“Donald Trump and Tucker Carlson led rightwing backlash after Major League Baseball said it would not play its All-Star game in Georgia because of a new law that restricts voting rights in the state.” — The Guardian 4/3/21
Well, the woke police are at it again, and this time they’re attacking America’s national pastime. No, I’m not talking about stockpiling semi-automatic rifles to overthrow the federal government, or arguing with Applebee’s waitresses about the no substitution policy on the 2 for $20 menu. I’m talking about baseball, and this time cancel culture has gone too far. That’s why I’ve decided to boycott the MLB by canceling my MLB TV subscription.
Is nothing safe from political discourse these days? I watch baseball to get away from politics, not to be reminded of this country’s rich history of blatantly racist policies, including voting laws aimed at suppressing people of color from casting ballots in key battleground states. I get enough of that from the right-wing radio I listen to while driving to and from work, or the right-wing podcasts I listen to at my desk, or the far right-wing discussion boards I moderate on Reddit. Enough is enough. Can’t a guy take a break from it all?
When will people learn that racial politics has no business in sports? Especially baseball, the sport famous for breaking the color barrier in 1947, which helped pave the way for the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and ’60s that brought about the end of segregation in America.
When I think of baseball, the last thing I think of is race. Instead, I think of the all-time greats, like Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, Bob Gibson, Joe Morgan, Fergie Jenkins, Rickey Henderson, Tony Gwynn, and Ken Griffey Jr. Do you think Reggie Jackson had time to worry about the color of the opposing pitcher’s skin in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series? No. He was too busy smacking three homers while playing for a manager known for using racial epithets toward his own players.
Baseball was the one form of escapism I had left from the political division that’s tearing this country apart. For three and a half mostly uneventful hours, I could turn off my brain and just enjoy the sounds of the game: the crack of the bat, the smack of the catcher’s glove, the shouting of racist chants from fans in Boston, New York, and other cities around our country.
Now what am I supposed to watch? Football is out of the question, since I’m still boycotting the NFL over its handling of the kneeling situation. Hockey’s a no-go, not because of any particular incident, but because there are far too many Canadians for my liking. And I don’t think I even have to mention basketball. So what does that leave for us true patriots to watch? Women’s soccer, which is what I call men’s soccer?
I can’t even go back to my bowling league because I got kicked out for protesting their decision to allow co-ed teams. Look, it’s not that I’m against women being allowed to bowl or anything. All I’m saying is that they have their own league for that. It’s called the “Girlie League,” and they seem perfectly content with it, so why mix things up?
This here is exactly why baseball is dying. Not because games are an hour too long, or because players are striking out at historic rates while trying to hit home runs every single at-bat, or because the league does a terrible job of promoting its star players compared to other pro sports. No, it’s because the commissioner continues to bow down to the woke police and its liberal agenda.
First they went after the Cleveland Indians’ Chief Wahoo logo, just because it was considered “culturally inappropriate” and “deeply offensive” to Native Americans, and now this. What’s next? Actually addressing the league’s sexual harassment issue instead of sweeping it under the rug and hoping it will all go away on its own? No, thank you, MLB.
At least I know they’ll never take The Masters out of Georgia. I can always count on the PGA, which knows a little something about respecting tradition, like their time-honored practice of choosing to ignore the fact that Augusta National Golf Club didn’t admit its first Black member until 1990 or its first female member until 2012. The MLB could learn a thing or two from them about staying out of divisive identity politics.