Turning Point and Matt Shaw: Politicization and Baseball

[Guest]

First of all, this thread is not meant to be a discussion based on your individual political ideas. Similar to the non-political forums I participate in, this is only based on the idea of Matt Shaw or other players being involved in politics, not a specific ideology. I really want this to be respectful and not about your personal preferences/political ideas.

I've read the forum rules and it says that politics shouldn't be a discussion unless they're relevant and respectful, which is what I'm trying to be here. If any moderator thinks this is a violation of the policies, please delete this.

As we probably know already, the Cubs' Matt Shaw is speaking with Turning Point USA, the foundation of the late Charlie Kirk. Turning Point USA promotes a viewpoint that aligns with current president Donald Trump, whose supporters were recently mobilized due to Kirk's assassination. Furthermore, this is an obvious demonstration of a political viewpoint, highlighting Shaw's contribution to Republican policies. This does not come without its controversy, however. 

Ultimately, public figures have First Amendment rights, and they have the right to speak at such foundations. But the ethical ramifications of this action remain--not because of the organization, but because of the idea of being actively involved in politics, an inherently controversial sphere. Should Matt Shaw embrace his overt political stance on issues, or should he become less controversial and emphasize less polarization and team unity?

Please, please be respectful when talking about others' viewpoints. This should not be critical of others' ideologies, solely the idea of being overtly political (on any part of the spectrum) in the MLB world and the consequences this could have on the Cubs and even the Ricketts family.

 

Edited December 19, 2025 by The Cubs Dude

[jersey cubs fan]

Matt Shaw should try to get with the Second Lady after the VP leaves her for the widow 

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, jersey cubs fan said:

Matt Shaw should try to get with the Second Lady after the VP leaves her for the widow 

Uhhhh... could you please answer the question on the thread? Although this may be funny, we're dealing with a sensitive topic, so topics of pure speculation that have little to no credibility should be avoided. 

That being said, what do you think about being overly political (anywhere on the spectrum) for MLB players? Should it be encouraged or should we dissuade them from being active to prevent polarization?

[jersey cubs fan]

People should be honest about their beliefs, especially ignorant bigots 

 

[Rob]

Athletes should behave as though they might be role models -- their public behavior should be something worthy of being emulated.

Want to do humanitarian work like Roberto Clemente? Have at it.

But if your public persona wants to act heinously -- such as speaking at a modern day Nazi rally... well, maybe you should just shut the horsefeathers up.

[Hot Sauce]

[Guest]

On 12/19/2025 at 10:16 AM, Rob said:

Athletes should behave as though they might be role models -- their public behavior should be something worthy of being emulated.

Want to do humanitarian work like Roberto Clemente? Have at it.

But if your public persona wants to act heinously -- such as speaking at a modern day Nazi rally... well, maybe you should just shut the horsefeathers up.

[Comment redacted.]

Edited December 20, 2025 by The Cubs Dude

[mul21]

Matt Shaw should embrace actual Christianity if he's so dedicated to his beliefs instead of the fake bigoted version he's adopted.  He's free to do and say what he wants, but the consequences of that are him being called hateful, racist and overall a piece of horsefeathers by those of us who actually have a moral compass.

[jersey cubs fan]

3 minutes ago, The Cubs Dude said:

1) Please don't implicitly state your political beliefs.

 

Why did you thumbs up my statement about being honest about your beliefs and then turnaround and try to police somebody’s honesty? 

[mul21]

Just now, jersey cubs fan said:

Why did you thumbs up my statement about being honest about your beliefs and then turnaround and try to police somebody’s honesty? 

Because he's a high school kid without a fully developed prefrontal cortex.

[Guest]

On 12/19/2025 at 10:23 AM, jersey cubs fan said:

Why did you thumbs up my statement about being honest about your beliefs and then turnaround and try to police somebody’s honesty? 

[Comment redacted.]

Edited December 20, 2025 by The Cubs Dude

[Stratos]

IDGAF

[Guest]

On 12/19/2025 at 10:25 AM, mul21 said:

Because he's a high school kid without a fully developed prefrontal cortex.

[Comment redacted]

Edited December 20, 2025 by The Cubs Dude

[Tryptamine]

Matt Shaw can go fornicate himself, that's my 1st amendment.

[Rob]

15 minutes ago, The Cubs Dude said:

It exposes the fundamental question about athletes and how they relate to political situations or ones that are very controversial/ambiguous.

There is nothing inherently controversial/ambiguous about the notion that people are entitled to basic human rights.

That the Overton Window has shifted so far to the right that a chunk of America now thinks that things like due process are controversial/ambiguous is a horsefeathers travesty. And each and every single individual pushing those positions should be launched into the horsefeathers sun* until we get to a point where politics is about mundane horsefeathers like the appropriate amount of government funding for the arts and what the speed limit ought to be.

 

 

*after a hearing with due process, naturally.

[CubinNY]

Behavior has consequences. He will be a role model for others. I'm with Goony, let everyone know so we can identify them. Having a little pushback may get him to question his beliefs, but that's not generally something those folks do. 

[SeldomSeen]

horsefeathers Matt Shaw

[Brian707]

Just now, SeldomSeen said:

horsefeathers Matt Shaw

We live in a broken country where a piece of horsefeathers like Trump is president with half of the country voting for him and people actually normalized a piece of grifting trash like Charlie Kirk. Do better America.

And not sure why the OP would post something so political in the main board and ask it not be political. But that's what trolls do.

[NorthsideAvenger]

Well, this thread has not disappointed. 

[Guest]

On 12/19/2025 at 11:03 AM, Brian707 said:

We live in a broken country where a piece of horsefeathers like Trump is president with half of the country voting for him and people actually normalized a piece of grifting trash like Charlie Kirk. Do better America.

And not sure why the OP would post something so political in the main board and ask it not be political. But that's what trolls do.

[Comment redacted]

Edited December 20, 2025 by The Cubs Dude

[Guest]

35 minutes ago, Rob said:

There is nothing inherently controversial/ambiguous about the notion that people are entitled to basic human rights.

That the Overton Window has shifted so far to the right that a chunk of America now thinks that things like due process are controversial/ambiguous is a horsefeathers travesty. And each and every single individual pushing those positions should be launched into the horsefeathers sun* until we get to a point where politics is about mundane horsefeathers like the appropriate amount of government funding for the arts and what the speed limit ought to be.

 

 

*after a hearing with due process, naturally.

Thank you for the thoughtful response. While I appreciate the content, I don't want to express my personal political opinion on a non-political forum. 

I would agree that due process is a foundation of American ideology, but I do also think that it can be interpreted differently by various political groups. Again, I'm not going to say my opinion, but I know that it's a diverse issue with several viewpoints.

Here's my question: Do you think that MLB players should be politically active like Matt Shaw?

[Rob]

Just now, The Cubs Dude said:

I'm not a troll.

I wanted the thread to answer this question: Should athletes be overt about their political views or should they not in order to promote stability?

Not: What are your political views about Turning Point USA and how that relates to Matt Shaw?

I'm talking about politics--I'm just asking people not to talk about their personal political opinions, which is not appropriate for a forum.

To which I answered originally with what effectively boils down to the old adage "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." Roberto Clemente did nice things. Great. Matt Shaw isn't doing nice things, so he shouldn't do anything at all.

Then you got salty because I said Matt Shaw isn't doing nice things.

[squally1313]

If I walked into a party where an established group of people had been hanging out all night (slash most of the last couple years/decades), and like, ten minutes after I showed up, I was like 'alright, now we're going to play a game, and I'm going to be in charge of the game, and I'm going to constantly tell people to stay within the rules of the game'....I wonder how that would go over. 

[Guest]

Just now, squally1313 said:

If I walked into a party where an established group of people had been hanging out all night (slash most of the last couple years/decades), and like, ten minutes after I showed up, I was like 'alright, now we're going to play a game, and I'm going to be in charge of the game, and I'm going to constantly tell people to stay within the rules of the game'....I wonder how that would go over. 

I suppose. I just don't want myself to get in trouble because this thread became too much about each person's individual political beliefs.

But again, it's not my place.

I won't be enforcing that from now on. I should have left it to the moderators. Thank you for the advice; I appreciate it. And I'm learning every day. 🙂

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Rob said:

To which I answered originally with what effectively boils down to the old adage "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." Roberto Clemente did nice things. Great. Matt Shaw isn't doing nice things, so he shouldn't do anything at all.

Then you got salty because I said Matt Shaw isn't doing nice things.

This is one of the situations where I am very 50/50 in regards to what should be done. On one hand, I like expression, but on the other hand, I want the controversial aspects to be dialed down.

All words are subjective--what is "nice" for someone might not be for others, etc., etc. But thank you for the conversation; I appreciated it! Have a good day, dude!