Butker is the Chiefs' kicker and will play his eighth season for quarterback Patrick Mahomes' team this year. He made the longest field goal ever in NFL Finals history in one of the Super Bowls won.
Butker gave a speech at Benedictine College in Kansas on May 11th. In the 20 minutes he was behind the microphone, he addressed mostly women. Who, according to the 28-year-old player, would have been told "the most diabolical lies".
'Getting married and having children'
"Some of you will build successful careers in the world. But I bet the majority of you will be most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into the world," he said.
Butker added that his wife's life "really began" when "she started fulfilling her calling as a wife and mother". The kicker then added that his wife "embraced one of the most important titles of all: housewife."
In his speech at the Catholic public school, he also attacked IVF, surrogacy, Pride parades, "degenerate cultural values," "dangerous gender ideologies" and abortion rights.
"Our nation is led by a man who openly and proudly proclaims his Catholic faith, but (...) is so outspoken in his support for the murder of innocent babies," he said.
Comments
The NFL has since responded to Butker's statements by stating that his views do not reflect those of the league. The NFL employs someone who deals with diversity and inclusion - Jonathan Beane - and he indicated that the NFL is "steadfast in their commitment to greater inclusion" and that "that will make the league stronger".
The LGBTQ movement GLAAD called Butker's speech "woefully misguided towards pride, LGBTQ people and women."
Stefanie Hills, a former NFL cheerleader for the Chiefs, said on TikTok: "The best part of your speech was when you said 'stay in your lane' ten times. Bro, listen to your own advice," she said.
Taylor Swift
Despite all Butker's claims and his criticism of working women, in his speech, Butker also quoted Taylor Swift, one of the most successful music artists of all time who, according to Forbes, currently owns a net worth of $1.1 billion.
"This undue prominence will prove problematic every time," Butker said, referring to Swift's relationship with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. "Because, as my teammate's girlfriend says, 'familiarity breeds contempt'."
This, of course, did not fall on good ground with Switfies, who quickly started using another song to describe him: "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived," a track from Swift's recent album The Tortured Poets Department.
Reactions were bipartisan about Butker's insistence on calling Swift "girlfriend of a teammate," given that Swift is an international superstar and Kelce's fame and fortune lag significantly behind hers.
