Clay: Far Left Politics Do Little But Alienate Sports Fans, As Interest Declines And Media Jobs Vanish
Why make something that has nothing to do with your product part of your product when it's proven to play a large role in destroying your product?
That's the question sports leagues and teams in America should be asking themselves before marching on with their typically far-left political stances, according to OutKick founder Clay Travis.
"I’ve always said it’s just bad business to alienate any consumers with politics when your business is designed to appeal to everyone," Clay tweeted. "If they like the product — & fans do like sports — why give them a reason not to like your business with something that isn’t part of the product?"
Clay was responding to Andrew Brandt, the executive director of the Moorad Center at Villanova University. Brandt, who also writes columns for Sports Illustrated, tweeted that people "who want 'politics out of sports' don't really want that. They want 'politics they don't agree with' out of sports."
There actually may be some truth to that, as every time someone expresses a conservative view on ESPN ... well, they get canned. But Clay disagreed with Brandt, saying that the data shows the majority of fans want to watch and listen to games -- and only games.
"This isn’t remotely true," Clay wrote in response to Brandt's hot take. "Most sports fans watch sports to escape politics. Far left wing politics have overtaken sports & most sports media cheer this because sports media are overwhelmingly far left wing. But it’s killing sports. And ironically many sports media jobs too."
And when it comes to politics in sports, Clay noted, almost all of it consists of liberal causes, and only liberal causes.
"I’ve never heard anyone conservative argue they want athletes to kneel during the national anthem to oppose gay marriage, abortion being legal, to combat second amendment rights being challenged or to demand lower taxes or to support any political cause associated with the right," Clay wrote.
"What changed? Left wing sports media praised athletes to the high heavens for sharing the same political opinions the sports media has. While ripping any athlete with conservative opinions. The result? A left wing sports media circle jerk echo chamber."
There's more.
"The further result? I’m the only member of the national sports media who publicly said he or she was voting for Trump. In the entire industry!" Clay wrote. "People were — and still are — terrified to say they voted for Trump. Even though many in sports did. Same is true for athletes."