Cancel Culture on the Gridiron: OSU Player Offended by Coach’s OAN Shirt

June 16th, 2020 11:14 AM

The left’s fit of insensate rage keeps turning this way and that, smashing whatever comes to hand -- a statue here, a corporate exec there. Professional sports have been thoroughly politicized, and now the destruction is coming to big-time college football. Because somebody doesn’t like a T-shirt.

According to Sports Illustrated, somebody at a website covering Oklahoma State University sports posted a picture of Cowboys head football coach Mike Gundy on a fishing trip “wearing a t-shirt promoting the conservative news network One America News. Shortly after that, the Cowboys All-American running back Chuba Hubbard came out,” and mau-maued the program. 

"I will not stand for this," wrote Hubbard on Twitter. "This is completely insensitive to everything going on in society, and it is unacceptable. I will not be doing anything with Oklahoma State until things CHANGE." 

NCAA players are apparently just like other coddled college kids, only more so. As we all know, until things change means until any political opinion I don’t like has been purged from OSU football -- maybe OSU Athletics. And why not a 100-square-mile zone around the campus? 

And, of course, Hubbard is getting support from the millionaire malcontents in the NFL. The Baltimore Sun is reporting that Ravens running back Justice Hill and at least one other OSU alumni are supporting Hubbard “100%”

The Twitter mob got fired up as well. SI reports Hubbard’s tweet got 20,000 like in an hour. “Oklahoma State athletic director Mike Holder said: ‘This afternoon has been very disturbing. The tweets from the current and former players are of grave concern.’” Spoken like a true jelly-ribbed university bureaucrat.

What’s odd is that even Sports Illustrated admits Gundy is no racist:

Gundy is on record as being a political conservative, but he has never shown signs of being racist or that any kind of double standard exists within his program. He has long been an advocate of his players, no matter color, religion, or culture. Gundy has seemingly been very acceptable with his players.

But in a moral panic, actual virtue counts for nothing. According to the Sun, Gundy has been forced to squirm. “‘I’m looking forward to making some changes and it starts at the top with me,’" Gundy said. "’We’ve got good days ahead.’”

Good luck with that, Coach. A lot of people have already canceled you. And don’t imagine the school or the NCAA will have your back. If need be, you’re going on the bonfire of the social justice vanities.

OAN’s opinion shows have, you know, opinion (several Media Research Center staffers, including the author, regularly appear on them). But it’s a news network. Hubbard and his supporters care nothing for the facts. They’re feeding their outrage.

OAN doesn’t share their ideology, and for that, the network -- the coach who wore its T-shirt -- must be banished.