I am going to put this in really simple terms as it pertains to my perspective.
I have met with, or spoken with, the following people in the last, say, 2 months or less:
* state & county park reps
* the rec committee leader in the town I live in
* another town official whose title I do not know
* countless race promoters
* at least 1 father of a junior who is getting involved in the race scene and will likely be part of the NICA NJ movement.
* oh yeah the BSA too
Ok here are the things I am involved with:
* Promoting 6 races a year
* I am now the JORBA lead at RV
* We also have the OK to do work in Cushetunk which is a separate park commission
* I am trying to get on the parks committee in town and we have thrown out the idea of a kids race in town as well as building more trails in town
* the BSA, obviously we are connected there
* so I'm a dad & step-dad too, not unimportant
Let me ask 1 really simple question. When 1 of those people above asks me why our team condones sexual violence towards women, what am I supposed to say? You're not allowed to use "dick & fart jokes" in your reply. I can tell you what the answer is. There is no acceptable answer. So when I'm using my personal time trying to build trails, promote races, gets kids races in town, get involved in the local committees so I can get more trails built, I see this stuff and I ask myself why I bother.
You know, I can't control the people I don't know. Christ, I can't control the people I do know. But I would expect some modicum of respect from the people who wear the team colors. I also expect the same respect for the people who I ride with regularly and participate on the site regularly. Because for every one of you who posts that it's ok to joke about potential rape, that is one more needle to throw in the haystack of public opinion.
And I freely admit that these are needles in the haystacks of life. The chances that most of those people see this thread are pretty slim. But I can tell you with absolute certainty that at least 2 people on the list above have seen the board and thus potentially seen this thread. So if you throw enough needles in that haystack, eventually one might poke you. You really never know when someone is watching. And when I have to represent the team (and the site by extension) to these people or committees, I need to actually be prepared to answer that question.
Just something to keep in mind for everyone who posts on the subject.