NBC Sports seems to have a problem treating gay athletes, and the gay parents of athletes, with the same respect and visibility it shows to their heterosexual counterparts.
They failed to identify Tom Daley‘s financé Dustin Lance Black when showing he and Daley’s mother in the crowd, dressed in matching “Team Daley” shirts.
Black, an Academy Award winning screenwriter, is famous in his own right. Mentioning the family members and partners of athletes while showing them cheering in the stands is typically a reflex during Olympic coverage, which is always hungry for a good human interest story.
Related: Gay, Bi Men Prefer Olympic Aquatics, Team GB Shows Why
“Could the network have resisted lingering over an Oscar-winner affianced to an Olympic medal-winner if the relationship didn’t involve two people of the same sex?” Slate asks, continuing, “…do you really think they wouldn’t point out a diver’s celebrity fiancée if it were Marion Cotillard, Brie Larson, or another Oscar-winner whose fame level was roughly commensurate with Black’s?…You don’t have to be the kind of person who sees homophobia everywhere to think the commentators were reluctant to bring up a star athlete’s homosexuality.”
Then there was commentator Chris Marlowe referring to Brazilian volleyball player Larissa França’s wife as her “husband.”
“I’m sorry for the mistake today. Clearly, Liliane is Larissa’s wife,” Marlowe said, which served as the only apology to come from the network.
Former NBA player Jason Collins, the first openly gay athlete to play in one of the four major U.S. sports leagues, and was one of the many people on Twitter to express their frustration with the mistake, tweeting a link to Outsports article on the incident.
I saw this live and was confused when the commentator said "husband". C'mon @nbc @NBCOlympics @NBCSports #DoBetter ? https://t.co/UYJC0qfiOf
— Jason Collins (@jasoncollins98) August 9, 2016
This goes beyond the Olympics, as Outsports points out:
For the last few years NBC Sports has employed an avowed proud homophobe, Tony Dungy, as one of its lead NFL commentators. Dungy has raised money to oppose equality for gay people, has said he “disagrees” with Jason Collins being gay and, in a fit of hypocrisy, said he would not want openly gay NFL player Michael Sam on his team.
Dungy, meanwhile, has advocated for us all to forget the crimes of Michael Vick, whom he has mentored after his release from prison.
Related: Michael Sam Sees More Racism In Gay Community Than Homophobia In Black Community
NBC Sports was previously forced to apologize for not mentioning Australian Diver Matthew Mitcham‘s partner in the stands, despite doing so for the partners of straight athletes. Mitcham, who won gold, was the only openly gay athlete at those Olympic Games. That too went unmentioned.
At the U.S. Olympic trials, diver Jordan Windle was accompanied by his fathers.
“They wouldn’t say ‘Jordan’s dads’ during the finals of Olympic Trials,” Jerry Windle said. “They just said ‘parents.’ Then they wouldn’t show both Andre and I together like they showed other parents.”
In 2014, the International Olympic Committee officially added sexual orientation protections to its policies, after the Games were held in Russia, which has a less than stellar record on LGBTQ rights, to say the least. They recently updated their policy on transgender athletes as well, allowing transgender men to compete without limitations and transgender women to compete after a year of hormone replacement therapy, provided their testosterone levels are equal to or lower than their cisgender female counterparts.
Related: Nike Drops Ad Championing Transgender Athlete During Olympics
This year’s Olympics has a record number of out LGBT athletes, meaning it is even more important than ever for them to get their coverage in order.
Some athletes have been subjected to antigay slurs from audiences, particularly the USA women’s soccer team.
A tennis broadcaster for the BBC got into trouble for a homophobic joke he made involving the kiss cam, which lead to an apology.
Kieran
Only NBC could take an exciting event like the Olympic games and turn it into a big pompous bore every four years.
KanoChris
@Kieran: Well said!
Celtic
For the LGBT community, one’s partner should be referred to as “spouse”. That works with all genders, all sexualities and all relationships. As an older GWM, I often tired of the question when partnered, “Who’s the husband; the wife?” Most gay men that I have known throughout my life do not function within that tight binary construct. It’s as bad as, “Who’s the butch one; the fem?” REALLY folks? Straights need to free themselves from those binary conical shaped tubes they live in and realize sex acts, straight or gay, have multiple positions. Well, at least for gays they do.
MikeE
@Celtic: Why? I refer to my husband, and I’m his husband. Both our families speak of us as husbands. Why should we reduce that to “spouse”?
dean089
@Kieran: I will be elated when the Olympics finally move to another network. NBC has been a consistent disappointment time after time.
Atomicrob
I have heard Frances Rivera on MSNBC label homosexuality a “lifestyle” when she was first reporting about Orlando . . . No honey, your fashion sense is a “lifestyle”, being gay or lesbian is not. Learn something . . .
Tim Warner
NBC Homophobic?
Are you kidding, how can you ask such a stupid question.
However, the Olympics are something that should be dome away with, the only purpose they
serve is to make petty politicians Rich, look at Poor Brazil!!!
lazlicious
Maybe NBC knows what everyone who knows Lance knows; as soon as he has got all the publicity he can out of being associated with Tom Daly he’ll move on to his next barely legal twink. Attention is the only thing Lance likes more than barely legal twinks.
Mack
I’ve watched most of the Olympics and have seen and heard what’s being said. I do find it odd that they didn’t acknowledge Daley’s fiance but they spent a great deal of time on Michael Phelps’ fiance. It’s double standards. But the Olympics shouldn’t be about husbands, wives, fiances, or parents, it should be about the winners and their goals.
I’m just tired of watching a match for NBC to go to commercial in the last minute or two of the match to come back to see comeback by the other team or person and don’t know what the hell happened. This is by far the worst coverage I’ve ever seen.
Mo Bro
Dustin Lance Black is no more famous than is Callie Khouri, so no one should be butt-hurt here.
everybodywinsyay
One missed fiance doesn’t mean the crap this site thinks it does. Get over it. Get a life. Worry about important things and stop making your living off of looking for hairs to split. That’s a negative thing you’re doing, putting misinformation out in the world
flinnte
Some of their Today Show must be gay. I don’t know of anyone being out. Only on bravo. Maybe comcast is the problem? NBC Doesn’t like people to adopt either!
trelld
I watched the diving competition. They did show an up close shot of Black. I don’t think they mentioned they were dating, but so what. I think if they were married they would have said something more. Regarding the “husband” comment, maybe it’s just a freudian slip. We live in a heteronormative world, so maybe an old guys first thought is wife, must say husband. I also saw Windle diving. WTF is wrong with saying parents? Are they not his parents? When they said parents I honestly did assume it was a heterosexual couple, however, isn’t this what we want. Not to be singled out as different, but normal. By saying husbands, are we not putting an asterisk by their relationship and family.
martinbakman
@Kieran: The opening ceremony coverage was certainly a big snooze. Way to go NBC!
Brian
The people at NBC are not very bright. In any case, I watch the Olympics to see the performances, not the performers’ partners.
kittyconrad
@MikeE: The word “spouse” is not a reduction.
kittyconrad
@lazlicious: I wonder why you hold so much anger toward barely legal twinks.
kittyconrad
Perhaps NBC’s announcers could update their social consciousness, but it wasn’t long ago when Daley announced his same-sex relationship as “right for now,” but he said he would still “fancy the girls.”
lazlicious
@kittyconrad: i don’t have anything against twinks. I can’t stand ghastly, ghostly old chicken hawks.
SumSay
@trelld:
I agree, had they been married it most likely would’ve been mentioned.
jimmycurry01
@Celtic: Absolutely not! I am married I have a husband, he has a husband. My entire family refers to him as my husband, his family refers to me as his husband. Spouse is a formal term for documents. Spouse is almost worse than the word partner.
Before you ask, a partner is a word used for formal business relationships. I did not enter into a business relationship with my husband, despite the mixed finances.
Medea Jason
Ever watch American Ninja Warrior, also on NBC? Lots of attractive, muscular, athletic guys/gals competing on that show. Usually, their wives, girlfriends, fiance, children, babies, families,etc. can be seen on the sidelines, following them along the course, shouting encouragement. Ever notice if any of these men (or women) have been identified by the announcers as being gay or lesbian, and see their husband, wife, baby, etc. urging them on? Do any gay/lesbian athletes audition to be on ANW? Then what happens? They never seem to make it on TV. At least not in my experience.
Inquiring minds would like very much to read your thoughts on this matter.
NBC would definitely appear to be NOT “gay friendly”.
Boryzark
I think I would rather touch on the “husband”, “Spouse” issue. I have always preferred PARTNER. We wanted to be ourselves in the 70s and 80s then something happened and now we want to be like straight married couples? What happened to our originality?
desertboy
Ratings for the Rio Olympics are down by as much as 35% compared to London. What does NBC Sports think it’s protecting?
viveutvivas
I happen to prefer “boyfriend” for myself but everyone should be called by the terms they prefer. How about they asked the actual LGBT people involved? It’s basic journalistic homework.
Rustie
@MikeE: Gays are the same as straights when it comes to terminology – these words are descriptors, and they are either correctly or incorrectly. If a straight male athlete was there with his wife, I’m sure that they would not refer to her as his girlfriend! I have been with the same man for 41 years, and while our relationship has never changed, the “term du jour” has morphed from room mate to boyfriend to lover, to life partner. However now since we were married in 2011, he is and can only be correctly identified as my HUSBAND. It might take the straight world a while to get used to it, but I am a man with a husband.
Rustie
@MikeE: Bravo!
Bauhaus
Perhaps more clueless than homophobic – annoying all the same.
muscl954
Perhaps NBC knows that it is perceived to be homophobic and were trying to make up for their lack of “gay” recognition/coverage by having Bob Costas interviewing gay athlete Johnny Weir and his BFF Tara Lipinski on the late night wrap up of Friday’s Olympic coverage! There was no other reason to have an interview with these two athletes, since they were there only to discuss their participation in this year’s Carnival in Rio, months earlier. (What does that have to do with the Olympics?) Weir was dressed in a typically androgynous (however, feminine-leaning) outfit with his hair styled in what can only be described as a flamboyant woman’s coif(with big waves and flowers studded throughout the curls). He and Lipinski talked about preparations for the big parades, glitter and high heels. (Is that what appeals to the gay viewer?) Costas, to his credit, conducted the lighthearted interview without a trace of discomfort or surprise. However, it seemed totally inappropriate under the guise of Olympic coverage.
martinbakman
Sick of NBC parading Dungy around like he’s fvcking Jesus. That guy is against gays and didn’t keep his eye on the ball at home. Tragic how his son committed suicide.
John
Could really care less if NBC cuts to any foreign competitors boyfriends, girlfriends, spouses, parents etc. I do like seeing the faces of USA compeitors in the crowds. Or better yet where is/was Nathan Adrian’s support of family/friend etc. I want to be that man’s “daddy”.
JaredNorthcutt30
Screenwriters aren’t celebrities to the American public. Next topic.
rcktetr
No. But let’s let our voice be heard still