Asked if he'd give up the Super Bowl to stop gay marriage, Tyree said:
"Honestly, I probably would."
"Nothing means more to me than that my God would be honored," he said.
"Being the fact that I firmly believe that God created and ordained marriage between a man and a woman, I believe that that's something that should be fought for at all costs."
That's all well and good except for one fact.
David Tyree did not singlehandedly win the Super Bowl for the New York Giants that year. Granted, he caught a pass brilliantly, but remember that the thrower of that pass, Eli Manning, did receive the Super Bowl MVP award for that game.
And let's not forget Tyree's other teammates who also played just as hard as he to not only get to the Super Bowl, but to win it.
But one must not hold it against Tyree. When you get caught up in a situation where your ego gets puffed up, it's difficult to remember the folks who got you there.
Still, Tyree has no business saying that he would give up the Super Bowl win because it doesn't belong to him solely. It's something he has to share.
In that same respect, the definition of marriage is not something that folks like Tyree have a right to dictate. They aren't the only tax-paying citizens in New York, therefore they should not have final say over the matter, regardless of their religious beliefs or otherwise.
What Tyree's statement perfectly captures is the self-righteous audacity of those who would deny the gay community the right to marriage equality. They seem to think that they have a divine right to it, even though their arguments as to the reasons why are either outright lies (marriage equality will force kindergartners to learn about gay intimacy) or just downright stupid (marriage equality will lead to anarchy).
It's a sad commentary about a selfish mindset. Tyree, NOM and others like them think that they are the only important components in this argument of marriage equality. They seem to think that their opinions are the only ones which matter. What about the same-sex couple together for a number of years with no legal protection (and no money to afford to jump through the financial hoops to gain that legal protection), should something tragic happen to one of them?
Or what about the thousands upon thousand of same-sex households with children? Why should they be considered as anonymous bothers? Why should children in these households feel that there is something wrong with their families?
No matter how closely Tyree clings to the cross, no matter how tightly he grips his Bible, these families aren't going away. And their needs should be addressed.
Just like Tyree has absolutely no right to give up his Super Bowl victory because it's not something he earned on his own, he and others who are against marriage equality do not own the patent on the right to decide whether or not the gay community should be legally married.
Because the definition of marriage does not belong solely to them.