Damian Goddard: Was Toronto Host Wrong for Opposing Sean Avery's Beliefs?

Damian Goddard didn’t say anything wrong, he may just have done something wrong.

The right for Damian Goddard to say what he feels is in his heart is one issue, and the right of his employer to fire him is a separate issue.

Right and wrong, whether we choose to believe it or not, is truly a subjective idea. It’s constructed based upon life experiences and personal values. It’s not based (in many cases) on what anyone else believes.

(note: Canada does allow for freedom of expression. Appropriately enough for this article it is not absolute, but it does exist)

When Damian Goddard tweeted that he was in support of hockey agent Todd Reynolds and his opposition of gay marriage, Goddard was not wrong to do so, whether we like it or not.

Sean Avery, the New York Rangers forward, recently released a video for the Rangers Marriage For Equality Campaign in which he spoke for his support of gay marriage.

Goddard, after hearing that Todd Reynolds had tweeted his opposition to gay marriage, posted this:

"

I completely and whole-heartedly support Todd Reynolds and his support for the traditional and TRUE meaning of marriage.

"

Again, you don’t have to agree with Goddard, but you have to admit that he did nothing wrong in expressing his opinion. We can disagree, but we can’t ask him to stop. His opinion matters just as much as mine does or anyone else’s.

Furthermore, we must understand that just as Avery has a right to support gay marriage, Goddard has the right to criticize it. We can’t ask for a country of free speech and then want to banish someone’s right to exercise it, even if we dislike what we are hearing.

But Goddard’s dismissal from his radio show is a whole other issue. While free speech is alive and well, so are the consequences of that speech. Saying what you want is okay, but if your employer doesn’t like it, then they have the right to cut ties with you. I, like everyone else on Bleacher Report, can share my views on sports and those instances where it touches upon real life, but if Bleacher Report found my views offensive, they could keep me from expressing them again.

It’s their right as the owners of this space, and it was Sportsnet’s decision to fire Goddard for not being the right fit for the company.

These are the tenants of a freedom that American’s hold dear. Like it or not.