Perhaps the most outspoken player in the NFL, Chris Kluwe has once again stirred up some much needed controversy not only about social issues, but also about the fundamental equality of the sports we know and love. Kluwe is a punter for the Minnesota Vikings known for speaking his mind and advocating for issues such as gay marriage.
On Dec. 9, Kluwe covered a league-wide patch on his jersey celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Pro Football Hall of Fame with a post-it note held down with athletic tape reading, “Vote Ray Guy” for all to see.
Guy, the first and only punter to be selected during the first round of the draft in 1973, is a former Raider who was selected to the AFC Pro Bowl team seven times and chosen to be the punter on the NFL’s 75th anniversary team in 1994.
In Kluwe’s opinion, Ray Guy should be the player inducted into Canton, seeing as no special teams player has ever been inducted, and his record is hard to dispute.
The league fined Kluwe five thousand dollars for his “uniform violation” during the game.
Kluwe knew he was going to take a fine and possibly get fired for his public stunt, but he could not support an organization that “does not recognize punters” as an important part of the sport.
Though I highly doubt this miniature rebellion from Kluwe will change the Hall of Fame’s mind, he brings up a point that is not addressed nearly as much as it needs to be.
We see it in sports across the board: players performing exceptionally in unappreciated positions not getting the recognition they deserve.
Not only does it demean their aspect of the game, it also discourages children from participating in what is perceived as the inferior second rate positions.
How many times in gym class did you whine about having to play defense, or worse, goalie? I know I did. We wanted to be the one to make the big plays. We wanted to be the one to score. But when you think about it, these major league teams would not be anywhere with a terrible defense, would they?
Quoting Dave Thorson, “offense sells the tickets, but defense wins the championships.”
I doubt there is a truer statement when it comes to the success of any team. Putting points on the board is no doubt important, but if your defense is non-existent there is nothing stopping the other team from doing the same.
I find it unfortunate that these athletes who excel are simply deemed “doing their job” and only acknowledged when a mistake is made.
If it were a perfect world, the Pro Football Hall of Fame would take the point Kluwe made at face value and vote in the much deserving Ray Guy. Until we learn to recognize who are arguably the most valuable players, we are disserving both the game and ourselves.
But please, do not fret too much. I hear ignorance is bliss.
