On May 11 Kansas City Chiefs placekicker Harrison Butker spoke to Benedictine College graduates during their commencement ceremony, and let’s just say no wonder his speech was rejected by an order of nuns affiliated with the Catholic college. His 20 minute long speech was inappropriate for the event and overall offensive. In no time, his speech gained momentum and loads of backlash on social media, after he spoke out on the LGBTQ+ community, abortion and in vitro fertilization. But the most controversial and appalling message he shared was towards women.
“I think it is very childish telling women at their own graduation, who want to start their own careers, that they are most happy to be a mom and a wife,” said sophomore Sadie Day. “These women just accomplished something amazing and he goes on to say how they should be traditional women. When can it be normalized that not all women want to have children and be wives?”
During Butker’s speech he directly addressed the women in the crowd and said, “Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.” This part of his speech is so ignorant and selfish. There may have been women in the crowd who may not be able to carry children, or even women who have other ambitions, hence sitting at a college graduation wearing a cap and gown. At their graduation they are excited to start their careers they worked so hard in school for. How is a man going to stand on a stage in front of a crowd of women and discredit all of their hard work by saying that they are probably most excited to become a mother and a wife?
“As a woman it felt devastating to watch these hard-working women getting told that their degrees mean nothing and all they should be looking forward to is having kids and getting married,” said sophomore Leila Noland. “And then to go on to misinterpret and quote a Taylor Swift song, one of the most successful feminists in the industry, to make his point shows just how small minded he is. Telling a crowd full of women what their beliefs and futures should be is heavily misogynistic, especially in this generation.”
Butker thought it would be a good idea to reference his “teammate’s girlfriend” Swift in his speech. This was the absolute wrong move for a number of reasons.
“As my teammate’s girlfriend says, ‘Familiarity breeds contempt,’” Butker said in reference to Swift’s song ‘Bejeweled’. He said this in the context of criticism against some Catholic priests for letting their guard down with their parishioners. This is obviously not what Swift intended for her song and for Butker to not only misinterpret her song, but to refer to Swift through Travis Kelce as if she’s not a global superstar is insulting.
Women are more than wives and carriers of their husbands’ children. They have minds and brains that hold brilliant ideas. It was baffling to watch a man tell women with confidence that the most important role they can fulfill is “homemaker”. Next time Butker is given a microphone, he should use his football skills and kick it into the next country.
