So the f what?!

Daily News columnist John Smallwood has stepped up with a big “So what?” column in today’s paper. In a story that received barely any mention locally the last few days, a Japanese pitcher in the Cleveland Indians farm system -- Kazuhito Tadano -- has admitted to taking part in a gay porn movie. Tadano was a highly rated prospect pitching for Rikkyo University, when a tabloid published photos of him from the video. Blackballed in Japan, Tadano came to America and was offered a minor league contract with the Indians. Playing in all three levels of the minors last year, he went 6-2 with a 1.55 ERA. This despite feeling the need to stand up in front of two different locker rooms and explain his past. I would say this man has some poise, wouldn’t you? Smallwood is the only writer for the Inquirer and the Daily News to comment, save for the token “wire services” story that made each paper yesterday. He points out -- correctly -- that the only reason this is a story is because it was a gay porn movie, not just a porn movie. Let's be honest, this is all about the possibility that Tadano could be gay. If Tadano had been in this video with a woman instead of another man, he probably would have some level of cult status in most locker rooms. It certainly wouldn't be a threat to his career. Though heavy-handed in his approach, Smallwood rightly lays an indictment at the feet of professional sports in this country. The fact, however, that Tadano felt compelled to say, "I'm not gay, and I'd like to clear that fact up right now," shows he understands that his being paid to perform a homosexual act in a gay pornographic video could still threaten his professional baseball career. Overall as a society, the United States might be more liberal concerning both homosexuality and pornography, which is illegal in Japan. But we are talking about professional team sports - where testosterone reigns supreme and being gay is still considered the taboo of all taboos. As far as I know, no active player in Major League Baseball, the NFL, NBA or NHL has ever openly acknowledged that he was homosexual. Go into any locker room and it would take all of 5 seconds to understand that an openly gay player is still not something professional team sports is ready to deal with. While I shouldn’t be surprised that major league sports in this country have been slow to break down their misplaced machismo, I am severely disheartened. For christ’s sake -- it’s 2004, people! Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier over 50 years ago, women have been playing professional sports for decades and statistics clearly show that homosexuals have to have been playing sports all along. Even the Supreme Court says what goes on in one’s bedroom cannot be legislated against. For lack of a true rallying cry, “So what?” is right.