A “controversy” is brewing over an ad the Suns’ Shaquille O’Neal filmed for ESPN.

The ad features the center talking with ESPN play-by-play guy Mike Breen on the “ESPN RV”. Breen makes a basket on a toy hoop and asks Shaq to give him a fist kiss. Shaq refuses and moves away from Breen.

John Aravoisis, a writer for the political and civil rights blog Americablog.com, said this about the ad:

One simple question. If the ad called a show of affection between blacks and whites “weird” and “disgusting,” would you find it just as funny? The point of the joke is that a man showing affection to another man is weird and disgusting. It’s subtle homophobia – actually it’s not subtle at all, at one point the one guy moves away from the other out of fear he may touch him. Gay-bashing is not acceptable from ESPN or the NBA, or the idiotic ad firm that came up with this ad. Every year we have a new ad that pokes fun at the notion that a man might show affection to another man. They wouldn’t make fun of inter-racial affection, so why are gays fair game?

And anyone out there who thinks this ad is much ado about nothing, where do you think kids learn to hate gays, and adults learn to kill gays? From their friends, and their icons. Shaq just told millions of kids that it’s weird and disgusting for another guy to show him affection. Lesson learned.

Former NBA vet John Amaechi, the only former player to come out as openly gay, spoke with the blog After Elton about the situation.

I think the ad is in poor taste; it just seems like another signal of yet another flagging, unimaginative, desperate, clutching-at-straws marketing department grasping for the lowest common denominator. It seems so out of character to ESPN ads of old. It makes me feel disappointed, but not angry in anyway…the ad itself is just too tenuous to even bother getting riled about. The character’s reaction to the “fist kiss” is of course homophobic, the subtext is that a man asking another man for any kind of kiss, even a ‘fist kiss’ should be met with repulsion – I am surprised Shaq went anywhere near this ad, given I don’t think that would be his true intention or belief; but as a player, I too would have disparaging words to say about someone calling ‘fist bumps’ anything like “fist kisses” – simply because it’s massively dumb …I don’t like this ad at all, less an less as I watch it with more thought, and I haven’t asked yet, but I BET big money that the NBA doesn’t like it either. But let’s face it, this ad is no reincarnation of the Snickers ad. I don’t think this ad is funny enough to have the kind of negative power we all fear. I think people, straight and gay, athletes or not, will all find this ad unnerving, trivial and unfunny to watch.

I think there are far more insidious and important ways parts of the media teaches children to be intolerant. Whilst I am massively in favour of the idea that celebrities and sports people are and should be role models (with no personal choice in the matter) and that this ad is a mistake, let’s focus our ire on the FOX news channels constant offenders, the Family Research Council, Rick Warren and the pro-prop 8 lobby, etc. instead.

Aravoisis’ and Amaechi’s opinions were voiced by numerous people forcing ESPN’s Vice President of Media Relations to issue this statement:

“We have dozens of executions of the ‘NBA on ESPN RV Tour’ online campaign and none are intended to be offensive to anyone or any community of people. Our intent is to send a positive message about the camaraderie of sports and to do so as creatively as we can. However, we understand your perspective on this ad and would like to apologize to the members of the gay community. In addition, we have decided to remove the ad from the campaign’s online executions. ESPN has a long-standing tradition of supporting diversity in the workplace and beyond. We are fully committed to continuing a dialogue that welcomes and recognizes diverse perspectives. We appreciate your bringing your concerns to our attention.”

It’s an interesting discussion and while the concept of the commercial seems far fetched and outlandish going as far as to say Shaq is anti-gay is a stretch. Out of any professional athlete Shaq’s track record shows he’s not homophobic.

In the end this seems like poor judgement on ESPN’s part and a bit of a stretch by everyone else.

UPDATE: A few further points in Shaq’s defense. In 2005 while in Miami Shaq helped the Miami Beach police stop a man yelling anti-gay remarks;

And in September he did just that. After seeing a man throw a bottle and yell anti-gay slurs at a passer-by, O’Neal trailed the man and helped an officer arrest him as a hate-crime suspect. ~ FoxNews.com

Shaq has also stated that he would protect a gay teammate. He told the Palm Beach Post in 2005, in response to anti-gay remarks made by former Heat guard Tim Hardaway, that;

I was always taught as a youngster to never judge people, so I never judge people and to each their own. If he was my teammate and people ridiculed him and jumped on him, I would probably have to protect him.

Shaquille O’Neal anti-gay? [Walker Sports]

ESPN Pulls Fist Kiss Ad [TowelRoad.com]

Is ESPN’s latest NBA ad homophobic? Does a basketball bounce? [AfterElton.com]