Even Mention of Guns Now Inappropriate?

Guns are not toys, but guns are weapons and have been since their invention. The mere “idea” of guns has been used as metaphors for decades or longer as well – such as “bringing in the big guns,” a reference that probably relates to siege artillery of the type used at Vienna during the Turkish assault in the 17^th century, or even more recently in the rail artillery used in the First and Second World Wars.

But now even a mention of guns in some contexts is a problem. While we understand that in schools this could seem wrong. Yet, sports is full of “combat” metaphors, where athletes are called “gladiators” and “warriors” and of course have nicknames to go along with this thinking. But yet a recent ad for Nike basketball shoes is being called out, despite the fact that it doesn’t even use the word “guns.”

The New York Times reported that Tim Frank, an NBA league spokesman offered this opinion in an e-mail:

“We had no prior notice of this ad. We think it is inappropriate.”

According to Hoops World:

“The entire ad is two full-pages and can be seen in the latest issues of Sports Illustrated and ESPN the magazine. One page features LeBron James, while the photo at the heart of this debate contains Kobe Bryant. It can be seen in its entirety here. It shows a posing Kobe Bryant, with text reading ‘Prepare for Combat’ and ‘Kobe Bryant, I’ll do whatever it takes to win a game. I leave nothing in the chamber.’”

In this case what is surprising is that the media is questioning why this is so bad? Various articles in major papers and Web sites ask what is the problem. Strange, because these same outlets tend to hardly get involved in the issue when it actually involves the actual issue of guns. So is this another example of how sports stars get a free pass?