Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Anthony Bass has been listed for assignment by the team 11 days after he shared an anti-LGBTQ+ post on social media. He regretted expressing himself on social media when the blowback began from those-who-must-be-obeyed, The Woke, and posted an apology, groveling for forgiveness. It was a mistake.
Bass is learning the hard way that standing up and saying that, in his opinion, it is acceptable to boycott companies who do not promote your personal values. In this case, it is the LGBTQ agenda. Because it is Pride Month, many companies are all over showing how LGBTQ-friendly they are. Some are using social media influencers to make a statement. A collaboration between transgender Dylan Mulvaney and Bud Light has produced devastating results for Bud Light and its parent company, Anheuser Busch. That decision has cost the company to lose an astonishing $27B in just months.
Consumers have had enough. They are speaking up and participating in boycotts of offending retailers and companies who are hellbent to push the LGBTQ agenda on customers whether it makes sense to do so or not. For example, how does using a popular TikTok celebrity who is a transgender woman increase the market for Bud Light, a favorite adult beverage of blue collar and working class consumers, as well as college frat boys? A thirty-something woke marketing executive at Bud Light thought using Mulvaney was the ticket to expanding its pool of consumers. She was wrong. All she proved was that she was clueless as to who her customers are and they immediately let her know they were not happy.
The boycotts are taking hold and companies are feeling the economic pinch. That gets their attention. In the past, activists on both the left and the right have called for boycotts but usually little else happens. No real results are seen. This time it’s different. The atmosphere has changed and regular adults going about their everyday lives are fed up with constant virtue-signaling about values they do not hold.
When someone speaks out on social media with an opinion that goes against The Woke, they are immediately blasted for it. That is what happened to Bass when he re-tweeted a post about the boycotts of Target and Bud Light. So, he did what many do, he posted an apology. Unfortunately, he is now learning the hard way that apologizing doesn’t help. Nothing is ever enough to make amends with the angry mob.
The Blue Jays’ decision to designate him for assignment comes just hours before the first of the franchise’s two Pride nights at Rogers Centre with Toronto hosting the Minnesota Twins Friday.
Bass was scheduled to catch the ceremonial first pitch from Toronto LGBTQ+ activist leZlie Lee Kam before Friday’s game against Minnesota as the Blue Jays begin their fourth annual Pride Weekend celebration.
Bass has a 4.95 ERA in 22 appearances out of the bullpen this season. The Blue Jays have reinstated pitcher Mitch White from the 60-day injured list in a corresponding roster move.
He was booed by Toronto fans in his two home appearances since the apology.
‘I totally get that,’ Bass said. ‘I just want them to know that I’m working hard on myself, a lot of self-reflection.’
However, Bass later said he didn’t believe the post, which described the sale of LGBTQ+ merchandise as ‘evil’ and ‘demonic,’ should be considered hateful.
‘I do not,’ Bass said. ‘That’s why I posted it originally. When I look back at it, I can see how people would view it that way and that’s why I was apologetic.’
He doesn’t think it was a mean re-tweet. He still doesn’t see the hurtfulness in it. Why did he apologize? Either stand with your principles or don’t. It can’t be one foot in and one foot out. All it did was get him listed for assignment. I looked up the meaning of that term.
When a player’s contract is designated for assignment — often abbreviated “DFA” — that player is immediately removed from his club’s 40-man roster. Within seven days of the transaction (had been 10 days under the 2012-16 Collective Bargaining Agreement), the player can either be traded or placed on irrevocable outright waivers.
I’m an avid Astros fan but I don’t consider myself an expert on the game, by any means. I just like watching them play the game. Houston loves the Astros.
Bass met with the head of Pride Toronto and Blue Jays General Manager Ross Atkins said that was a great first step to make amends for his “anti-2SLGBTQ+ post.” He said there are other steps for Bass to take as he and the team move forward. As I said, it is never enough.
He will have to be in grovel-mode the rest of his career.
Bass chose to delete the post because he didn’t want it to be a distraction to the team. Too late. That’s not how this works. This will be brought up whenever someone wants to make a point about the team’s diversity or inclusiveness. This is 2023 and that’s how it goes.
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