This week Bob Costas has created
a firestorm of controversy over his comments on Monday Night Football against
guns and what seemed like a pitch for stronger gun control laws. Some have applauded him and others are quite irate
that he would use that particular forum to attempt to advance his political
agenda.
I on the other hand, am quite
ambivalent about the whole thing. On one
hand it is his first amendment right to express himself and he exercised that
right. Although his employer may think
differently, it is his right to express his opinion and he did so. On the other hand, he gets paid a whole lot
of money to be a sports broadcaster. If
he wants to comment on law, politics, and national policy, then he can go on
any of the news networks that are dedicated to reporting on those issues. I’m
sure they’d be happy to have him on as a guest or even a regular
correspondent. I don’t think the outrage
was with the fact that he expressed his opinion, I think it was the forum that
he chose that was the problem. People
that tune in to watch an NFL game, tune in to do just that, watch an NFL
game. On Monday night I think they felt like
there was a bit of a bait and switch pulled on them, and rightfully so.
As for one lawyer’s humble
opinion, the only problem I had was that a lot of the message was just
inaccurate. "If Jovan Belcher
didn't possess a gun," Costas told a television audience of more than 20
million, "he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today." Not only is this an irrational leap of logic,
it is also inflammatory speculation with no basis in fact. Costas overlooks the fact that there is more
than one way to kill someone, ask Nicole Brown Simpson’s family. Furthermore, Costas ignores the mountain of
evidence that shows the number of lives that are saved every year because
people defend themselves with guns, but that's another topic for another time. My
point on this whole situation is this: if you’re going to take a stand on
something as political and as polarizing as the issue of gun control, you
better back it up with facts, studies, and other data. Conclusory statements like the ones Costas
made on Monday night will not suffice. Although
Costas is brilliant at what he does and he has built a reputation as a very credible
individual, I think he did himself a disservice by saying what he said, and I
think he lost just a bit of legitimacy with a whole lot of people.
