KANSAN.COM
SPORTS
9
+
Brew: Winston's fame doesn't warrant forgiveness
Associated Press
Associated Press
In this Aug. 15, 2015, file photo, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback James Winston warms up for a preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings. Winston said he made a "poor word choice" in comments about women in a recent talk to students at a Florida elementary school.
RAELEY YOUNGS
@raeleyy
on a visit to a St.
Petersburg, Florida,
elementary
school that was meant to be encouraging to a group of third through fifth graders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston provided a message that was just the opposite.
He spoke with a stance on girls and women that has been repeatedly overlooked for far too long.
The Tampa Bay Times reported that Winston said the following to the group of grade-schoolers during a speech, which is supported by video:
"All my young boys, stand up. The ladies, sit down. But all my boys, stand up. We strong, right? We strong! We strong, right? All my boys, tell me one time: I can do anything I put my mind to. Now a lot of boys aren't supposed to be soft-spoken. You know what I'm saying? One day yall are going to have a very deep voice like this (in deep voice). One day, you'll have a very, very deep voice.
"But the ladies, they're supposed to be silent, polite, gentle. My men, my men (are) supposed to be strong. I want y'all to tell me what the third rule of life is: I can do anything I put my mind to. Scream it!"
This is 2017, right? The stereotypes that Winston painted with his remarks felt like a rewind to the 1950s. The idea that all men must be overtly masculine
and all women have to be dainty and fragile is a social standard that's long gone, which Winston doesn't seem to understand.
The phrases Winston used were so blunt, I don't see any way his meaning could have been purely accidental.
His words echoed what we girls are told since we're little: Be silent. Sit down. And unlike the boys, you can't do anything you put your mind to.
These kids aren't the NFL football players that
Winston normally hypes up. That was his own foolish mistake to think he could treat the situation anywhere near the same.
This was a dangerous message given to very impressionable children. Not to mention, for some of which, Winston may have been the most famous adult figure they've ever had to look up to.
His comments should not only discredit him as an athlete, but also as a respectable man.
Though athletes aren't
always the best role models, they're often forced onto that pedestal as part of their stardom. Being the No. 1 draft pick in 2015, the spotlight is furthermore focused on him and the pressure to act and speak responsibly is heightened as well.
Winston's supporters claim he has been painted all wrong. They argue that the quarterback shouldn't receive so much scrutiny for the incident because he's actively worked with numerous community and charity projects since becoming a professional football player.
A quick internet search shows a long list of behavioral problems and criminal allegations. Don't forget his "f- her right in the p-y" remark from 2014. This wasn't a single incident, it's another piece to add to Winston's pattern of unjust treatment of not only women, but people in general.
But again, that doesn't make up for anything.
"During my talk, I used a poor word choice that may have overshadowed that
positive message for some," Winston told the Associated Press. "I was making an effort to interact with a young male in the audience who didn't seem to be paying attention."
Fool word choice is not an excuse. Claiming that he was trying to keep the boys focused is not an excuse. There are countless other ways Winston could have regained the young boys' interest that would not have involved oppressing the girls simultaneously.
Winston's actions were yet another example of men in sports with unacceptable attitudes in what should be considered "normal" for women.
Gender inequality has been at the forefront of the issues in sports for some time now, but with comments like these from such a high-profile player, it feels like a punch in the gut of the advances and hard work that women in sports have put forth.
From women in sports media to women athletes to all other women involved in this male-dominated field, there is immense disappointment in Winston's actions, but there is still hope. The change in attitude must first come from those with mindsets like him, who must reevaluate their ideas of masculinity and femininity before progressing.
Women are strong. Women can do anything they set their minds to. And Jameis Winston, you will not discourage us.
MONDAY
$3 Domestic Bottles
TUESDAY
Jumbo Wing Night!
$1 Jumbo wings
(5pm - close)
$8 Beer buckets
(With food purchase)
WEDNESDAY
Wine and Dine!
$5 bottle of house wine with purchase of large gourmet pizza
THURSDAY
Papa's Special:
$14.99 Large Papa Minsky Buresque Lager
$3/pint
$8/pitcher
FRIDAY
$3.25 mugs of Boulevard Wheat and Free State Copperhead
SATURDAY
Wingin' it Weekend Special! (11am-5pm)
$7 jumbo wings
$3.25 Domestic bottles
SUNDAY
Wingin' it Weekend Special! (11am-5pm)
$7 jumbo wings
$3.25 Domestic bottles
MONDAY
$8 Domestic Pitchers
$10 Micro Pitchers
TUESDAY
$2 Tacos
$3 Any Bottle
WEDNESDAY
$2 Smoked Wings
$8 double any whiskey
THURSDAY
$3.50 Any pint
$4 Double wells
FRIDAY
$3 Domestic Bottles
$5.50 Double Jacks
$3 Fireball
SATURDAY
$6 Double vodka RedBulls
SUNDAY
$7 PBR pitchers