The Philadelphia Phillies were one of seven MLB teams that decided not to play in the wake of Kenosha, Wisconsin, police shooting of Jacob Blake.
The team issued a statement saying, “We support their decision to use their platform to call attention to the racial and social injustice that continues to exist in our country … We will continue to stand behind our players and those on the front lines working to generate accountability and real change in our society.”
Months earlier, the team had joined in the chorus of professional sports teams who released statements condemning the murder of George Floyd:
On Saturday, the Phillies proved those statements were hollow as they acquired reliever Sam Coonrod from the Giants for prospect Carson Ragsdale.
Coonrod made it clear where he stands on the issue of racial justice when he refused to take a knee with his Giants teammates:
“I just can’t get on board with a couple things I’ve read about Black Lives Matter, how they lean towards Marxism, and … they said some negative things about the nuclear family,” Coonrod said. “I just can’t get on board with that.”
Despite the potential divisiveness of putting a MAGA guy on a roster of guys that stood strongly in solidarity with the protests over the Blake shooting, you can understand it from a baseball perspective when you realize that … checks notes … Coonrod posted a 9.82 ERA last year.
The Phillies and their fans have a long, shameful history of racism, not the least of which include tormenting Jackie Robinson in his rookie season, not having a Black player until 1957, and the city turning on Dick Allen after teammate Frank Thomas’ racially motivated attack on him.
Phillies fans ratioed the team’s official Twitter announcement pretty quickly:
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