Major League Baseball’s social media accounts have gone woke, with dozens of Black Lives Matter posts from the league and players alike.
Pro baseball escaped from much of the anthem kneeling controversies in 2016 and 2017 by steering clear of wokeness for the most part. But that seems to be coming to an end if the league’s Twitter account is any indication of where baseball is headed.
MLB’s Twitter feed is filled with paeans to Black Lives Matter that have been given the MLB endorsement with official posts and re-tweets.
While the league had some that took a knee during the anthem over the years since former NFL player Colin Kaepernick began protesting during the anthem in 2016, the anthem protests largely went unobserved in baseball.
But, if the league’s Twitter account can be taken as indicative of the league’s direction, MLB may be signaling that kneeling during the anthem will be accepted and maybe even encouraged going forward.
On Thursday morning, the league re-tweeted a statement by St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty’s statements approving the act of kneeling during the anthem.
Jack Flaherty speaks about kneeling during the national anthem. pic.twitter.com/0oQxybtNNE
— Cut4 (@Cut4) July 9, 2020
But Flaherty’s appreciation of protesting against the country during the anthem is far from the only Black Lives Matter-styled message on MLB’s official Twitter account. The account is liberally strewn with such messages.
The message is loud and clear at Reds camp. #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/iLuA9oKHVZ
— MLB (@MLB) July 8, 2020
✊🏾 ✊🏻 #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/JVVbMraUo9
— MLB (@MLB) July 8, 2020
My brother✊🏾✊🏼 #unity https://t.co/UsVEwLSWwl
— CountOnAG (@Amir_Garrett) July 7, 2020
We go further together. pic.twitter.com/oJ64cIJezq
— MLB (@MLB) July 7, 2020
I’m going to leave this here, and you guys take what you want from it. But I will continue to do what i feel is right. pic.twitter.com/cj5D5a4ux3
— CountOnAG (@Amir_Garrett) June 30, 2020
It’s time for us to listen to the words of Dexter Fowler. pic.twitter.com/OIIS2yTii5
— MLB (@MLB) June 30, 2020
It’s time for us to listen to the words of Jason Heyward. pic.twitter.com/PumIifTt95
— MLB (@MLB) June 30, 2020
It’s time for us to listen to the words of Anthony Alford. pic.twitter.com/POZv51K5CX
— MLB (@MLB) June 30, 2020
Thoughtful. Passionate. Teammate. Husband. Father.
Ian, we support you in your decision and know your family loves you for it. Stay home, stay safe, be well. pic.twitter.com/xWwaLaayNq
— Colorado Rockies 😷 (@Rockies) June 30, 2020
There are many, many more like these above.
In a side note, the MLB account is also heavily pushing the idea of mask wearing:
Be a Hall of Famer. WEAR A MASK! Available from @obvious_shirts at https://t.co/zpwVDXtacm pic.twitter.com/J1mil2PYNh
— Fergie Jenkins (@fergieajenkins) July 5, 2020
Be an All-Star, wear a mask. pic.twitter.com/AJ0qA5eyXH
— MLB (@MLB) July 5, 2020
— Debbie Trout (@DebbieTrout27) July 5, 2020
In the end, it appears that any hope that Major League Baseball could remain relatively free of wokeness has been demolished.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Facebook at: facebook.com/Warner.Todd.Huston.
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