MSNBC can't even keep liberal politics out of sports. Nation sports editor Dave Zirin appeared on the cable network, Wednesday, to hyperventilate over the announcement that Tim Tebow has been traded to the New York Jets. Zirin berated, "...There are a lot of LGBT people that live in New York City who are also football fans and they might want to know why the new, possibly, starting quarterback for the New York Jets wants them to move backwards 30 or 40 years."
Why does Tebow want to set gays back 40 years? Because he once did a very mild pro-life commercial for Focus on the Family? Completely going off on a tangent, Zirin whined, "Now, I don't want to shock you, Tamron, but there are a lot of women in New York who use birth control." [See video below. MP3 audio here.]
This was too much even for MSNBC anchor Tamron Hall. "Is that fair," she asked. Hall pointed out: "...You can have drug addicts and everything else play in this town and people beat up their spouses and play in [New York]."
Zirin, who has repeatedly appeared on MSNBC to trash Tebow, religious figures and conservatives, stuck by his obvious disgust for the quarterback: "I am hoping Tim Tebow gets asked some certain things. Because, he said he wants a career in politics after football. That, to me, makes it all fair game."
A transcript of the News Nation segment, which aired at 2:52pm EDT, follows:
TAMRON HALL: The Jets confirmed within the last hour that Tim Tebow is headed to New York City. It comes one day after- technically New Jersey, isn't it quarterback Peyton Manning took his spot at the Denver Broncos. We have also learned the NFL suspended Sean Payton and others for their involvement in the bounty program. Our friend Dave Zirin is writing for the Edge of Sports and he joins us live. I don't know which to start off with. So, I will start off with Broadway Tim, Broadway Tebow, whatever you want to call it. I read a couple tweets people are threatening to not have the season tickets with the Jets because of this and others are happy to see how it goes. What's your take?
DAVE ZIRIN: It is heart to be a Saint in the city. That's my first take. Yeah, a 35-year-old Bruce Springsteen reference, thank you. No, the thing about Tim Tebow coming to the Jets is Woody Johnson, the owner just upon a circus. He bought the 28th ranked quarterback in the NFL, who for some reason has a massive fan base that will be pressuring the team to start him every step of the way. And the Jets are doing this right after they gave a huge extension to the incumbent quarterback Mark Sanchez and that they signed a credible back-up, a guy named Drew Stanton from the Detroit Lions.
HALL: Yeah.
ZIRIN: I don't begin to understand the thought process of the New York Jets, except they maybe were looking at Rex Ryan and saying, you know what, this guy is not quite a buffoonish entertaining clown, we need to make this more buffoonish a situation. We need to make this more clownish and bring in Tim Tebow and have a full pledged reality program.
ZIRIN: Exactly, because of who Tim Tebow is. I mean, it would be a circus if you let Rick Santorum loose in Las Vegas for a week and just kept a camera on him the whole time. I mean, Donald Trump in New York is ho-hum. He's practically a chameleon in New York. But with Tim Tebow you are talking about somebody who has a set of ideas, let's just say, that are different from the majority of New Yorkers. Now, I don't want to shock you, Tamron, but there are a lot of women in New York who use birth control. And I also don't want to shock you, but there are a lot of LGBT people that live in New York City who are also football fans and they might want to know why the new, possibly, starting quarterback for the New York Jets wants them to move backwards 30 or 40 years.
HALL: I want to get to the Saints, but I have to follow up on that. Is that fair, though?
ZIRIN: Oh, yeah.
HALL: I mean, I get it. He had the half time ad with his mother and talked about his faith and beliefs, but the reality is isn't it about what he does on the field?
ZIRIN: Of course. That's a part of it.
HALL: Because, I mean, you can have drug addicts and everything else play in this town and people beat up their spouses and play in this town.
ZIRIN: Yeah and they get their media scrutiny. Yet in Denver, a typical question from a local media member would look more like a foot massage than an actual tough question. I am hoping Tim Tebow gets asked some certain things. Because, he said he wants a career in politics after football. That, to me, makes it all fair game.
