Salon.com > Brian Nielsen http://www.salon.com Fri, 03 May 2013 03:47:40 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Here’s the most ignorant Jason Collins column ever http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/heres_the_most_ignorant_jason_collins_column_ever/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/heres_the_most_ignorant_jason_collins_column_ever/#comments Thu, 02 May 2013 22:52:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13288285 Brian Nielsen is the sports editor of the Journal Gazette and Times-Courier in Mattoon, Ill.

Earlier today the paper posted this column he wrote about Jason Collins becoming the first active gay player in the NBA -- and it might well be the most foul, ignorant and reprehensible piece of journalism written on Collins.

Here are the essential claims Nielsen makes, followed by the direct quotes from his piece:

Collins is making a lifestyle choice, and it's comparable to the lifestyle choice to have many children with many different mothers:

"Years ago Jackie Robinson fought a courageous, pioneering battle — a battle that was unfair for a man to have to fight just because he was born with a certain color of skin.

To compare the plight of Collins with his own lifestyle choice to Robinson’s should really insult Jackie’s family today. It even bothers me.

Still we have people calling Collins a pioneer.

I never heard that, and rightfully so, when NBA player Shawn Kemp had fathered several illegitimate children with different women."

Continue Reading...

]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/heres_the_most_ignorant_jason_collins_column_ever/feed/ 38