A CATHOLIC LEADER: KEEP POLITICS OUT OF SPORTS
I received Tim Busch’s article a few days ago in an email from the Napa Institute, a group whose work I follow. This is a piece in which Busch looks at the LA Dodgers decision to invite “an anti-Catholic hate group” to the stadium’s Pride Night event, and writes about that decision in a reasonable, business-man approach. The Dodgers had invited a group of drag “nuns,” received a lot of flak for that, disinvited the group and then re-invited them. The flak continues.
Political activism has its own arena, and it is not a sports arena, Busch, a minority owner in two sports teams, writes in “Bud Light, Target, Haven’t The Dodgers Learned Anything? As a sports team owner, I know better.” Tim Busch speaks to Dodgers as fellow sports team owner – California Catholic Daily (cal-catholic.com)
Busch also writes that “the team wouldn’t be in the pickle it is today. If it had avoided politics, a handful of people would have been upset. Instead, the team jumped in headfirst on one of the most divisive issues. Now legions of fans in the Los Angeles area and beyond are likely to boycott the team, especially in LA’s enormous Catholic community.”
He adds: “There’s no point enraging your fan base, especially when people can advocate for their favored political positions in the political process. That’s where politics belongs – in the voting booth, in candidate’s campaigns and in the persuasion that happens around kitchen tables and on social media. We don’t need it in the dugout, the field, or the boardroom. Fans, sports teams and business leaders have other things to worry about. You know, like supporting the players, strengthening the team, and running a business.”
He urges teams to avoid political issues and events and says, “Just stick to sports, which is the only reason people come to the stadium or turn on the game. If you don’t, a lot of them won’t come back or will change the channel.”
Who is Tim Busch, you ask? Timothy R. Busch – Board of Visitors – Busch School of Business – Catholic University, Washington, DC | CUA
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