Football kickers are unmanly, according to a grunge musician.
Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder made several disses at a weekend concert at Kansas City Chiefs player Harrison Butker over his commencement speech at a Catholic college calling motherhood and family more important vocations than careers.
Between two songs at Pearl Jam’s Las Vegas show, Mr. Vedder noted that opening act Deep See Diver had two female members who “must not have believed that ‘diabolical lie’ that women should take pride in taking a back seat to their man,” playing off a phrase from Mr. Butker’s speech at Benedictine College in Kansas.
Then the guitar player and singer went after Mr. Butker as a wimp because of the position he plays for the Chiefs.
“The irony was that the football player — well, kicker,” Mr. Vedder said.
“You see the kicker doesn’t have the pads because he doesn’t tackle anybody or get tackled,” he explained, elaborating that Mr. Butker therefore has no standing on the subject of masculinity.
“But he started telling men, ‘Don’t forget to puff up your chest and be more masculine. Don’t lose your masculinity.’ The irony was that when he was saying that, he looked like such a f—-ing p——,” Mr. Vedder said.
“There’s nothing more masculine than a strong man supporting a strong woman,” he said to the applause and cheers of the Saturday night audience, according to video of the concert posted to YouTube.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.