The President of the United States has more free time than a National Hockey League team, at least when it comes to producing videos to help gay teenagers.
The San Jose Sharks have passed on a chance to make an anti-bullying video for the well-respected "It Gets Better" project.
Gloria Nieto, a gay rights activist and Sharks fan, asked the hockey club to join the grassroots campaign to stop bullying and help prevent suicide among gay teenagers.
While everyone from President Obama to Major League Baseball teams like the Giants, Dodgers, Cubs and Red Sox have taken time out to make videos, the Sharks are apparently much too busy.
CBS 5 San Francisco reports the NHL team declined the request while issuing this written statement:
"While Sharks Sports & Entertainment praises the efforts of the 'It Gets Better' campaign, we receive hundreds of requests each season to get involved in a vast array of worthy and admirable causes -- yet it is simply not possible to say yes to all such requests."
San Jose is estimated to have the 13th highest gay population in the United States. San Francisco has the highest overall percentage of its population (15.4) that is openly gay.
A petition has been started online to convince the Sharks to make the video. As of Monday morning, more than 437 people had signed up.
San Jose begins the 2011-12 National Hockey League regular season at the Shark Tank on Saturday night against the Phoenix Coyotes.
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