Exclusive– Rep. Roger Williams: Americans Don’t Want Wokeness in Sports

PONTE VEDRA, Florida — Americans are sick of the politicization of sports, Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX), a former baseball star, told Breitbart News during an exclusive interview at the 2022 U.S. House Republican Issues Conference.

Willams, a former college baseball star who was drafted into the MLB and now serves as the manager of the Republican baseball team, offered his perspective on “wokeness” infiltrating America’s long-beloved pastimes.

“Sports is a big thing in America. I have a baseball background and you know, I’m upset when I see a lot of woke in anything, quite frankly. We’ve got a rich history. We’ve got some good. We’ve got some bad, but we learn by both,” he explained. “We don’t need to destroy it.”

“And I think a lot of these players who are playing today, if they had any other job in the private sector, they wouldn’t be making anything what they’re making. A lot of them don’t understand the value of a dollar. A lot of them don’t understand how they got there,” he said.

“And I think to the extent sports can get out of politics is the best thing,” Williams added, as Americans have long viewed sports as an escape — something wokeness has completely destroyed.

“People want to go to a baseball game or hockey game, football game, and they want to enjoy the game and root for their team. They don’t want politics involved,” he said.

While Williams acknowledged that we “can’t keep players from making statements,” he suggested that some of what we have seen recently crosses the line.

“But at the same time, I think there’s a point in time, you do not kneel for the national anthem. I don’t think you wear Black Lives Matter across you shirt. That sends a political statement that fans don’t want to jack with, quite frankly,” the Republican said.

Players need to play, and let the people of America decide politically where they want to go,” Williams said. “So I’m disappointed in some of the things I see on the athletic fields and disappointed in some of the things players say, but there’s also a lot of players who get it.”

“A lot of players serve. A lot of players do great things more than not, ok? But we don’t need to be having political statements on the court. We don’t need the political statement on the pitcher’s mound. We don’t need political statements on our jerseys . Let’s play for our country, let’s play for our fans, let’s play for our mom and dad, let’s play for our school,” he said, calling for the days of “normality” to make a comeback.