Zac Brown Criticized by Little People of America

Zac Brown Criticized by Little People of America for ‘Midget Bowling’

 

From here forward, Zac Brown should probably stay away from controversial forms of recreation. The singer made headlines earlier this week when he went ‘midget bowling’ — which literally involves throwing a willing little person down a slip-and-slide lane into some pins — but now, he’s facing backlash from the Little People of America.
When the non-profit organization, which provides support and information to people with dwarfism, caught wind of the Zac Brown Band singer’s antics at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota last weekend, they were upset. ‘The Wind’ hitmaker teamed up with a little person named Short Sleeve Sampson, and together, the pair earned a strike when Brown slid Sampson down a greasy bowling lane toward 10 pins, which was caught on camera.
While Sampson was an eager participant in the ‘sport,’ Little People of America still gave Zac Brown a virtual slap on the hand for taking part in ‘midget bowling.’
“Little People of America does not endorse any activity in which a person of short stature is used as an object rather than regarded as a competitor, in a ‘sporting event’” a rep from the organization told TMZ. “We believe that such practices are a direct insult to the equality of people with dwarfism, grounded in a respect for basic human dignity.”
After the fact, Sampson spoke up in the singer’s defense, calling in to TMZ Live to insist that the game wasn’t such a big deal — and he wasn’t the only little person to show support of Brown.
“There’s no reason to give Zac Brown a hard time,” said James, a little person who called in from New York. “If it’s Sampson’s prerogative is to be hired as a human bowling ball, then that’s his prerogative. There aren’t many job opportunities out there for people of our stature, and I think that’s Sampson’s prerogative.”
Somehow, we think next time Zac Brown is invited to play midget bowling, he will probably decline.