Recently Sean Avery said that he supports same-sex marriage and since then, there has been a media circus surrounding his opinions. Was he right in doing so, or should he have watched his mouth? Those are the questions and here is the answer.

He had every right to provide an opinion on the issue because he is free to do so. Athletes may be given a higher status in our society, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have an opinion on what goes on in the society that gave them such a high status to begin with. We might like to believe that they remain neutral on every issue, but the fact of the matter is that they are every bit as affected by society at large as we (non-athletes) are.

One argument provided against being opinionated is that athletes are not only representing themselves, but they represent the organization that gives them a jersey to wear. While that is true, what we are talking about here is simply providing an opinion, which is not by any stretch the worst thing athletes have done in the past. The great thing about opinions is that people aren’t obliged to agree with them. And on that note, wouldn’t the league he is affiliated with want to show tolerance and compassion to it’s viewers and other players?

Our society tends to shy away from people expressing personal opinions in the open like this despite how “tolerant” our society is. We must accept that not everyone thinks the same way we do. People are allowed to be individuals and think for themselves. So in regards to Mr. Avery, I respect him for providing an opinion, not because I agree with them, but because he spoke up for what he believes. Individuality should be a reality, not an illusion.