Rajon Rondo's slip of the lip

Lest anyone think that sports are not capable of creating subtle philosophical conundrums, let’s look at the penalties involved for the use of the F word in basketball.

Not “the” F word, but the other F word, the one that is a slang derogatory reference to being a homosexual.  Sacramento Kings player Rajon Rondo was recently suspended for one game for using the F word in referring to a referee.  This has been done before, but the difference here was that the referee was, in fact, gay.

In previous instances of players using the F word, a fine was deemed sufficient penalty.  Rondo was suspended for one game.  Does this reflect the fact that the league is becoming more sensitive to players using homophobic slurs, or is it due to the fact that the application of the insult in this case was literal and not just a schoolyard taunt?

I’ve always been amused when, in the past, a player who used the F word as an insult would always apologize by saying he didn’t mean it literally.  Right, because actually calling someone gay is so odious you would only do it as a joke. 

But now that more people have come out of the closet, there is the increased possibility that a player throwing around the F word will direct it at someone to whom it is, literally, applicable.  Should this result in a greater penalty?  Or should all usages of the word reap the same whirlwind?

One can’t draw a parallel to the N word, as that rarely gets used as an insult to white players.  But you do have circumstances where the race of the person uttering the word changes the context; an African-American using the word may not have the same connotation as a Caucasian player using it.  However, I believe the NFL policy is that any use of the word is forbidden.

I mentioned that I love how players apologize for using the F word; I basically love all apologies drafted by teams of lawyers and management.  Rondo apologized, saying that he did not mean any disrespect to the LGBT community.  Really?  You used a slur describing one member of the LGBT community as an insult against someone who was a member of that group.  How can you respect the community if you use a term to describe someone in the community as an insult?

All Rondo’s apology lacked was heartfelt remorse “if anyone was offended” and apologizing for “what happened” (as opposed to “What I did”).

Rondo further said that his use of the term was the result of frustration.  News flash, Mr. Rondo: you play for the Sacramento Kings; get used to being frustrated.  You play for one of the most dysfunctional franchises in the NBA, one that looks relatively decent only compared to fire sales like Philadelphia and the LA Lakers.  The Kings have their first decent (i.e. experienced) coach in over ten years, and the team’s star player, Demarcus Cousins, hates him.  The owner has said he wants to consider playing 4 on 5 on defense to keep an offensive player in the backcourt.  With the expansive playoff roster in the NBA you can’t rule out a run for the #8 seed in the West (FiveThirtyEight gives them a 24% chance of making the playoffs) but anything past the first round is out of the question.

Hopefully we will all live in a word where the F word is no longer used as an insult (except as South Park said, to refer to people who ride excessively loud motorcycles).  Until then the NBA should consider increasing the penalties for using the word, as a single game seems a small price to play for insulting a large group of people.