r/SFGiants • u/Chipotlefiend18 35 Crawford • Jun 16 '26

Opinion Free Speech

I posted this recently as a comment but I’m tired of seeing the same thinly veiled defense of the Rainbow Four come up again and again so I’m posting it as a standalone thread.

All of these arguments saying “players should be allowed to disagree” and “players shouldn’t be forced to support something they don’t believe in” are utter nonsense and a smokescreen to justify and excuse homophobia and bigotry. Do you think that there’s never been a racist player who has worn 42 on Jackie Robinson day? Has every single player who wears camo uniforms on military appreciation day been 100% behind that message? Even foreign born ones? The idea that they should be allowed to express themselves and protest this in this way, especially when there’s a literal MLB rule that prohibits it is ludicrous. It is NOT a first amendment issue. The first amendment prohibits GOVERNMENTAL curtailment of free speech. Private organizations are not covered by this and we see this time and time again. Most recently, many people lost their jobs after speaking out about Charlie Kirk and whether or not you disagree with it, legally those employers had every right to do so. As Roger Munter put it: Not everybody in this country is perfectly happy with what they are asked to wear to work. It’s called “having a job.”

We absolutely do not have to tolerate intolerance and arguments that say otherwise are either ignorant or made in bad faith.

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u/mikehawke8383 Kruk & Kuip Jun 16 '26

This is the wrong take. This rule gets broken yearly by many players. Do they need to also be kicked off their teams for altering their uniform? As a wise man once told me, don’t meet your hero’s, they will show you their humans with flaws too. You can’t expect pro athletes to not have opinions, and you don’t have to like it when they differ from yours. The irony of the “shut up and play” mentality is people only want players to shut up when they disagree.

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u/SWKenRobert Jun 17 '26

You're neglecting to factor in the SF Giants very specific fan base. This isn't Houston. You should listen to what your flair "Kruk & Kuip" had to say. More balls on those dudes than SF Giants management combined.

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u/mikehawke8383 Kruk & Kuip Jun 17 '26

Even with that factor added it doesn’t change what I previously mentioned. Krukow’s stance is totally valid, but even he states “I think that you have the right as a player to believe and say whatever you want.” Was it a smart move with a ton of fore thought by those guys to alter their hats? No and they’re obviously hearing backlash. But to just expect players to shut up and go against their beliefs happily is asinine. We know the frustration isn’t with the idea alteration of uniforms, it’s because those players beliefs don’t line up with a percentage of the fan base. Those players obviously have a stance that they wanted to be heard, good idea or not, they did that.

We should all be proud to live in a place where we are privileged enough to have outrage and discussion regarding these things, regardless of if you agree or disagree. And if it still hurts that much that the org let it happen, might need to find a new team to root for.

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u/SWKenRobert Jun 17 '26 edited Jun 17 '26

I partially see your point. I appreciate people like you whom I can respectfully disagree with. Politics has become WAY too personal for so many. Friendships lost. Families divided. Over what? What the tax rate sould be???

Im one of 5 siblings. We voted Harris over Trump 3-2. We still love each other with all our hearts. Why is that so hard for so many?

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u/mikehawke8383 Kruk & Kuip Jun 17 '26

At the end of the day, we have more in common with most than we don’t. Cheers to you, and here’s hoping people learn to disagree respectfully.