PORTS COMMENTARY

Former Big Leaguer Turned Broadcaster Jim Edmonds Runs Afoul Of The Left With Comments Supporting Native American Team Names

The controversy over Native American team names has cooled in recent years with the bending of the knee and name changes for franchises like the Cleveland Indians and Washington Redskins. Never mind that few outside of the woke left, including an estimated 90 percent of Native Americans, were actually offended by the names, real or make-believe.

The issue has been undergoing a rebirth in recent months, as a number of Native Americans have decried the changes, with one group going as far as to formally request the Washington Commanders name be changed back to the Washington Redskins.

Whether that will ever happen or not is highly debatable, however, as leftists everywhere still see fit to make it their mission in life to ruin good things and be generally unpleasant. Many former athletes, like Yankee great David Wells, have become more outspoken regarding racial and social issues in recent times, and the tide indeed seems to be turning back from the extreme wokeness and cancellation around the issue.

That hasn’t stopped wokesters from attacking former big league great Jim Edmunds, however. The former St Louis Cardinal slugger turned Cardinal broadcaster made some comments Thursday night during the Cards playoff games that have some on the left fuming.

Edmonds made the comments during the Astros-Cardinals game when he and fellow broadcaster Chip Caray, the grandson of the legendary Harry Caray, were filling time during the game, discussing renaming sports teams.

Despite it being a sensitive subject and the need to follow the approved narrative, Edmonds was instead honest and unafraid to express his personal feelings about the issue. Naturally, that didn’t sit well with lefties.

The former slugger knocked liberals out of the park when he said: “I always thought it was kind of a cool thing, not a bad thing, to have a team named after the Indians or vice versa, whatever, the Washington Redskins.”

Of course, Edmonds was simply expressing what the vast majority of sports fans also believe. However, the non-sports fans who happened to hear about Edmond’s comments weren’t pleased. Edmonds went on to elaborate. “I actually got quite a few messages on social media about some of the teams, and then, you know, it’s really funny when people reach out to you and say, ‘Hey, I’m from this area, and we really love our baseball here.’ And somebody else will say ‘Yeah, I wish they had the old name that they used to have.’ It’s just funny to hear everyone’s opinion.”

Liberals everywhere were quick to get behind their keyboards and excoriate the Bally Sports broadcaster for having an opinion. One furious X user said: “Is anyone surprised that Jim Edmonds is an idiot?” While another took the time to insult Edmonds as a person based on his willingness to express an opinion. He chimed in: “Of all the people you could have picked to be the Cardinals analyst, you picked Jim Edmonds? The guy lacks intelligence, is inarticulate, and is a garbage human being. Tonight, he proved what a horrible hire that was. Do better!!”

In the end, Edmonds is only echoing what he hears from fans as he travels the country talking to those fans. His opinion is his, and he has a right to express it whether the left likes it or not. In this case, the statistics back him up, and hopefully, his employer, Bally Sports, doesn’t cave into pressure and discipline him.