Having college students compete in halftime contests like football throwing challenges or shooting half court shots to win tuition money and avoid crippling amounts of student debt is some extremely dark stuff
It’s been a tough couple of weeks for baseball on twitter. It sucks to see racist and homophobic language coming from inside our league - a league I’m so proud to be a part of that I’ve worked really hard to make a more accepting and inclusive place for all our fans to enjoy.
World Series trophy review:
- v shiny
- hard to drink from (we tried)
- impossible to eat cereal out of
- heavier than it looks
- can be worn like a hat
- still in one piece (barely)
- says 2019 World Champions on it
- IS BACK IN DC AND WE CAN’T WAIT TO SHARE IT WITH YOU
Bear with me, but it feels like we've zoomed past the most important aspect of any MLB restart plan: health protections for players, families, staff, stadium workers and the workforce it would require to resume a season. Here are some things I'll be looking for in the proposal...
This is really frustrating. A month after MLB’s report and all we have now is more evidence and more questions. So it wasn’t entirely player-driven? This came from up top? The integrity of the game is at stake and players and fans deserve some answers.
I practice baseball in the backyard and I ride my bike a lot. I’m moody and angry all the time. I got Rage Against The Machine on repeat. I only talk to my friends online. I stay up past my bedtime. The quarantine has turned me back into my teenage self. Cool. 😎
It’s a privilege to play in the major leagues and we have an obligation to leave the game better than we found it. There’s no place for racism, insensitive language or even casual homophobia. I hope we can learn from this and make the MLB a place where all our fans feel welcome.
Hey
@Reds
fans! I’m new here. A little bit about me: I’m a left handed pitcher, I’m a little socially awkward, I like to read 🤓, we have a dog named Fee, and I’m scared of spiders. I hope we can be friends because I’m really excited to come to Cincinnati and join your team!
Doooooooo you have a moment to read our tweet?
The
#Reds
have officially signed LHP Sean Doolittle to a one-year contract for 2021.
Welcome to Reds Country, Sean!
DC! Thank you for coming out to celebrate with us at the
#NatsParade
! You guys were amazing! We couldn’t have done it without you and we had so much fun partying with everyone.
#FINISHEDTHEFIGHT
I’m tipping my cap to honor the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues and remember the players who were wrongfully denied a place in Major League Baseball, and whose courage helped lay the groundwork for the Civil Rights Movement.
#TipYourCap2020
As a white person, racism isn’t something I’ll ever experience. We have a responsibility to listen to black people, to get educated, and use our white privilege to amplify the black community’s calls for justice. Here is a thread of resources we can use to become better allies
Sending strength and love to the people of my adopted home city of DC. It was horrifying to watch an occupying military force escalate violence against peaceful protesters. I support your message and your peaceful protests. I stand with you. Stay safe DC.
#BlackLivesMatter
Homophobic slurs are still used to make people feel soft or weak or otherwise inferior - which is bullshit. Some of the strongest people I know are from the LGBTQIA community. It takes courage to be your true self when your identity has been used as an insult or a pejorative.
We’re so lucky to have spent 4 amazing years in DC. I’m so grateful for the love & support you showed us - we loved being part of your community. I’m so proud I got to wear the Curly W & be part of the team that brought a WS title to DC. From the bottom of my heart - thank you ♥️
Thank you
@nationals
and all the fans at Nats Park for the incredible welcome back. Thank you for 4 amazing seasons & for making this return trip so special. I’m so grateful for my time in Washington & so proud to be part of the group that brought a WS 🏆 to DC. Thank you.❤️✌🏻
I switched my number to 63 to honor my grandparents after my grandmother passed away during Spring Training. She and my grandfather were married for 63 beautiful years and were two of my biggest supporters. I wanted to celebrate her memory and say thank you. ♥️ 63
I don’t know who needs to hear this but I brought these things up because I want to play. I want there to be a season. And I want everyone to be as safe as possible. The sooner we figure these things out, the better chance we have to resume the 2020 season.
The Nationals have also not received the PPE gear they were suppose to have, Doolittle said. This includes:
N -95 masks
gloves
Coupled with testing delays, this is not good.
Last weekend we said goodbye to our sweet Sophia. We adopted her when she was 11 and over the last 4 years she brought so much brightness and joy to our family. She was Stella’s best friend and protector. We are so lucky she picked us. Long may you run Sophia. ♥️
you guys my wife went out to run errands and she came back with all these items to assemble dozens of hygiene kits for homeless shelters in Chicago that are over crowded as a result of the harsh winter weather here she is a hero and I don’t deserve
@EireannDolan
none of us do tbh
Nats fans - we are so excited to be coming back to DC! After taking a gap year to travel the country, try some new things, and gain some new perspectives, I was ready to come home.
Some people telling me to stay home if I don't want to play. We're asking these questions BECAUSE we want to play. We want to restart the season again. We also want everyone it would require to resume a baseball season to be as safe as possible.
Bear with me, but it feels like we've zoomed past the most important aspect of any MLB restart plan: health protections for players, families, staff, stadium workers and the workforce it would require to resume a season. Here are some things I'll be looking for in the proposal...
Wait...they leaked information about player health to the AP? First, I hope everyone is feeling ok and recovering well. But the timing of this leak is suspicious and it feels really gross.
One thing about my job that I’m grateful for (there are many) is the opportunity to experience so many different places during the season. Once a road series I try to get out & explore the city we’re in. This year my goal is to make it to an indie bookstore in each city we visit.
I❤️U Seattle. I’m so grateful things worked out the way they did & I got to call the PNW home for a bit. Things didn’t end the way we wanted but the run we had & the support we got from the fans was incredible. Proud to have been a (very) small part of the 2021 Chaos Mariners.
Damn this is powerful. I’ve never shared a clubhouse with Ian Desmond but I’ve always had a ton of respect for him as a player and as a person - and for all his work with the Nats Youth Baseball Academy. Grateful for his voice and perspective. Respect.
Rockies' Ian Desmond announces he's opting out of the the MLB season, citing the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to be with family
Desmond also addresses racism, sexism, homophobia in MLB, lack of diversity in the league and more in the lengthy Instagram post
PSA for Nats fans: I’m changing my number to 63. Earlier this spring I left the team for a week to attend to a family emergency. 63 carries a special significance for me and my family so I’ve switched my number as a tribute to them, to acknowledge their love and support.
wow. as someone who is new to dc and has been following the caps ever since the second round of the playoffs let me be the first to tell you. this is big. huge even.
The answer isn’t for athletes to leave social media. Social media can be great for an athlete. I met my wife on twitter (long story). It helps athletes share their stories and personalities and connect with their community. Besides, it’s not like you can accidentally post a slur.
🚨WE NOW RETURN TO OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED GAME RESPECTING🚨
Please refrain from using any custom arm sleeves, spikes, bats or personality until next year’s
#PlayersWeekend
event. Thank you.
It can be tough for athletes to understand why these words are so hurtful. Most of us have been at the top of the food chain since HS, immune to insults. When all you’ve known is success and triumph it can be difficult to empathize with feeling vulnerable or marginalized.
There’s social unrest in our country amid a global pandemic. Baseball won’t solve these problems, but maybe it could help. We’ve been staying ready & we proposed 114 games - to protect the integrity of the game, to give back to our fans & cities, and because we want to play.
Major props to Mike Fiers and Carson Smith for coming forward to talk about sign stealing allegations. There’s been suspicion of this stuff for years but pitchers were hesitant to talk about it bc they didn’t want to sound crazy or make excuses. Now we might have some evidence.
It’s a reminder that words matter, and that the impact the of words matter more than the intent. Rather than feeling like this platform makes us targets and we have to censor ourselves, find a way to use the platform to lift others up and make a positive impact.
MLB has an exclusive deal with New Era to make our on-field hats in the US. But now New Era is planning to close its factory in NY next month and eliminate 200 union jobs in favor of non-union (cheaper) labor.
#NewEraHatsOff
Yoooo shout out to the legend
@Holts170
! For everything you did for DC - both on and off the ice - it was awesome to watch you work and share the District with you for a few years. Congrats on a great run with the Caps and good luck with the Canucks!
Happy
#Pride
! To my LGBTQ friends and family - we love you, support you, and we’re grateful for you. I’m proud to celebrate and stand with you because everyone deserves to feel safe and free to be who they are and to love who they love. Love is love.
you, an intellectual: baseball is boring now bc hitters are just trying to hit homeruns and they strike out too much. it’s ruining the game.
the
#AllStarGame
: lol 🤷🏼♂️ ok
“Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”
#goodtrouble
I deleted social media apps a few weeks ago because the discourse around Kavanaugh was so painful to me as a survivor. I came back on just to say if this is painful for you, it’s ok to turn off the news, it’s okay to log off. Prioritize your own sense of safety and mental health.
🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈Happy Pride! Sending love and support to all my LGBTQIA+ friends and family! You are beautiful and you are enough and your existence is not up for debate. Be proud and know that you are loved. ❤️
A lot of the tweets that have surfaced are from several years ago - from a time in their lives when they may not have realized the impact those words have. But as you learn from and grow out of that youthful indescretion, delete those posts to reflect that growth.
Between all the people you meet and the places you go, there is a lot of opportunity for personal growth in baseball. It’s entirely possible that those old posts no longer reflect that person’s views. But actions will speak louder than words.
look all I’m saying is, baseball is a sport that’s still played wearing a button down shirt tucked into knee high pants with a leather belt so I think anytime we have conversations about updating the game it’s a good thing.
From UVA to DC, Zim had such a huge impact on my career.
To the OG Nat Mr. Walkoff -
It was a privilege. Congratulations on an amazing career. I can’t wait to see what the Ryan Zimmerman statue at Nats Park looks like!