ANALYSIS/OPINION:

Basketball superstar Kobe Bryant was socked with a $100,000 fine by the NBA last week for calling a referee what the NBA thinks is a derogatory, ugly and vile name.

To be exact, Mr. Bryant committed this egregious verbal foul because he used a word demeaning to homosexuals, the most protected class of people in America.

Gay rights groups applaud the decision of the NBA, which must make all the homosexual basketball fans feel peachy and special. Who knows, maybe the NBA will use Mr. Bryant’s $100,000 to buy courtside seats for gay basketball fans. Yeah, that’s the ticket. Show some gay pride, NBA.

Those among us who work tirelessly to shut down (and shout down, if the need arises) speech they disagree with must also be absolutely gay with pride and satisfaction over this fine.

Mr. Bryant can obviously afford to pay the fine, but that’s not the point.

The principle is what matters. Those of us addicted to common sense and logic think that fining Mr. Bryant $100,000 for calling a referee a name is much more ugly, vile and demeaning than anything Mr. Bryant uttered or could possibly have uttered. The politically correct brain-dead can’t seem to remember the ending for “Sticks and Stones.”

Think of it: $100,000 for calling someone a name. A simple apology from Mr. Bryant to the referee obviously wasn’t good enough for the NBA.

I doubt Mr. Bryant would have been fined 10 cents had he referred to the referee as a useless Christ on a crucifix soaking in a vat of urine.

No, the real reason Mr. Bryant was fined was because he used an anti-gay term to describe the referee. One has to wonder how much the NBA would have fined Mr. Bryant if, before the game, he had told the referee he “looked quite gay” that night.

Maybe the NBA will start fining their fans who scream what the NBA considers to be offensive words at players, referees and opposing fans. The NBA should publish a list of terms that the league finds offensive so the fans will know what is and isn’t out-of-bounds speech, gestures and attire.

If the NBA had any true gay convictions, the NBA should host a Homosexual Night. During halftime, the homosexuals could come down on the court, hold hands and prance around the court to music by the Village People. The NBA could then give each homosexual a pink basketball as a symbol of solidarity.

Like other professional athletes, numerous NBA players have done all kinds of things on and off the court that do not cast a positive light on themselves or the NBA, but they have not been fined $100,000 by the league.

Homosexuals are a protected class in America. If you think what happened to Mr. Bryant was a travesty, just wait until you see what homosexuals in the military do when they claim they have been mistreated because of their sexual orientation.

Speech can be ugly and demeaning, but no ugly name-calling is worth a $100,000 fine.

Wouldn’t it be refreshing if Mr. Bryant threatened to resign from the NBA over this? The amount of money the NBA would lose without Kobe Bryant helping to pack the stands would be staggering compared with the politically correct $100,000 fine levied on him.

Mr. Bryant threatening to quit wouldn’t make the NBA very gay. I got 20 bucks that says the NBA would toss homosexuals under the bus and fold like a cheap suit to keep Mr. Bryant in the NBA.

Ted Nugent is an American rock ‘n’ roll, sporting and political activist icon. He is the author of “Ted, White and Blue: The Nugent Manifesto” and “God, Guns & Rock ‘N’ Roll” (Regnery Publishing).

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