Remember kids, the phrase “stick to sports” was always hypocritical. This phrase, and its fraternal twin “keep politics out of sports” always means and always has meant: “no politics in sports, unless it is the politics I agree with.” Or its always meant “stick to sports!…when you’re presenting a view point I am not comfortable/disagree with.
So with that I give you UFC Fighter Jorge Masvidal, who led the crowd in a chant of “Let’s go Brandon” after losing his final professional fight in Miami last night.
WATCH ? UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal pays tribute to Trump, chants ‘Let’s Go Brandon’
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) April 9, 2023
He did so after looking at former President Donald Trump, 76, who was in attendance, and calling him “the greatest President ever.”
Fitting how Masvidal, the so-called “King of Miami,” gave a shout out to a man who just lost his most recent competition, after he himself just lost, by decision to Gilbert Burns at UFC 287. Masvidal also referred to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as the “greatest governor of all time,” adding “keep Florida free” (an expression that honestly neither he nor the people chanting along with him have any idea what it actually means).
Just to make this whole scene as Florida Man/MAGA as possible, yes that is Joe Rogan who is holding the microphone to Jorge Masvidal.
But the dumbing you down doesn’t stop there; not by any means.
Take a look at who else was in the crowd last night:
Mike Tyson, Kid Rock, Donald Trump and Dana White at UFC 287 ? pic.twitter.com/iyRVMbNKMg
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod ?? (@big_business_) April 9, 2023
It’s really funny how it is only the conservatives, right-wingers, Republicans etc. who persistently yell “keep politics out of sports!” And yet, at the same time, they do things like this- chanting “Let’s Go Brandon” all the time. It’s “don’t get political, shut up and play” when it’s: kneeling during the national anthem, standing up for LGBT rights, promoting #BlackLivesMatter.
But it’s not “stick to sports” when there is paid-for-patriotism/sponsored content for the military-industrial complex before and during the game.
Pointing out this discrepancy to them makes no difference because they just don’t understand the concept of irony.
Liberals, progressives, Democrats, left-wingers etc. aren’t weak snowflakes who get easily triggered by MAGAheads expressing their beliefs within the sporting arena. All they ever say, if anything, is ‘go ahead, exercise your right to free speech.” Jorge Masvidal has every right to say what he did, in the athletic arena too, if he so wishes.
However, when Jorge Masvidal gets slammed for doing this, as he should, his defenders will no doubt say he is “getting cancelled.”
That is another word/phrase that right-wingers don’t actually understand the meaning of.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.