Bob Costas is known for his thoughtful comments on controversial topics. He’s never been afraid to speak what he believes to be the truth while in the spotlight. His latest comments — this time about Caitlyn Jenner — are no different.
That doesn’t mean they’re received without controversy.
While the world is busy praising Caitlyn Jenner (deservedly so), many are uncomfortable with a transgender woman catapulted in front of our faces in mainstream media.
Most of those uncomfortable people don’t have anything nice to say. Costas isn’t one of those people.
While appearing on the “The Dan Patrick Show” this week, Costas basically said he thought ESPN could do better than Caitlyn Jenner for the Arthur Ashe Courage Award.
“It strikes me that awarding the Arthur Ashe Award to Caitlyn Jenner is just a crass exploitation play — it’s a tabloid play,” Costas said, via For The Win. “In the broad world of sports, I’m pretty sure they could’ve found someone — and this is not anything against Caitlyn Jenner — who was much closer actively involved in sports, who would’ve been deserving of what that award represents. That’s not to say it doesn’t take some measure of personal courage to do what Caitlyn Jenner has done.”
A lot of people are going to blow Costas’ comments out of proportion, but he’s not wrong. Jenner has been far more active in the entertainment industry since the 1976 Olympics. The award is designated for people “whose contributions transcend sports.”
While it’s certainly brave of Jenner to bring awareness to such a touchy subject in such a public manner, she really doesn’t have much to do with sports besides her Olympic victory nearly 40 years ago.
Thumbnail image via Peter Casey/USA TODAY Sports Images
