Back in October 2013, the Portland Trail Blazers became the first NBA franchise to publicly support marriage equality, throwing the support of the organization behind a proposed constitutional amendment that would have recognized marriages between same-sex couples. The franchise's decision to join Major League Soccer's Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns FC of the National Women's Soccer League in backing the proposed ballot initiative wasn't marked by bombastic, revolutionary rhetoric, but it made a loud and clear statement all the same — the Blazers would stand with many in their progressive-minded city, and their comparatively progressive league, "as believers in individual choice as a fundamental right of all people." (The ballot initiative never made its way to voters, thanks to a May 2014 court ruling that overturned Oregon's decade-old ban on gay marriage.)
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Nearly 15 months later, the folks at the Westboro Baptist Church — the Topeka, Kan.-based organization so committed to the notion that acceptance of homosexuality has doomed this nation that its members protest the funerals of U.S. military personnel and school-shooting victims — have caught wind of the Blazers' statement. You're not going to believe this: they're not such big fans. From the gay-slur-pockmarked communique from the church to Oregon's Willamette Week:
According to a press release faxed to the WW office, the Topeka-based ministry — known for picketing everything from the Holocaust Museum to the funeral of Ronnie James Dio — is planning to protest outside Moda Center this Saturday, Jan. 10. [...]
"The Portland Trail Blazers punched the Lord Jesus Christ in the face," reads the press release, which goes on to quote passages from the New Testament. "There was absolutely no reason for the Portland Trail Blazers to throw in their lot with the fags except to gratuitously kiss fag ass. The Portland Trail Blazers should REPENT and apologize to God."
The press release led to a pretty great rejoinder from Blazers digital reporter Casey Holdahl:
It seems like nobody on Westboro's roster has checked the standings of late. With a 26-8 record that ranks as the NBA's second-best this season, a second-place perch in the brutally competitive Western Conference, the league's eighth-most potent offense and third-stingiest defense on a per-possession basis, and two of the league's top 11 scorers in power forward LaMarcus Aldridge (23.1 points per game) and point guard Damian Lillard (21.7 a night), it sure seems like somebody upstairs likes these Blazers.
This isn't the first time that the Westboro flock has decided to turn its particular heartlight on the NBA. The church showed up, incendiary placards in hand, at two playoff games last postseason to spread the message that God hates the NBA because an awful lot of players, coaches, executives, league personnel and fans expressed support for veteran center Jason Collins after he announced that he is gay. Those protests weren't taken especially seriously. You'd suspect this one — which comes in the midst of a packed-schedule Pacific Northwest swing for the "church" that literally believes God hates the whole world — won't be, either.
As absurd as this all is, one hopes the church's intended disruption prior to Saturday's home game against the Orlando Magic doesn't produce any significant inconvenience or chaos. There's an awful lot to love about the NBA and about this year's Blazers team in particular; it'd be a shame for base, rank hatred to meaningfully detract from what ought to be yet another fun evening at what used to be called the Rose Garden.
That said, it might be kind of neat to see some Oregonians take a page out of these Aggies' books. I'm betting the myriad creative types we're always seeing lampooned on IFC can come up with some pretty fun signs, chants and songs of their own by the weekend.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!
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