Cubs' Marcus Stroman Preparing For Racist Taunts

Hardly any other Major League Baseball player is as outspoken as Cubs starting pitcher Marcus Stroman and he's back at it discussing racism in Chicago. Apparently his friends expressed concern for the environment he's set to endure pitching for the Cubs. Really?

"I've heard about it, but I'm ready for it, I'm prepared, Stroman told USA TODAY Sports. "Obviously, racism is something that very, much exists in society today. It's very profound. My DM's are filled with very, very, very, very aggressive racist men that are filled with hate. I was getting it bad in New York."

No one's denying Stroman wasn't dealing with racist comments in private, however it seems he's overvaluing its impact. I'll explain how Marcus Stroman's focus on the negative is painting his every stop as uncomfortable.








"I've learned to cope with the death threats and people saying, 'If I see you out, I'm going to kill you,' There are people sitting at home who have miserable lives, spewing hate onto (you) for no reason because it can get to you and it can affect you."

Again, Stroman is dealing with death threats and inappropriate Twitter exchanges much like our very own Clay Travis sees on a daily basis. The difference between the two is that Travis, of course, isn't black and the way the two receive the death threats is miles apart. Clay Travis reposts the threats and has a laugh assuming the threats were crafted to get a rise out of him -- meanwhile Marcus Stroman lets the public know it's difficult to navigate the inappropriate behavior and that only makes it worse. What more can you offer these Twitter trolls than ammunition to continue by alerting the masses they're getting to you? It's their soul intention, yet Stroman doesn't grasp this.

The 30-year-old right-hander is exactly right that these people have nothing going on, he just isn't defusing the situation by choosing to address it every year. He comes across as irrationally emotional and an easy target.

And also the fact that if you come into a situation expecting the worst, shouldn't one expect to notice every negligent act because of this mentality? Perhaps Stroman should initiate the "out of sight, out of mind" process entering the 2022 season? Either way you slice it, talking about how bad certain cities treat you won't make anything more convenient. He's expected debut in Chicago on his 3-year, $71 million deal with the Cubs in just a couple weeks. We wish him the best.







Written by
Gary Sheffield Jr is the son of should-be MLB Hall of Famer, Gary Sheffield. He covers basketball and baseball for OutKick.com, chats with the Purple and Gold faithful on LakersNation, and shitposts on Twitter. You can follow him at GarySheffieldJr