The effort to ruin sports by flooding it with politics has had an ally in sports media for the last decade, and their position has become more intense with each passing year. Now, those whose job it is to cover sports are openly cheering sports being halted for politics.
ESPN’s Max Kellerman is the most prominent example. Kellerman is simultaneously cheering for sports to be halted once again for the coronavirus and suggesting NFL players should boycott their games to make a statement for Black Lives Matter.
“If the NFL season isn’t played or it’s interrupted, as a result of social justice issues — and, of course, we all understand this is against the backdrop of the pandemic,” Kellerman said, “I think that might actually have political consequences in a general election.”
Leaving aside Kellerman’s mediocre political analysis, his clear rooting interest is in sports ceasing to play so that can somehow lead to Republicans losing in November. Kellerman, who is supposed to be a sports analyst, wants to see sports cease play to serve his political goals.
He’s not alone. ESPN hockey writer Emily Kaplan complained that the NHL wasn’t taking part in the pointless player “boycott” over the Jacob Blake shooting in Kenosha (the NHL later ended up postponing its games). “Disappointed, but not surprised the NHL is the only pro sport continuing to play tonight,” she said. “Hockey has a chance to join a statement for social change. Instead, once again, the NHL is just looking the other way.”
The same is going on at the Athletic, another popular sports outlet. Scott Burnside complained that the NHL could have been “part of history” and “prove they are truly engaged in issues of racial justices” by delaying its games for a couple of days. Eric Koreen said it was “absolutely understandable” that athletes would skip media appearances because of the effects of the Blake shooting on their mental health.
People whose job it is to cover sports would rather see sports disappear so they can promote their political worldview than simply cover sports. Sports are the greatest escape people have from politics. In an increasingly polarized society, sports analysts don’t just want to infect our sports with politics, they would rather see sports step aside entirely and take a backseat to their partisan preening.
