ESPN Erases Sports History To Spite Conservative Curt Schilling

ESPN

Not content to simply suspend or fire World Series MVP Pitcher Curt Schilling for thought crimes, now ESPN has taken the Orwellian step of editing him out of sports history. Over the weekend, the sports network aired a “30 for 30” documentary about the Red Sox’s historic comeback in the 2004 American League Championship Series against the Yankees. The problem? In airing a documentary called “Four Days in October,” ESPN cut out one of the four titular days – the one featuring none other than Curt Schilling.

ESPN put out a statement saying, “When a live event runs long, it’s standard procedure to shorten a taped program that follows.” You might think this isn’t a big deal, that the segment might not have been consequential and this is much ado about a random edit. But to put the cut into context, I’ll let Mike Gonzalez explain just how big that game was:

ESPN did not leave out just any game—it cut out the “Bloody Sock” game, one of the most heroic performances in recent baseball history, if not in the three-century history of the game.

Pitching at Yankee Stadium for the Red Sox, who had not won a World Series for 86 years up to that point, Schilling won a decisive victory a day after doctors had sutured a loose tendon back into the skin. His ankle began to bleed, soaking the sock, but still Schilling pitched seven innings through pain and blood, as the camera focused on his ankle and his performance.

Against all odds, the Red Sox went on to defeat the Yankees in seven games after being down 0-3 (the only team to have ever done that) and swept the Cardinals in four games, overcoming the 86-year curse. In an age when heroics are such a reproach to cupcakes who prefer easy living that our schools teach our children to despise the concept, Schilling’s performance was a throwback to an earlier era, to Gehrig, DiMaggio and Jackie Robinson.

So, yeah, ESPN cutting Schilling out of the documentary is a HUGE deal. This was no coincidence. This was a message. And what has happened to him because of his commonsense comments should be a warning to all Americans.

Cities and states are trying to pass transgender bathroom laws and big companies are trying to shame normal people who think penises belong in the men’s room into submission and acceptance. It’s one thing for the “inclusive” left to mock and insult us normal folk. It’s quite another for people to be fired or airbrushed out of history for having a normal opinion.

This isn’t about private businesses being able to fire who they want, edit their products the way they want, or Schilling personally. It’s about letting a major company know that they’re on the wrong side of commonsense and we disapprove of them treating people or history this way (even if it is their right to do so) because it is a slap in the face to most of their audience. They need to be put on notice that this is not acceptable or they will do it to people who don’t have the platform Schilling does. If the thought police come after a celebrity like this, just imagine what they’ll do to a private citizen.

They go after Founding Fathers, the Confederate flag, and now anyone who has the audacity to point out that there are two genders. They’ve already begun to erase history in real time, how far down the slippery slope do we have to go until they erase people? I don’t want to have to find out.

What do you think about ESPN’s move to edit Curt Schilling out of sports history? Is this what non-conforming Americans can expect for the future? Join the discussion below!

Alexa is a freelance writer and communications consultant, with experience working on the Hill, at the RNC, and for... More about Alexa

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