I really have no issues with Scott Norton and him being gay but do they have to show his "spouse" every other shot? They never give the wife of someone on the show that much airtime, never. I was to the point of turning off the show and then at the end when his partner came out of the audience and they kissed on TV, I thought that was not in very good taste for a show on Sunday afternoon that a lot of kids watch. That is going to be fun to try to explain to children in several age ranges.

I just think ESPN went a tad bit overboard with all that today.

Regardless if you are for the gay lifestyle or not, I have to give Scott Norton a lot of credit in how he bowled today.  He made the ball change when he needed to, and bowled well in the clutch.  That is just like any other champion on the tour.

As for the gay lifestyle, I personally am not and would never be gay.  But, I'm not going to tell people that they can't be either.  It's all personal choice.  We can't shield the world from it.  The reality is that more and more will come out in the future, both men and women.  Let's remember what all of us here on this site watch the shows for and that is the talent of the bowlers themselves. 

So Scott is gay.  Big deal- I really don't care.  I look at the fact that he went through 2 established champions in WRWJ and Belmo and a really good international talent in Fawad Abdullah earlier today.  Abdullah could have easily won the match if he didn't throw an open late.  His ball reaction with the Defiant Soul was good.  WRWJ would have potentially won that match if he didn't have 6 straight frames of 9/.

In the end, Scott did exactly what he had to do- made the right ball change in the second game, and made sure to throw strikes in the clutch to have every opportunity to win.  Belmo ended up with a bad break.  Had Scott not performed in the 10th, we could easily be talking about how Belmo won his 4th title today instead.

And there's the problem.  ESPN didn't pick a "side" and they certainly weren't putting on a "platform for the gay life style", that's just your insecurity and bigotry speaking..  They accurately showed and reported the circumstances of all the competitors.  The less-enlightened and less-evolved on here have made it a choosing of sides due the their personal immaturity and lack of ability to process things different from them. 

So long as individuals do not commit acts of violence against others, there's nothing wrong with personal view points.

The above is true.  Have your viewpoints.  That goes for gay people also.  Here's an idea, why not just leave others alone.  Scott Norton's lifestyle hurts no one on this site or anywhere else.  If you want to show your ignorance and intolerance by commenting, please, go ahead.

Milo, good point about Duke.  He has cried on television more than anybody.  Not too many people think less of him for it.  Funny how that works.




 

Quote from: sevenpin63 on December 30, 2012, 07:39:49 PM

I don't care one way or the other if he is gay, thats his choice.

But what I do care about is, I would rather not see it, keep it to yourself.

And I think that is a grown up enough response.

I agree.

See, our culture has already picked homosexuality as the "right" side, and any sort of opposition to it is considered "backwards" and "outdated".

There's nothing wrong with gay people. Scott Norton bowled excellently. But, if someone disagrees with homosexual culture, that person should not be deemed "bigoted". Really, we should not be forced to like everybody. So long as individuals do not commit acts of violence against others, there's nothing wrong with personal view points.

Ive been wondering how in the world Obama got put back into office since November. Wow I now see after reading the majority of these comments from around the country. Espn probably couldnt legally take the kiss out, but they sure as hell didn't have to do a 2 minute interview with him about being gay. Leave crap like that for dateline or 20/20 or Jerry Springer for that matter. There has not once been a single interview about any players sexual orientation. Why start now? Why not talk about lane conditions, injuries, bowling ball reactions, anything that actually pertained to bowling.

Exactly. Live and let live, but there is no place on a bowling telecast for a 2 minute spot on someone's sexual orientation. It should be treated matter-of-factly as the non issue it is.

Have to disagree, Rico.  To some on here, even a 20 second mention of the situation is too much due to their bias and intolerance.  To most people it wasn't a problem.  To the intolerant and threatened.......it's a big deal.


 

Shameless exploitation typical of the PBA to try and create interest where there is none

After watching the telecast, again. I saw no platform for gay rights. The showed Craig twice in the first match (Tim Mack twice for Abdullah), twice in the second (WRW mother once), once in the finals Belmo's family once (my assumption because of the uninterrupted match), and the kissed and huged at the end and it was only shown again after the replay of Belmo's first shot in the tenth then Belmo shook Nortons hand. There was no platform or overly aggressive push for gay rights. The interview afterward, Norton thanked his support system which included Tony Reyes, His family and friends and his spouse. It stayed bowling oriented and it wasnt like Norton tongued his spouse down.

Anyone that has a problem with that is looking for something negative to say. And this is the reason why kids have problems with admitting their feelings about their choice. Yes we have the freedom to do and say what we feel within the limits of the law, but i think some abuse that right to share their own insecurities and pass them them off as opinions. Belmo wins, this isnt even a discussion. WRW wins, we continue on about how he's the G.O.A.T. Abdullah wins, we share his courageous story about his adversities with injury to win. Why is Norton so different? If a lesbian kissed her spouse on tv and cried after a win, we would be sharing how hot that looked on tv.

Again, lets grow up people. Way to take away from a hard fought victory guys.

If he had femininely screamed "carry please" one more time I think I would've barfed. It was like a bad Talladega Nights version of the PBA.

I care because the PBA is all but extinct. Publicity like this is the last thing it needs in my opinion but hey maybe I'm wrong. I would say most of ESPNs viewers are heterosexual males who want to see "sports". Sunday was just another argument for Bowling's critics to say bowling isn't a sport. Just another reason Bowling's top players make 6 figures and other sports mediocre players make millions.