NFL legend Brett Favre made news today for his endorsement of President Donald Trump. I’m sure civilian Trump supporters had to play this carefully, right? They have been saying that athletes and sportscasters should #sticktosports so what to do when one of them backs your guy? The answer is to cheer him on for it.
www.facebook.com/…
In other words, “stick to sports” is insincere as can be. It is a pretext intended to push a conservative agenda on the sports industry by shaming its Democrats into silence, giving the Republicans free reign.
It’s a strategy they have used, generally in vain, to bully Hollywood into promoting a conservative agenda, despite the political leanings of artists, for generations. After all, if there’s any criticism from Republicans about movies and TV shows that promote Christianity or the rural lifestyle, it’s that there aren’t enough of them. If you believe that these concepts are inherently conservative — and they do — then you also believe encouraging a positive take on them is as politically partisan as Trump bashing prime time comedians.
At least Actors, writers, and directors are mostly Democrats. Coaches and team owners in sports tend to be Republicans. Players (who tend to be young and diverse) are a different story, but they are still hardly a monolith. The fact that the right is still trying to shut up anyone there who isn’t conservative is revealing.
So the next time you’re in a conversation with someone who preaches “stick to sports,” remind that person that the likes of that person, if not that very person, love it when athletes like Brett Favre support Republicans.