players are not good people bother you, you realistically can't enjoy professional sport, almost at all. So we constantly have to decide where to draw the line for ourselves. I wouldn't get a beer with Duran, but I'm not gonna change the channel when he comes up. I've watched worse dudes.

I can imagine getting over it and moving on. That said, the kind of contrition I would need to see in order to "forgive" is long-term change in behavior and attitude. Apologizing and taking responsibility is a good start, but anything he says this week doesn't count much for me; it's spin and PR and mitigation right now. To show true contrition would ideally go beyond mere words and reach meaningful actions. If he does that, I can imagine forgiving and forgetting, but I'll need to see it for a while before I'm going to believe it. Show me Duran volunteering in the off-season, sitting down with community leaders to discuss getting that word out of baseball clubhouses for good (because realistically we all know it is not uncommon there), writing a check to BAGLY or a similar local org, etc. That's the kind of stuff that puts this properly behind him, at least in my eyes.

He's shown some fairly impressive ability to be introspective and vulnerable, so I have hope that he might take his penance seriously and re-earn credibility. It will take time, and work, but, he's done that in baseball in the past, maybe he can do it here too. I hope so. It's really the most disappointing thing that's happened around the team in years, for me.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

Setting aside the seeming ease with which that slur came out of Duran's mouth we have to consider that he did so openly to a fan during a home game.

I suspect that the number of players that want to react to fans is pretty close to 100% but the ones that do are fairly small. Fans can be absolutely awful and these folks are human however each vocation has some non-negotiable aspects. If you are a firefighter, you are likely going to face a fire and if you are a professional athlete you are going to hear all sorts of terrible things to which you cannot respond. That's the deal and Duran doesn't appear to be ok with it.

Maybe he needs to play in a smaller market - he really doesn't seem built to play in a place like Boston.

 

[mikeford]

Since you brought anti vaxx into it, I have to ask if you feel the same about Houck.

Sure do. You'd probably get a good haul for him too since he's been good this year.

 

[chrisfont9]

If somebody says something hurtful in an emotional moment, then immediately apologizes, accepts his punishment and publicly self-castigates, then a functional society needs to be able to forgive and move on. I'm sure we've all done as bad or worse than him in our worst moment, but we don't all live under a media microscope.

I'm here. If I saw evidence that he has this hate in his heart, that would be a big problem, and he might for all I know. But my guess is it's more likely that he got loose with a word we've been saying forever and are only more recently determined to expunge it. He knew immediately it was wrong, so I will give him the benefit of the doubt that this was more a stupid mistake than a sign of his real beliefs.

I carry all the horrible slurs of my upbringing (born '65, in Mass.) in my head. My parents never ever used them in front of us, so I grew up knowing they were wrong, but they don't just go away. I developed the discipline not to use them long ago, and hopefully the next generation(s) won't even have an impulse to use them at all. But it won't be easy.

 

[chrisfont9]

Setting aside the seeming ease with that slur came out of Duran's mouth we have to consider that he did so openly to a fan during a home game.

I suspect that the number of players that want to react to fans is pretty close to 100% but the ones that do are fairly small. Fans can be absolutely awful and these folks are human however each vocation has some non-negotiable aspects. If you are a firefighter, you are likely going to face a fire and if you are a professional athlete you are going to hear all sorts of terrible things to which you cannot respond. That's the deal and Duran doesn't appear to be ok with it.

Maybe he needs to play in a smaller market - he really doesn't seem built to play in a place like Boston.

Yeah, this is an actual thing, he definitely needs to control the impulse to say stuff to fans. He chirped at a guy in KC on that dropped/deflected foul ball, and I recall thinking he was probably over the line. That sort of behavior would be an issue in any MLB city, not just Boston. He seems like an intense guy so this is something to work on.

 

[ColdSoxPack]

This is where I'm at. However, to me it's based on his willingness to show contrition and evolve. The PR statement was worthless to me, but he seemed to say the right things during his press availability yesterday. That's the low bar for now and I expect him to continue to take steps from here.

This is my take as well. I didn't see the press opportunity but if he apologized wearing a t-shirt that said "fu-em" then I have to say that's a bad look and I discount the sincerity of the apology.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

Yeah, this is an actual thing, he definitely needs to control the impulse to say stuff to fans. He chirped at a guy in KC on that dropped/deflected foul ball, and I recall thinking he was probably over the line. That sort of behavior would be an issue in any MLB city, not just Boston. He seems like an intense guy so this is something to work on.

I have my doubts that a 27 year old player with four years of service time and a checkered past of controlling these impulses is going to suddenly find restraint.

Imagine what Jarren will hear next time he visits the Bronx. He's clearly talented enough to play baseball at this level but his makeup suggests he can't handle the pressure of this market. Oakland or the South side of Chicago are probably more his speed.

 

[Bigdogx]

This is nothing to me, he didn't physically hurt anyone or ruin anyone's life for that matter.

He said something dumb on a live mic, it happens in today's society and he needs to learn from it and move on. This was locker room talk imo, he wasn't singling someone out because of their sexual orientation, he just bluttered out a commonly used slur that guys have used for decades now when busting balls! No it doesn't have a place on a tv broadcast but i question anyone who thinks it's ok to try and devastate the guy's career over this one remark. Let's give the under 30 year old a chance to become a better person from it. Literally not a single gay or trans person has come out and demanded justice over this, i think the context matters because he clearly did not say this to insult the lgbt community.

 

[Fratboy]

Setting aside the seeming ease with which that slur came out of Duran's mouth we have to consider that he did so openly to a fan during a home game.

(snip)

Maybe he needs to play in a smaller market - he really doesn't seem built to play in a place like Boston.

The queer community is everywhere.

 

[Rasputin]

I have my doubts that a 27 year old player with four years of service time and a checkered past of controlling these impulses is going to find control.

27 year olds are babies. Unless you're a turgid twatwaffle, you don't stop growing until you die.

 

[67YAZ]

This is the least-likable Red Sox era since the Boggs/Clemens days: trade away Mookie for Verdugo, who was tangentially connected to a sexual assault; re-hire a convicted cheater as manager, Duran's slur, Henry's disinterest...

It won't last forever, but it is not a lot of fun following this team these days.

Also, Mike Vick is an exemplar for how to rebuild your reputation, which is namely by getting involved in meaningful work that helps right the wrong committed. Duran has plenty of time, money, and celebrity at his disposable to make a meaningful impact. Do it.

 

[chrisfont9]

I have my doubts that a 27 year old player with four years of service time and a checkered past of controlling these impulses is going to suddenly find restraint.

Imagine what Jarren will hear next time he visits the Bronx. He's clearly talented enough to play baseball at this level but his makeup suggests he can't handle the pressure of this market. Oakland or the South side of Chicago are probably more his speed.

Well this is his big chance to clean it up. He is probably just realizing he has a problem. But if this doesn’t change him, I agree, nothing will.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

The queer community is everywhere.

That's a great point - I am simply responding to the question about rooting for the guy. Even if he sincerely apologizes and takes all the steps to show actual contrition, he's a risk to pop off again. Hell, the bleacher creatures in my City are going to test his resolve next time he's here and Giants fans are fairly polite. What happens in New York or Philly now that fans know old Jarren hears all?

Maybe he matures but these things typically aren't a one off behavior.

 

[vadertime]

I haven't rooted for him since he stood there with his thumb up his @$$ watching a teammate hustle after a ball. Nothing will ever get that image out of my head when I see him or hear his name. Latest incident is just icing on a cake.

 

[Fratboy]

Fan idiocy is a microcosm of society in general. Somehow along the way, via media (movies, TV, clips), we as humans have utterly failed, and communicated that people who purchase tickets to an athletic event have also purchased temporary licenses to hurl insults and invective at the players they are paying to watch play a childhood game.

I watched a Savannah Bananas game on YouTube, and in a Party Animals walk up, many players gunned a beer (the Animals' second baseman plays the character of an Irish guy who drinks a mug beer during every game). They announced the beer they were drinking, and the guy who said he drank a Bud Light was greeted with a chorus of boos.

Even a year later, the memories are absolutely baked in. The work is never, ever finished, which is why where we are: we've forgotten lessons of the past.

 

[NAR29996]

27 year olds are babies. Unless you're a turgid twatwaffle, you don't stop growing until you die.

Yeah, I see this as a dumb ass kid making a dumb ass mistake. Learn from it, learn some impulse control and move on.

 

[simplicio]

FWIW, maybe nothing, I sort of reject the "don't judge someone by their worst moment" theory being applicable here. (Not judging those who do, just want to share this perspective.) To me, if Duran had said something like this after the infamous "give-up" play, while he was apparently suffering from a lot of anxiety, depression, and stress, that would be a "worst moment" kind of context: he wasn't himself or at his best and that can lead to out of character moments that, yes, are moments that don't necessarily show someone's true character. If he'd said this slur the day after that play, I'd understand the application of the aphorism here.

But... that is not at all what happened here. He had that word so ready on his tongue that he tossed it out during an off-hand remark to a stranger. That indicates that he does not understand its significance, vileness, nor inappropriateness. The context of the moment does absolutely nothing to protect him, for me. A professional baseball player being heckeld I believe deserves no special protection or forgiveness in his retaliation. Most people would be fired if they were heard talking to a paying customer like that, much less on camera. I'm perfectly happy to judge someone by their "worst moment" when it leaps out of them unprompted, in public.

That's not to say Duran is dead to me or can't make it right. I'm not calling for him to be cut or traded or whatever; these guys are human and a lot of them are not very good dudes. This is not breaking news. It appears that Duran is one of those dudes, which is disappointing but shouldn't be surprising. If you let the fact that some players are not good people bother you, you realistically can't enjoy professional sport, almost at all. So we constantly have to decide where to draw the line for ourselves. I wouldn't get a beer with Duran, but I'm not gonna change the channel when he comes up. I've watched worse dudes.

I can imagine getting over it and moving on. That said, the kind of contrition I would need to see in order to "forgive" is long-term change in behavior and attitude. Apologizing and taking responsibility is a good start, but anything he says this week doesn't count much for me; it's spin and PR and mitigation right now. To show true contrition would ideally go beyond mere words and reach meaningful actions. If he does that, I can imagine forgiving and forgetting, but I'll need to see it for a while before I'm going to believe it. Show me Duran volunteering in the off-season, sitting down with community leaders to discuss getting that word out of baseball clubhouses for good (because realistically we all know it is not uncommon there), writing a check to BAGLY or a similar local org, etc. That's the kind of stuff that puts this properly behind him, at least in my eyes.

He's shown some fairly impressive ability to be introspective and vulnerable, so I have hope that he might take his penance seriously and re-earn credibility. It will take time, and work, but, he's done that in baseball in the past, maybe he can do it here too. I hope so. It's really the most disappointing thing that's happened around the team in years, for me.

Generally I agree except on the first point: I don't think you can put mental health in neat little boxes where "he was doing bad before" and "he's doing better now" are static states with attendant expectations. Doing fine yesterday does not mean doing fine today, and none of us have the slightest clue how he was doing mentally when he used the slur and whether or not it played a part in the lapse.

Of course that does not excuse the words he said either way, and doesn't minimize their impact. I hope he has the wherewithal to put in some real work and try to make things better for the LGBTQ community now.

 

[TapeAndPosts]

Using the word he used as an all-purpose insult is inappropriate and unacceptable, and he has to learn to understand how it can hurt people and how we just don't do that in 2024. That said, it is not the same as if he had used it specifically in the context of deliberately belittling a gay person, or if he had explicitly expressed contempt for gay people any other way. If he had used very polite language to say he just didn't like gay people, I would have a hard time rooting for him. This I suspect I will move past, assuming he doesn't say or do something to compound it.

We have all rooted for him in the context of his mental health struggles (or at least many of us have) and that's been a feel-good story, but seeing him screw up like this reminds us that dealing with mental/emotional issues is rarely just a matter of turning the page and everything being fine from that point on. I feel like rooting for someone's struggles may also involve providing them some grace when they screw up.

 

[Manuel Aristides]

Doing fine yesterday does not mean doing fine today, and none of us have the slightest clue how he was doing mentally when he used the slur and whether or not it played a part in the lapse.

Sure. I agree. And if Duran's mental health was bad that day for whatever reason, that would indeed help explain and contextualize the comment in relevant ways, and would inform my reaction and opinion. I'm saying I object to immediately writing it off as "his worst day" simply because it's the day that he acted his worst. I don't think "this is the worst thing this person has ever done/said" is a particularly compelling defense, at least, not without more context of the type you're alluding to. If you want to give him the benefit of that doubt, fair enough. I do not.

 

[simplicio]

I'm not trying to give him the benefit of the doubt either, just saying it's not an aspect of this any of us can factor in accurately.

 

[Spud]

This is the least-likable Red Sox era since the Boggs/Clemens days: trade away Mookie for Verdugo, who was tangentially connected to a sexual assault; re-hire a convicted cheater as manager, Duran's slur, Henry's disinterest...

It won't last forever, but it is not a lot of fun following this team these days.

Also, Mike Vick is an exemplar for how to rebuild your reputation, which is namely by getting involved in meaningful work that helps right the wrong committed. Duran has plenty of time, money, and celebrity at his disposable to make a meaningful impact. Do it.

Not to say he's another example in the Vick mold, but some lessons and instruction from Brock Holt on how to endear yourself to the community you work in could be helpful as well. "Sorry" plus some effort to make amends goes so much further (farther?) than just saying "sorry."

 

[strek1]

I guess we've got a few "no second chance" people in SOSH.

 

[Mugsy's Jock]

Sure do. You'd probably get a good haul for him too since he's been good this year.

Taking athlete's political positions as potentially disqualifying is a super-slippery slope. Hope you're not an NFL fan. Or, worse, a golf fan (PGA or LIV, take your pick).

 

[soxhop411]

Taking athlete's political positions as potentially disqualifying is a super-slippery slope. Hope you're not an NFL fan. Or, worse, a golf fan (PGA or LIV, take your pick).

IMO it is never a good idea to put athletes on a pedistal, (especially as role models for children)

Schilling is one example who lit every once of goodwill he earned as a player on fire, in his post baseball days..

 

[Mugsy's Jock]

I haven't rooted for him since he stood there with his thumb up his @$$ watching a teammate hustle after a ball. Nothing will ever get that image out of my head when I see him or hear his name. Latest incident is just icing on a cake.

This example is ridiculous.

Duran made a terrible play on that fly ball, and made the situation worse by not hustling to fix it. Then, he a.) acknowledged it was a fuck-up, and more importantly b.) worked his ass off to improve his defense and win back his teammates' respect. Which he did with flying colors.

Hey, root for whomever you want. But if you're focused only on players that are perfect on the field and align 100% with your worldview, you're gonna have to sign up for a lot of professional solitaire tournaments.

 

[Sin Duda]

This example is ridiculous ... Hey, root for whomever you want. But if you're focused only on players that are perfect on the field and align 100% with your worldview, you're gonna have to sign up for a lot of professional solitaire tournaments.

Better heckle than "tennis racquet ".

 

[PC Drunken Friar]

I think it’s really interesting that all the people in these threads that have “given up” on JD have not pushed back on those that do support him. The only push back is from people telling those that have given up that they are wrong. WTF is outrage politics anyway?

I am a hypocrite when it comes to morality in entertainment. I fucking hate Kobe, really don’t want to listen to Michael Jackson or R. Kelly. No interest in watching The Cosby Show. But will listen to Tupac all day long, laugh at the first season of The Chapelle Show and bump 808s & Heartbreak.

But I won’t shame anyone who enjoys Cosby, etc. Defending him/them…is one thing. Being entertained is another. I draw my line, you draw yours.

 

[Bigdogx]

I guess we've got a few "no second chance" people in SOSH.

All you can do is roll your eyes at the perfect people who i guess have never done wrong in life. Such fake people imo......

 

[NomarG]

People can change and I think many of us on this message board are probably examples of that. Growing up in a small town in Maine back in the 90s I used the same slur that Duran did frequently. Pretty much all the kids did. With that being said I was only a kid and didn't know the hurt that the word caused until I was in my 20s and became homeless in a large Midwestern city. While that was a terrible experience in many ways, I learned so much from being exposed to people from all walks of life that I had never been been around before. If it wasn't for the African American and gay guy that I met that helped me get into a good shelter so I didn't have to sleep on the streets I'm not sure that I would be here today. While that experience was not the best it truly changed me as a person as well as how I see the world. As someone that struggles with mental illness I will continue to root for Duran but more so off the field than on the field. I'm a firm believer that people can change because I've seen it. People going from sleeping in a park to having a nice job and housing. It is possible and if Duran so desires, he can change as well.

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

This is nothing to me, he didn't physically hurt anyone or ruin anyone's life for that matter.

He said something dumb on a live mic, it happens in today's society and he needs to learn from it and move on. This was locker room talk imo, he wasn't singling someone out because of their sexual orientation, he just bluttered out a commonly used slur that guys have used for decades now when busting balls! No it doesn't have a place on a tv broadcast but i question anyone who thinks it's ok to try and devastate the guy's career over this one remark. Let's give the under 30 year old a chance to become a better person from it. Literally not a single gay or trans person has come out and demanded justice over this, i think the context matters because he clearly did not say this to insult the lgbt community.

You mean aside from the gay and trans folks posting here saying they hoped he would be disciplined for it? And perhaps there haven't be high profile protests or demands from the LGBTQ+ community at large because the Red Sox organization and Duran himself have rightly acknowledged that he did something wrong and immediately started working on contrition and atonement? No need to get worked up if the situation is being handled appropriate already.

As for it not being an insult to the LGBTQ+ community, how is it not? When Duran called that fan that word, what was he trying to imply by it? He was trying to insult the fan, was he not? Why is that word considered to be insulting to the fan? Could it because the implication is that being LGBTQ is somehow less than, or a bad thing to be? That's the issue. No one is saying one can't bust balls. Just don't use language that degrades a third party in order to land the insult.