Many in the media are so far to the left of professional objectivity in their support of the NFL player protests that they cannot accept any deviation from their standard narrative. So when retired L.A. Dodgers' broadcasting legend Vin Scully said he's protesting the protesters, they rushed to the attack, belittling him for opposing their precious social justice warriors.
Appearing at “An Evening with Vin Scully” at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium Saturday, Scully was asked about the NFL protests and he said he's done with the NFL:
“I have only one personal thought, really. And I am so disappointed. I used to love, during the fall and winter, to watch the NFL on Sunday. And it’s not that I’m some great patriot. I was in the Navy for a year. Didn’t go anywhere. Didn’t do anything. But I have overwhelming respect and admiration for anyone who puts on a uniform and goes to war. So the only thing I can do in my little way is not to preach. I will never watch another NFL game.”
One of the most stinging attacks on Scully belongs to NBC Sports Ashley Varela:
It’s disappointing, albeit not surprising, to see Scully miss the mark here so completely. From the moment Colin Kaepernick took a knee last August — and with every subsequent act of protest he inspired — demonstrating during the national anthem has never been about dishonoring military veterans and service members, but about condemning racially-motivated violence against Black people and people of color in the United States.
While it would be easy to write this off as another old white guy out of touch with the social and political problems of today’s society, that only trivializes an important issue. If any positive change is going to stem from these silent protests, it will require those in positions of power and influence to become allies, not adversaries.
Yahoo Sports' Chris Cwik joined in on the attack, too, calling Scully's remarks disappointing and lacking in perspective:
Scully may fall into the group of people Miami Marlins owner Derek Jeter was talking about when he said people have lost sight of why athletes are protesting. The players kneeling aren’t protesting the military or veterans. They are protesting racial inequality in the United States.
Cwik conveniently omitted Jeter's conclusion that "It’s an uncomfortable conversation for a lot of people, and I don’t know if anyone has the right answer.”
Cwik had more criticism:
Given Scully’s history, he should have been able to bring a unique perspective here. He talks about his own time in the U.S. Navy, but then brushes that aside as if it had nothing to do with his decision. He’s expressed admiration for Jackie Robinson — a man he knew well — throughout his career, but doesn’t acknowledge that Robinson later stated he would not stand for the anthem or salute the flag.
Cwik says Scully is free to do whatever he wants to do, but added: "But there will be people who are disappointed Scully has defaulted to the normal reasoning here instead of bringing the unique perspective he brought to his job every day."
The response of the people at the event in Pasadena did not resonate with Cwik's or Varela's criticisms. ESPN reported that Scully's remarks were met with "lengthy applause and cheers." But then those people were not part of the left-stream media's echo chamber.
Scully, 89, spent an amazing 67 years as the radio voice of the Dodgers. He was inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame in 1982. The biased reporting of NBC and Yahoo is deserving of the journalistic "hall of shame."
