Male Athletes Rip Trump’s “Locker Room” Comments
Donald Trump’s recent disgusting comments about women were chalked up to “locker room talk” by the candidate but those in lockers rooms aren’t having it.
In 2005, Donald Trump made very inappropriate and disgusting comments about sexual assault which was caught on tape. Trump didn’t deny the comments but instead referred to them as “locker room talk.” Professional male athletes are not happy and have pushed back against that stigma.
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Both former and current athletes have given their take on the comments. CM Punk, a UFC MMA fighter was one of the most popular, “Grab them by the pussy” isn’t talk from any locker room I’ve ever been in. It’s a Ted Bundy quote.” while Los Angeles Clippers player, Blake Griffin decided to go a humorous route. Griffin tweeted, “All this heavy breathing seems more locker room-esque than anything #debate.”
The athlete who took the most issues was Chris Conely. Conely is currently a wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs and he went on a long Twitter rant during the debate. In a series of 5 tweets, he spoke about locker room culture and why Trump gained so much popularity. Conely might be young, but his willingness to speak out on important issues is one most young athletes shy away from.
Those are just some of the examples of current athletes who spoke up. One of the most popular former athletes to speak out is Chris Kluwe. Kluwe is a former NFL punter who was released from teams after opening up about gay rights.
Since leaving the NFL, Kluwe has been very proactive in trying to change the NFL culture around gay players, domestic violence and most recently, the “locker room” comments. He did tweet about Trump’s comments but also went a step further. He penned an article on Vox entitled “Dear Donald Trump: I played in the NFL. Here’s what we really talk about in the locker room.” Kluwe essentially dismantled everything Trump stands for in the article.
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As a sports fan, I’m happy to see athletes standing up against Trump’s comments. It shows that athletes aren’t as “deaf” as they appear and are only there to play a game. Plus it helps breaks the stigma around professional locker rooms and help combat sexual assault against women. These athletes might have only been tweeting, but it’s nice to see them using their platform for good.