NFL analyst Andrew Brandt claims that people who want politics out of sports only mean they want politics they don’t agree with out of sports. Given that he is referring to conservatives, he’s correct, but that’s only because liberal politics are the only ones allowed in our current sports culture.
Those who want “politics out of sports” don’t really want that.
They want “politics they don’t agree with” out of sports.— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) April 15, 2021
What is the most conservative opinion openly and emphatically held by an athlete? Former NFL quarterback Drew Brees provided the most prominent one when said he would “never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country.” He was then forced into multiple apologies by a pile-on that included NBA star LeBron James, whose politics have been anointed as the purest of all by sports media.
Even standing for the national anthem is controversial now. When Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac stood for the anthem, he was asked after the game if he thought black lives mattered. Isaac is black. Soon afterward, Isaac tore his ACL, and an ESPN host mocked his injury.
San Francisco 49ers star Nick Bosa had to delete old tweets and stop tweeting about his support for former President Donald Trump or criticism of former quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The Sacramento Kings forced out longtime announcer Grant Napear for saying “all lives matter” and replaced him with an anti-police former ESPN announcer. The Salt Lake Tribune wrote a hit piece about Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder because he donated money to now GOP Rep. Burgess Owens.
Meanwhile, every left-wing opinion under the sun is not only accepted but praised in the sports world. Stephen Curry spoke at the Democratic National Convention. Athletes rushed to slam police officers for shooting Jacob Blake, refusing to admit they were wrong when it became clear that Blake was armed with a knife and violating the restraining order of a woman he had sexually assaulted.
The only sports figures allowed to hold anything resembling a conservative position are athletes in individual sports like UFC star Jorge Masvidal or retirees like NFL legend Brett Favre. Sports leagues themselves have even embraced liberal politics and shunned conservatives, as seen when Major League Baseball stripped Georgia of its All-Star Game based on the lies told by Democrats.
There is no political position allowed in our sports culture outside of progressive politics. Liberal athletes are praised every time they speak, no matter how wrong they are on the fact. Conservatives, with the exception of those like Masvidal, who are their own team, must sit in silence. So yes, we mean liberal politics when we say we want politics out of sports because that’s the only kind that is allowed.
