This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on May 24, 2024.
“The headline could just be, ‘Man who kicks ball for a living and has no other job criticizes women who want to be nurses, surgeons and U.N. Secretary General,’” said Brad Onishi on the Straight White American Jesus podcast episode that featured discussion about the Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker. “He literally gets up in the morning and his employment is to kick one ball in one direction. And he’s telling everyone else what the essence of their vocation should be.”
Butker has been making headlines because of his speech at Benedictine College, a conservative Catholic school in Atchison, Kan., during which he claimed his wife’s life started after she met him, converted to his religion and became his homemaker. He also spoke out against President Biden and LGBTQ people.
In the days after his speech, it seemed half of the country was appalled at his words and the other half wanted to buy his jersey to support him.
O.S. Hawkins, chancellor of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, has been posting pro-Butker articles on social media. Al Mohler of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has jumped in as well, voicing his support for Butker’s words about what theological conservatives consider the created order.
However, the NFL’s chief diversity and inclusion officer, Jonathan Beane, declared Butker’s views “are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”
Tavia Hunt, wife of Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, disagrees with the NFL. She took to Instagram to post her support for Butker’s view of women. And her daughter, Gracie Hunt, appeared on Fox and Friends to say, “I really respect Harrison and his Christian faith.” Chiefs coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes have voiced their disagreement, but support Butler’s right to free speech.
And the Benedictine sisters of Mount St. Scholastica released a statement condemning Butker’s comments while claiming they “want to be known as an inclusive, welcoming community.”
On one hand, this could be a story about how we choose to promote the celebrities who champion our causes or demonize those who do not. It also could be a piece about how many on the right attempt to silence Black athletes such as Colin Kaepernick who speak out about social justice, while celebrating the likes of Butker who demonize social justice.
But the further we look into Butker’s story, we begin to realize the causes we support often have a lot more going on behind them than we realize. In the case of conservative Christians, the consequences of their cause are deadly.
Wow, thanks for delving into the darkness on these dudes. It’s a joy to read well researched articles. But, speaking of degeneracy, what do most people associate with a group of men focused on their bodies who reject women? Yeah, me too. 🏳️🌈