As I have said before, I do not follow sports very closely. At most, I check standings and watch major games with friends over drinks. Still, this story out of Major League Baseball was too funny not to write about.
On Sunday, the Boston Red Sox played the Houston Astros and got utterly smoked, scoring only two runs to Houston's ten. Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran (insert second Duran here) stepped up to the plate at the bottom of the sixth inning. Duran, keep in mind, is a pretty big name this season, scoring 13 triples and 36 doubles, with an equally impressive batting average.
A heckler joked about Duran swapping his bat for a tennis racket, prompting him to go full Xbox Live and shout back, "Shut up, you f***ing [bundle of sticks]."
As a result, Duran received a two-game suspension (he's back on the field today) and had to apologize, where he said, courtesy of The Blaze:
During tonight's game, I used a truly horrific word when responding to a fan. I feel awful knowing how many people I offended and disappointed. I apologize to the entire Red Sox organization but, more importantly, to the entire LGBTQ community. Our young fans are supposed to be able to look up to me as a role model, but tonight, I fell far short of that responsibility.
He also clarified that he said it in the heat of the moment and meant nothing homophobic by it, something I understand as a guy around his age. After all, as "South Park" put it, "You can be gay and not be a [British cigarette]."
Naturally, since everybody is sick and tired of the Left forcing people to apologize for every little thing like Canadians, Duran's jersey has been selling like hotcakes, currently beating out Shohei Ohtani's and the customizable Dodgers and Padres jerseys.
Fox News noted similar spikes in sales for jerseys of players (in any sport) who refuse to bend the knee to woke nonsense, citing the cases of GigaChad Catholic NFL player Harrison Butker and Philadelphia Flyers hockey player Ivan Provorov.
If you need a refresher, Russian-born Provorov got heat last January for not wearing a Pride-themed jersey on the ice, citing his faith as a reason not to.
"I respect everyone. I respect everybody’s choices. My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion," as my friend Robert Spencer quoted Provorov back then.
Butker, as you recall, got in a whole heap of trouble while giving a commencement address at Benedictine College back in May, telling graduates to take pride in themselves but not the "Pride month" kind and suggesting that most of the female graduates were more excited to get married and have kids than to be working.
I will admit that insulting a fan is marginally more controversial than sticking by and advocating for traditional values, but somehow Duran's incident has not picked up the same level of controversy or discussion, unless I am just missing it.
Still, it looks like cancel culture is thankfully dying a slow and painful death, and I am here for it.
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