Although sports are at the center of American culture, the woke leftist agenda is turning them into a place of division, not unity, Federalist Publisher Ben Domenech said on Fox News “Primetime” on Tuesday night.
“Why is it that sports today seems to be a place of division not unity — something used to break us further apart, not bring us together?” Domenech asked. “When did competition become such a bad thing?”
"The institution of sports is being turned against the very people who buy the tickets, go to the game, and cheer. It is driven both by globalist corporations, who no longer think of themselves as innately American, and by a leftist-dominated media complex" @bdomenech pic.twitter.com/zlTDS2GfXi
— The Federalist (@FDRLST) October 6, 2021
“Generations of fans from all backgrounds, all walks of life who find themselves together to share in sorrow or glory as the day decides. Sports is our great teacher, offering us lessons that guide us from a young age for the rest of our lives,” Domenech said, explaining how sports are a connection to the past and the future. “Lessons about courage and grit, the importance of teamwork and diligence, and how to play like a champion, even in a loss. Sports has been at the center of American understanding about race, immigration, religion, and meritocracy.”
Sports mark the changing of seasons, draw spectators closer, and even signify the state of American culture. Twenty years ago after 9/11, getting back to sports was important, Domenech noted. It was a sign that America was confident, unafraid, and ready to compete.
Now division is rampant in the world of sports, with corporate media classifying games as “superspreader events.” Individual NBA stars are chastised for their personal opinions about their own medical decisions, and ESPN is driving rage and gender-focused narratives in service to the woke agenda.
Just today, Domenech added, ESPN anchor Sage Steele faced enormous backlash for her comments on race, vaccine mandates, and more — even though ESPN claims it embraces different points of view. Yet the outlet continues to praise journalism professor Kevin Blackistone from the University of Maryland, even though the professor called the national anthem a “war anthem.”
“That’s a leftist academic whose opinion ESPN thinks you need to hear,” Domenech said. “That’s not a problem like when Sage Steele shares her opinions. She broke rule No. 1: She talked and she said something woke corporate didn’t agree with.”
Americans are tired of this leftist wokeness, Domenech continued, particularly when it’s filled with the underlying hypocrisy of kowtowing to the interests of China.
“By now you know all about that story: how an American sports league with a corrupt relationship with shoemakers, made in horrible overseas conditions, had to engage in all manner of song and dance, pretending to look the other way because a GM had the audacity to send one tweet,” he said, referencing the NBA’s subservience to the Chinese government.
“As with so many other areas of American life, the institution of sports is being turned against the very people who go to the games and buy the tickets and cheer,” Domenech said. “It is driven both by globalist corporations who no longer think of themselves as innately American and by a leftist-dominated media complex who despises the fans of the very games they cover.”
But despite all of this, the once-great American love of sports can defeat wokeness.
“Sports finds a way. There is still that human desire for the connection that brings us together as fans despite all the efforts to divide us,” Domenech said. “Sports brings us together in ways that surprise us. It gives us ideals to strive for. And even if the left has sought to corrupt sports with their woke agenda, their mission is ultimately doomed. They view sports as a tool to use against the people, when we know it binds us together as citizens and friends.”
Watch the full monologue here:
