Curt Schilling has obviously picked a side in this party-war circus that was once the American political system. After years of existing and thriving in a pro sport that is culturally diverse and rich with history of social triumphs and barrier-breaking icons, Schilling has chosen to align himself with Donald Trump and the divisiveness that has eroded our country over the last decade.
Not that Schilling isnt free to his views as an American, but too many times he has used his sports popularity and visibility awarded to him by working on ESPN to spread ignorant and insensitive views. He has repeatedly escaped the gauntlet and made a nice living at ESPN.
However, the straw that broke the camels back and finally pushed ESPN to terminate the baseball analyst after six years on the job was…a Facebook post of course, what else?
Schilling, who has no mute button that will sustain a prolonged silence was recently at it again. With debate raging over a controversial and sweeping anti-LGBT law in North Carolina, Schilling added his two cents to the mix with a Facebook post that was offensive to the transgender community.
Then he tried to justify it.
Though hes been banned from TV by ESPN, Schilling isnt backing down from his views. In fact, he has turned it up on his former employees and his right-wing rants will most likely increase as his frustration grows.
Hes already lashed out against his former bosses on a very personal and politically-motivated level.
Schilling joined SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Patriot Forum for a segment that aired on Thursday morning. Newsday reported what he had to say:
It was apparent to me early on that if you wanted to go off topic as a sportsperson you had to go off topic left, or you were going to get in trouble. Some of the most racist things Ive ever heard have come out of people that are on the air at ESPN. Theyre some of the biggest racists in sports commentating.
Schilling expanded further after the show appearance:
The memo that was sent out more than once was about they wanted on air-talent to focus on sports. To me that means focus on sports unless you want to talk about something that is part of the liberal agenda.
You listen to Stephen A. Smith, and Stephen A. Smith was the guy who said that Robert Griffin didnt play quarterback for the Redskins because hes black. No, Robert Griffin didnt play quarterback for the Redskins because he [stunk]. Tony Kornheiser compared the Tea Party to ISIS. I dont know any planet where those are sports topics. But I dont care. Its OK. I think those conversations need to happen. But as soon as you go to the flip side, the right side, there are repercussions for not talking about sports.
We hipped you to Schillings game last August in a piece entitled, Curt Schilling Is An Official Member of Donald Trumps Politically Divisive Army:
“This isnt the first time ESPN analyst and former MLB pitcher Curt Schilling has used his media platform to put his bloody sock in his mouth and offend someone.
The 2001 Sports Illustrated co-Sportsman of the Year has a history of engaging in controversial Twitter conversations and making politically-charged statements that make you do a double take.
In November he debated other users on the subject of evolution. He also has made intriguing statements like telling a Boston radio station that he hasn’t been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame because he is a Republican.
These comments were just the warm up for his future career as a big-mouth antagonist.
In July, he stepped up his game. The six-time All-Star went on ESPN’s Mike and Mike and questioned the character of deceased Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett, one of the most revered African-American athletes in Minnesota sports history. Schilling doesnt just take shots at dead guys, hes moved on to insulting entire religions and races of people.
Keeping with the Donald Trump-inspired platform of the newer, more intolerable Republican Party a platform that consists of saying the most racially-charged, divisive, disrespectful, outdated and outlandish things through media or public forum Schilling became a trending topic on Twitter Tuesday after sharing a meme comparing Muslims to Nazis, and featuring Adolf Hitlers image. The text was superimposed on a red-tinted photo of the legendary genocide king.”
He was suspended for that offense and admitted he made a bad decision and would curb his inflammatory ideology and shock politics going forward.
Three weeks after his Sept 4, 2015 suspension, he posted this:
Shutting up is just not in Schillings DNA. Neither is respecting anothers culture and life choices. He didnt quit as a dominant MLB hurler and its clear he is going to voice his opinions even if it costs him his job.
Lets not forget the ungraceful shot he licked at John Smoltz who was voted into the Hall of Fame in 2015 along with Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson and Craig Biggio. Schilling claimed that one of the reasons why Smoltz made it and he didnt was because Smoltz is a Democrat.
Firing Curt Schilling didnt silence him. He will continue to gain conservative and bigoted fans who appreciate his rhetoric. ESPN has made him somewhat of a living martyr. I see a run for political office coming as he panders to a decreasing group of wealthy, white men who want to keep certain sectors of society oppressed and underserved.
When its all said and done, we actually lost a pretty good baseball analyst. I enjoyed listening to him dissect the game and recall legendary memories of his glorious past. His political commentary, however, has no place in an all-inclusive, historically healing, progressive world of sports.
