Every few years or so a situation rears its head and the whole  testosterone filled world of pro sports is examined again. 
Yunel Escobar of the Toronto Blue Jays has been suspended for three games for writing a gay slur on his eye black during a game over the weekend.  He apologized at a press conference yesterday, saying he didn't mean to offend anyone . . . and of course, he has gay friends. How cliche is that? He said it was a joke.
Yes I’ve heard the weak excuse that the word he used could have been misinterpreted in translation…that there are nuances that English speakers don’t understand.  Yet Spanish speakers I talked to yesterday called that explanation bogus.  Any big league player who had spent more than 15 in a bif league clubhouse knows exactly what the word means here. 
 
I really did believe that we had evolved as men past the point where our hormones dictated our behavior but, then again, I’m talking about spoiled, uber rich pro athletes who believe that rules don’t apply to them . 
Where was the leadership in the Blue Jay clubhouse here?  How in the world was Escobar allowed to leave the dugout with that written on his face?  These aren’t 12 years olds. Or maybe they are.
If this had been a racial slur, Escobars suspension would be significantly more than 3 games.  You get three games for breaking curfew.  Yet we continue to treat bigotry against gays as somehow less seriously as other bigotrys.  Three games IS a joke…a grown man writing hatful things on his face for kicks is not.