I have been a huge Cubs fan since moving to Chicago over twenty years ago, but last Friday the team informed me that it no longer desires my support. It did so by holding a moment of silence and lowering the flags to half-mast in honor of racist provocateur Charlie Kirk, who believed, among other things, that “black women don’t have the brainpower to be taken seriously” and that gay people should be stoned to death, and that “Nuremberg trials” should be held for doctors who provide gender-affirming care. To put this in context, the Cubs did nothing to honor the memories of the Democratic State representative and her husband murdered by a MAGA extremist last month. Nor did they do anything when another Trump supporter attacked the elderly husband of Paul Pelosi with a hammer. Nor when Gabby Giffords was shot by a MAGA fanatic. But they feel that this loathsome, hatemongering piece of shit deserves to be “honored”? All 30 major league teams have played home games since Kirk’s death, and 28 of them did the right thing by not allowing their brand to be exploited by extremists for partisan political purposes. Now I just have to pick which of those 28 to support. It breaks my heart to leave (and throw away a few hundred bucks worth of hats and T-shirts), but clearly the Cubs only want white Christian heterosexual fans now, so fuck 'em. May they finish in the basement for the next hundred years.
I’ve been a Cubbies fan since 1972. Barring an apology for this dick move, I will no longer be a Cubbies fan.
Wow. That’s not a good sign. Things are starting to get a little concerning….
Cubs owners are huge MAGA heads. This is well known.
If the players aren’t, I could still enjoy watching them play.
That’s only my attitude, and I can compartmentalize pretty well. I do support anyone who wants to boycott the Cubs… or ABC, or Disney, or Neil Gaiman, or J.K. Rowling (but I might have just downloaded her latest audiobook…).
Jump on the Mariners bandwagon. The worst thing they do is play God Bless America mid 7th inning on Sunday home games. I’ve complained, but to no avail.
I know the Yankees pandered to MAGA. Now the Cubs. Is that all the teams?
Yup, just those two.
Give it time, there will be pressure on those who don’t.
I can understand the Yankees catering to Kirk fans given their history, but didn’t expect the Cubs to go even further.
Given both teams making the playoffs, don’t expect boycotts to have any effect.
Wonder if either will start selling Kirk-themed merch at the ballpark and online.
A friend of mine is married to one of the Cubs’ owners (i.e., she is one of the Ricketts family). My friend’s wife is a liberal lesbian; the rest of her family is…neither of those things.
Sounds like the return of the Billy goat.
Did you let the Cubs know any of this, OP?
I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that Kirk was born in Chicago and grew up in Illinois. (that only the Cubs “honored” Kirk while other teams didn’t.)
Hey, there’s always the White Sox, who are even endorsed by the Pope…
…but are the White Sox.
Yankees did, too. In fact, the Yankees did first. Chicago is, after all, the second city.
I doubt any such tribute would happen on the south side, due mainly to the relative diversity of the fanbase vs. that on the north side.
Although, the White Sox seem all in on fawning over the Pope, and don’t get me started on the Catholic church.
I don’t think there are many Kirk fans on the North Side of Chicago. I hope I’m not wrong about that.
Indiana, Iowa and most of rural Illinois are all Cubs country, while Sox fans are mostly in and very near Chicago itself. So yes, it’s safe to assume the overall Cubs fanbase is more conservative, though I don’t think Cubs fans in Chicago are more conservative than Chicagoans in general.
I’m disappointed in The Yankees.
I’m disappointed in The Cubs.
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As woeful at the Nationals have been this season, at least they didn’t do that. Assistant pitching coach Sean Doolittle, who was the closer for the 2019 World Series champions, refused to go to the White House, saying “I don’t want to hang out with someone like that.”
Go pound Florida where the sun doesn’t shine Pam.