A perfect sports world

Imagine, if you would, a sports league without imperfection, a place where all players are pure and flawless. Where class, integrity and moral composure are at the forefront and are all traits possessed by everyone involved (basically, the exact opposite of the University of Oregon student section).

Would this imaginary league be perfection? Well, according to Tim Hardaway, it probably would be.

In case you haven't heard by now, the retired NBA guard said in a tasteless and entirely regrettable radio interview with Dan Le Batard a couple of weeks ago that he "hated gays," a topic that arose amid a discussion about John Amaechi. Amaechi, a retired NBA player himself, recently came out of the closet.

Hardaway went on to say that if he played with a gay player he "wouldn't want him on his team," and went as far as to say that he would want him removed from the league.

Good for you, Tim. After all, you are a Christian [HTML_REMOVED] obviously, that allows you to judge anyone you please.

I don't know how the rest of the NBA feels about this issue, but if I were in the league, I'd rather play with a gay person than a bigoted moron.

Hardaway has since apologized for his comments, but that holds little meaning. He said what he said, and the comments wouldn't have been made if they weren't how Hardaway truly felt.

I hate to break it to you, Timmy, but the real world has gay people in it. I know you'd like to think that basketball is different, that professional sports are different and pure, but it's time to step down from your ignorant pedestal and come to the realization that not everyone is like you.

In an interview with ESPN.com's Scoop Jackson, Hardaway continued to express regret for his comments. Hardaway shifted the focus of his comments to it being a trust issue, telling Jackson, "I just don't think it's right for them to be on a team and the team not know that you are gay."

You're right, Tim. Knowing how you feel about gay people, I can't imagine why anyone would be anything less than honest with you about his or her sexuality.

Hardaway acts like his teammates owe him something, like he's privy to their personal lives. How many guys did he play with in his career that had drug habits? How many guys did he play with who had marital problems?

Would he be upset if a teammate didn't tell him about a recent divorce? Does he feel that his teammates should come to him with any and all information about their private endeavors?

If that's the case, maybe Hardaway should have become a therapist. The bottom line is it's none of your business, Tim.

Hardaway also said that things wouldn't work "if you have 12 other ballplayers in your locker room that's upset and can't concentrate and always worried about him in the locker room."

I guess I didn't realize that every player in the NBA is a homophobe. Heaven forbid a gay person showers next to you. What if they, you know, see you? It's this kind of junior high attitude that prevents our society from moving completely forward.

The world is made up of different people. And the NBA is no exception. So, in Hardaway's eyes at least, it will never be the perfect, uniform league where everyone's the same and everyone is without flaw.

Thank God.

Reach columnist Christian Caple at sports@thedaily.washington.edu.