America’s favorite gay television couple, Mitchell and Cameron from Modern Family, Tweet during NBA game

Mitchell and Cameron, played by Jesse Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet, on ABC’s “Modern Family” have quickly become America’s favorite gay television couple.  Off-camera, they are certainly not a couple, Jesse is certainly gay, and Eric is certainly not, even though he is the more flamboyant one on the show. Eric is, however, quite supportive of gay rights and has no qualms appearing alongside his tv partner in public, despite the fact that it frequently leads people to assume he is gay and that they are a couple.

This past Sunday, Eric and Jesse attended the New York Knicks versus Miami Heat game at Madison Square Garden.  Of course it was part of cross-promotion, as the game aired on ABC, and undoubtedly they did one of those camera shots with a promo, “Catch the new season of Modern Family, airing on ABC on Wednesdays at 9!”

But this led me to wonder: was this the first time gay television characters, especially a couple, were a part of a promotion with a sporting event? Honestly, I do not know, but I cannot recall ever hearing that Will or Jack from “Will & Grace” attended a game together.

Eric and Jesse Tweeted throughout the game, and it is quite evident that both fit into traditional stereotypes with sports.  For following purposes, their Twitter accounts are ericstonestreet and jessetyler.

Here is the timeline of Tweets from the game:

• Jesse: I’m excited to go to my first NBA “sports game” tonight with my fake boyfriend @ericstonestreet. “Go Knicks! Throw the orange ball around!”
• Eric: Can’t wait 2 explain the difference between a zone defense and a man to man defense 2 my tv boyfriend @jessetyler at the knicks game 2nite.
• Eric: @jessetyler and I are at the game. First question: “what’s something I can yell sporty sounding?”
• Jesse: Nothing is worse than a bad promo shot. Oh wait, a bad promo shot of you on the Jumbo Tron at a Knicks Game is pretty bad. Bad and cool.
• Jesse: I like both numbers “8″s.
  • [That’s Danilo Gallinari for the Knicks and Carlos Arroyo for the Heat, if you’re trying to figure out Jesse’s “type” … if that’s what Jesse was even referring to by “liking” them]
• Eric: Hey ksu peeps! Look who it is!! http://tweetphoto.com/18108021
  • [That’s Kansas State University, where Eric went to school.  The pic is of Michael Beasley]
• Jesse: Is this the Adams Family Theme song?
• Jesse: I having a grand time with my budlight and my bouncy ball hoop tournament! http://twitpic.com/1eyuiq
  • [Pic of Jesse]
• Eric: And look who else!! http://tweetphoto.com/18112556
  • [Pic of Bill Walker, another ex-KSU basketball player]
• Jesse: Going into intermission at The NY Knicks show. Well played!
• Jesse: On the court after Act I!
• Jesse: Act II is alot like Act I here at the Knicks Game.
• Eric: So in to the game. http://tweetphoto.com/18114809
  • [Pic of Jesse]

The tweeting died off in the 2^nd half, or “Act II” as Jesse would call it, but it is always great when sexuality, either of a person or of television characters, is not an issue in the sports realm.

ABC, Carlos Arroyo, Danilo Gallinari, Eric Stonestreet, Jesse Ferguson, Madison Square Garden, Miami Heat, Michael Beasley, Modern Family, NBA, New York Knicks, twitter