WHEN ATHLETES APPRECIATE TRUMP OR HARRIS, THIS IS THE LAND OF THE FREE
America has no idea what’s coming before Nov. 5, but when baseball players appear to have publicly recognized Trump, they should not be shut down by owners/bosses who think it’s fine to welcome Harris
Do not mumble through words that complete another national anthem. If we live in “the land of the free and the home of the brave,” try singing along and ignoring if Ingrid Andress is “drunk” and off to rehab. Consider this a robust plea for freedom.
Any American who wants to speak out publicly for a presidential candidate may do so, including athletes. Coldly, in a nation that always rambles on social-media armies, there is corporate pressure to shut up and move on. The heavy rule applies to Summer Olympians and players at NFL training camps and, it seems, even the forgotten souls of Major League Baseball.
Damn the owners who don’t want employees gesturing for Donald Trump. Is that bad for business, gents? If uniformed people appreciate Trump, let them yell “Fight! Fight! Fight!” as he mouthed to a terrified western Pennsylvania crowd with his ear bleeding. Taylor Walls shouted “Fight!” twice last weekend, while raising his fist, after doubling for Tampa Bay at Yankee Stadium. When asked about his reaction, Walls clearly was gathering symbolism from a candidate who survived an assassination attempt.
“To immediately stand up and show strength, to me, speaks pretty loudly,” he said of Trump. “Anyone in that situation or that type of event, when it happens, it’s strong. It kind of represents character to me, and something that, similarly, I feel like I’ve faced those challenges in baseball, but on a much (more) suppressed level.”
So why did Walls reverse two days later and blame the media for making a storm of nothing? “It was kind of more of a joke that we have with guys in the locker room,” he said. “Joke may not be the right word. It was kind of just something that we had together that we thought was kind of funny, that we thought would be all right. I don’t really see that going much further than that. I don’t foresee myself doing it again.”
Why? Because a Rays or MLB official told him to terminate it? Same goes for the St. Louis Cardinals, who were shown raising fists with one hand and cupping their ears with the other. Alec Burleson started the scene after a home run and was followed by Lars Nootbaar. We’re sure seeing ears and fists inside ballparks. Were the Cardinals making a political statement, as suggested by online sites?
Given time to think about it, they claimed Burleson was a rapper in college and were paying honor with suitable body movements. Really? DJ action? “It’s the furthest thing from a political statement,” designated hitter Matt Carpenter said. “It’s an inside joke with him. I don’t know where that came from. Definitely not a political statement. I think that’s a little off-base here.”
The problem with their U-turns is how Kamala Harris is treated well. When she made a pleasant stop at a U.S. Olympic basketball practice, players gathered around her with big smiles as she held a ball. “Bring back the gold,” she said. “Our nation is cheering you on and we are so proud of you.”
“It’s a great reminder of the fact that we’re playing for our country,” said coach Steve Kerr, who knows her and supports her. “Vice President Harris told the guys how much she admired them, how much they really embody excellence, and knows we’re trying to win a gold medal for our country.” He was followed days later by Steph Curry, who was blunt: “Vice President Harris is primed to bring her energy to this campaign and hopefully, she’s on the ticket, winning the election. It’s a big, big deal, to say the least.”
Torn as folks are by mercurial won-loss results and gambling contemplations, fans should not be worn down by partisan efforts. The pre-election chaos already is beyond belief, from Trump still rallying to Joe Biden pulling from the race and handing his seat to Harris. Players are human beings in theater settings. Let them decide who they favor and want to acknowledge.
What we don’t want to do is kill advocacy. The Chicago Tribune made an issue of a Cubs fan wearing a t-shirt on television — “F— Joe Biden” — as he left Wrigley Field. There is much worse out there, against Trump and Harris, and it’s wiser to accept the divided moods of 342 million Americans. Why stifle them? Because the people in the box seats hate it? Or the dudes are booing in the bleachers?
Without predictive certainty, we have no idea what awaits us before Nov. 5. What, Walls and the Cardinals should sink into boredom instead of displaying individuality? Let them rip Trump or cheer him when he says Harris “dropped like a rock as soon as people got to know her.”
We are Americans, not plastic dopes.
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Jay Mariotti, called “without question the most impacting Chicago sportswriter of the past quarter-century,’’ writes general sports columns for Substack while appearing on some of the 1,678,498 podcasts and shows in production today. He is an accomplished columnist, TV panelist and talk/podcast host. Living in Los Angeles, he gravitated by osmosis to film projects.