Steve Young: an athlete with a brain in the wilderness

Steve Young, a Mormon, Cancels Out Jeff Kent
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Posted By Tom Ziller 1:50 PM

Thursday's news that Jeff Kent has given $15,000 to the campaign seeking to ban gay marriage in California came as only mild surprise to those who have listened to Kent talk for more than a few seconds. But last night, the San Francisco Chronicle's John Wildermuth offered a sports-gay marriage shocker: former SF QB Steve Young, one of the most famous Mormons in the world, has donated $37,000 to the side seeking to retain gay marriage rights.

Mormons have led the fight to ban gay marriage this election cycle. Early in the summer, the leaders of the Mormon Church distributed a call to action to California members. The church has bankrolled the campaign. You'd expect it could count on such a highly recognizable parishoner, a Bay Area hero, a direct descendant of one of the key figures in the early Mormon church. But the opposite happened, and it's possible the news could rally this weekend's GOTV efforts in Northern California.

Beyond the extra $20,000 Young kicked in, there's a weapon at the QB's disposal Kent can't match: Kent keeps his official residence in Texas, while Young lives in the Bay Area and will actually vote on this proposition. Score one for the "No on 8" side.

Let's hope this doesn't lead to BYU ridding Legacy Hall of all Young paraphenalia, though.

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