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Alexander apologizes for 'gay' cricket remark


Sunday, June 3, 2012

(06-03) 14:24 PDT LOS ANGELES, (AP) --

Actor Jason Alexander has apologized for joking during a TV talk show that he considers cricket to be a "gay" sport.

In a blog post, the former "Seinfeld" star explained Sunday what led to his remark on CBS's Late Late Show. He writes that he at first didn't grasp why some might object to the comment, but that subsequent conversations with his gay friends led him to realize his insensitivity.

Alexander's remarks came in Friday's show in which he tells host Craig Ferguson that aspects of cricket make it a "gay game" compared to other sports.

The actor's 1,000-word-plus "message of amends" said that the joking remark plays into "hurtful assumptions and diminishments" about people. Alexander also writes that as an actor with many gay friends, he "should know better."

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f ... 259D54.DTL



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Daily Dish!

Alexander said previous routines about sport in Australia, in which he used similar terms, had been well received.

"Years ago, I was hosting comics in a touring show in Australia and one of the bits I did was talking about their sports versus American sports. I joked about how their rugby football made our football pale by comparison because it is a brutal, no-holds-barred sport played virtually without any pads, helmets or protection.

"And then I followed that with a bit about how, by comparison, their other big sport of cricket seemed so delicate and I used the phrase, 'a bit gay'. Well, it was all a laugh in Australia where it was seen as a joke about how little I understood cricket, which in fact is a very, very athletic sport.

"When Craig mentioned cricket I thought, 'Oh, goody – I have a comic bit about cricket I can do. Won't that be entertaining?'

"And so I did a chunk of this old routine and again referred to cricket as kind of 'gay' – talking about the all white uniforms that never seem to get soiled; the break they take for tea time with a formal tea cart rolled on to the field, etc. I also did an exaggerated demonstration of the rather unusual way they pitch the cricket ball, which is very dance-like with a rather unusual and exaggerated arm gesture.

"Again, the routine seemed to play very well and I thought it had been a good appearance."



Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/sei ... z1wnpsIrrt

their rugby football made our football pale by comparison

cricket, which in fact is a very, very athletic sport.

The man is an idiot.