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Editor’s note: next column First appearance in Outkick.
In 2016, then-San Francisco 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick wore a uniform at work and took a knee during the national anthem to protest police violence against black people. In fact, Kaepernick was allowed to finish the season as the starting quarterback, after which he failed to find an NFL team interested in signing him as a free agent. The sports media overwhelmingly adored Kaepernick, making him the modern-day Rosa Parks of sports. As a result, Kaepernick earned tens of millions of dollars from ESPN, Nike, Netflix, publishers, and more, far more than he could earn as a reserve quarterback, all of which paid Kaepernick money. and declared him a hero. .
Most sports media have also spent years blaming the NFL for refusing to hire Mr. Kaepernick, falsely claiming his First Amendment rights were being suppressed. For years, I’ve learned that most sports media people, who are overwhelmingly left-wing, support Kaepernick not because they support his right to protest, but because of his left-wing politics. He argued that it was because he agreed. In fact, I argued that Kaepernick should have the right to express any political opinion under the sun, but he had no right to make such claims in uniform at work.
Eli Harold #58 of the San Francisco 49ers, Colin Kay, kneels in protest at the sidelines during the national anthem before a game against the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field in Orchard Park on October 16, 2016. Panic #7, Eric Reid #35. , new york. (Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)
This is very simply a matter of jurisprudence and very settled. After all, do you think McDonald’s will keep hiring people who claim meat is murder when they buy hamburgers? Of course not. Most people come to soccer games to watch football, but politics is not the issue.
That’s why the case of Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Anthony Bass should be of great interest to all of us.
Blue Jays GM says ‘distraction’ was ‘small part’ of Anthony Bass nomination
On his private Instagram account, Bass posted support for a boycott based on Bud Light and Target’s far-left political rhetoric. (Bud Light hired a transgender influencer and Target now sells children’s swimwear with tucks, so any woman with a penis can help hide a bathing suit bulge.)
Bass’ Instagram story post caught the attention of the left, and the post sparked a huge controversy, claiming Bass needed to answer for his political views.
Toronto Blue Jays No. 52 Anthony Bass makes a statement to the media before facing the Milwaukee Brewers in an MLB game at the Rogers Center in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, May 30, 2023. Announced. (Mark Brinch/Getty Images)
result? As a censorship-stricken left-wing mob cornered Bus, he first apologized for his remarks — statements that eerily resembled videos of hostages being filmed for prisoners of war — and then left-wing sports media. ritually humiliated by They demanded that he be fired for his audacity to disagree with them.
But what do you think happened?
Bass was demoted to Triple-A, a prelude to the eventual release from the team.
Yes, he was fired for sharing his political views on social media.
Buss, who appeared in 73 games for the Blue Jays last season with a career-best 1.54 ERA in both games, is no longer a member of the team. Asked about the release, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said, “There are a myriad of variables and performance is usually the driver. Performance was a big factor in this decision.” Distractions were only part of it and had to be taken into account. ”
What was your distraction?
Bass’ political views were again shared on his own social media accounts.
Anthony Bass, Target, Attend Blue Jays’ Pride Festival After Sharing Video Supporting Bud Light Boycott
Bass hasn’t pitched that well this year, with a 4.95 ERA but just 20 innings pitched. As mentioned above, he’s coming to the end of a season when he was the Blue Jays’ pitcher of the year. He’s only a third of the way through the season. That means, as often happens, Bass have a huge chance to improve on what they’ve done so far this year if they’re allowed to continue, at least based on past performance.
But that doesn’t happen.
Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Anthony Bass, 52, pitches in the 9th inning during the MLB regular season game between the Detroit Tigers and the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Center in Toronto, Ontario, April 11, 2023. throw a ball to (Gavin Napier/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Bass is getting it wrong, so why doesn’t he have a leftist opinion?!
It’s pretty clear what happened here. Buss was fired for political opinions, opinions he shared outside of work on his personal Instagram account, not team-owned.
But perhaps this is the first column in any sports media to compare his situation to Kaepernick’s.
Is there such a thing?
How can all the sports media, who did everything in their power to defend Mr. Kaepernick’s right to wear uniform at work and speak out on political issues, take a single syllable to Mr. Bass’ ability to share his political views outside of work? didn’t you defend? I thought sports media believed it was very important for athletes to use their platform to stand up for what they believed.
Boy, did it go away quickly?
Worse than that, why did many of the same sports media outlets that argued for the importance of athletes sharing their political views actually calling on the Blue Jays to fire Bass? It’s amazing how all free speech advocates disappear the moment someone says something they disagree with.
Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Anthony Bass issued a statement to the media ahead of the baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers in Toronto on Tuesday, May 30, 2023. (John Chidley Hill/Canadian Press Agency via AP)
Of course, this is predictable enough. A few years ago, of course, most of those who claimed to defend Mr. Kaepernick would have said, say, if Mr. Kaepernick were to wear a uniform at work and take a knee to protest against the legal right of gays to marry. I argued that it would run in the opposite direction. These left-wing sports media members don’t want athletes to speak up, they want athletes who share their political views to speak up.
This is an old story, and most people who advocate for the First Amendment are not grounded in principle, they are grounded in politics.
That is why it is so important to set precedents. For years I have argued that Kaepernick and all other athletes should have the freedom to share any opinion under the sun in their private lives. Even though I noticeably find those athletes making stupid and childish arguments. (I’m looking at you, LeBron.) But that’s why this story is so important — Bass doesn’t even wear a uniform to speak out at work, he simply talks about his politics outside of work on social media. He was dismissed for only sharing his opinion.
If Kaepernick, who finished the season as the 49ers’ starting quarterback, believes it’s unacceptable that he was wronged for failing to sign a new contract with the team, what’s going on in the sports media? To the base that should make a fuss.
But I can’t find such a discussion anywhere outside of this column.
No. 52 Anthony Bass of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches in the bottom of the seventh inning during a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., on May 22, 2023. (Mike Erman/Getty Images)
That’s because the sports media, which is overwhelmingly left-wing and infected with an awakening identity-political virus, wants to make an example of Bass, not defend him. They believe that if he has political opinions that they disagree with, he shouldn’t be able to play baseball. So they’re rooting for his dismissal and applauding the Blue Jays’ choice here.
result?
More repression of discourse, more censorship, less frank exchange.
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How many other pro athletes would see what happened to the bus and censor themselves as a result? Where the heck is the MLB Players Association? Do they really want a precedent where players can be released for posting on social media sharing their political views? (If you want to know where the MLB is, it’s the same organization that pulled the All-Star Game out of Atlanta.–A Georgia ballot measure that actually succeeded in increasing the number of votes in the state. Politics is fine in MLB as long as you’re far left. and rooted in lies. ).
Because, don’t get me wrong, if Bass had his Instagram account praising an anti-Catholic group that’s about to show up at Dodgers Stadium, or praising a 14-year-old’s chest chopping off, he’s still would have been Become a blue jay.
And the same sports media calling for him to be fired will also call him a hero. Now you know all there is to know about them, hypocrite, your name is sports media.
Anthony Bass #52 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches during the Detroit Tigers vs. Toronto Blue Jays game at the Rogers Center in Toronto, Canada, Tuesday, April 11, 2023. (Thomas Scrooge/MLB Photo via Getty Images)
Members of the sports media, who often make a living out of their opinions, would think they were smart enough to stand for solid free speech. You may think so, but you are wrong. Because almost every member of the sports media chooses politics every time when they have to choose between politics or principles.
The message from the sports media to athletes is clear. Speak your political beliefs out loud, and as long as we agree with you and they are far left in nature, we will admire you and call you a hero. But what if we disagree with you? We call you a bigot and demand that we use all of our power and influence to get you fired.
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Do you doubt it?
Look what happened to Anthony Bass. Every MLB media person repeats the same words: shut up and throw.
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