By Samuel Short October 31, 2024 at 10:03am
The left loves it when professional athletes get political — as long as they do it for the right candidate.
On Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers held on for a 30-24 victory over the Dallas Cowboys at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. During post-game interviews on the field with NBC’s Melissa Stark, defensive end Nick Bosa took the opportunity to display a quick non-verbal message to fans as he appeared and pointed to his white and gold MAGA hat before walking away.
The intent was clear as Bosa wanted fans to know which candidate he was supporting in next week’s election (it’s clearly not Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz). While sports usually function as an escape from politics, when athletes do get political, it is usually to support the latest left-wing trend (See: the NBA). Needless to say, it was refreshing to see Bosa confidently show out for the other side.
Not everyone was in agreement with that sentiment, as California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas posted on social media platform X that, “I’ve seen enough of Bosa in California” and that he wants the Niners ownership to trade him away.
I hope @JedYork trades Nick Bosa to Mar-A-Lago. As a lifelong @49ers fan, I can say I’ve seen enough of Bosa in California. https://t.co/jrf0UWS2Ho
— Speaker Robert Rivas (@CASpeakerRivas) October 30, 2024
Rivas — a Democrat in the most left-wing state in the union — posted his feelings above a short clip of Bosa from Sunday answering a question from the press about his actions.
Why is Rivas so upset with Bosa?
Do you support Nick Bosa?
Simply put, Bosa is supporting former President Donald Trump — the Republican presidential candidate — and everyone knows Democrats aren’t exactly fans of such unfettered, free speech.
According to the left, the former president is the “wrong” candidate to support if you’re a professional athlete.
Had Bosa donned the infamous Harris/Walz camouflage hat that Democrats dimwittedly thought would win over rural voters, Rivas would be demanding a contract extension and a pay raise — and not a trade.
The left adores professional athletes that support whatever cause they’re ramming down regular sports fan’s throats.
The reader needs to only think back to 2020 when athletes came out in droves supporting Black Lives Matter after the death of George Floyd.
More recently, four-time NBA champion Steph Curry made a virtual appearance at the Democratic National Convention from Chicago in August remind viewers of his support for Vice President Kamala Harris.
(No outcry there, by the way.)
He had given her an endorsement while speaking to the press at the Paris Olympics in July.
None of this is a problem for Rivas because, again, Curry — who, like Bosa, plays in Northern California — supports the Democrat candidate.
Rivas — and the rest of us — should strive to be more principled in avoiding supporting some athlete’s political statements while condemning others.
While a difficult path to walk for both left and right, sports should be a space exclusively for camaraderie, meritocracy and competition, where athletes and fans can put aside political squabbles for the sake of a common goal.
Yes, to be clear, Bosa’s actions were refreshing in the context of so many left-wing displays, but ideally, we wouldn’t see any of it.
Sam Short is an Instructor of History with Motlow State Community College in Smyrna, Tennessee. He holds a BA in History from Middle Tennessee State University and an MA in History from University College London.
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