A columnist for The Washington Post called for Major League Baseball to boycott training in Florida under Gov. Ron DeSantis because of the Republican's "hostile approach" to woke politics.
Post opinion writer Kevin B. Blackistone also compared baseball in the time of Jackie Robinson to modern Florida and called for the MLB to "take a stand" against DeSantis.
The column, headlined, "Baseball can no longer ignore Ron DeSantis’s culture wars," argued that Florida is showing a "hostile approach to inclusiveness, which in some ways is being reconstituted by its current governor, Ron DeSantis."
Blackistone argued that the same Florida that was "home to Jim Crow laws" was coming back under DeSantis.
FAR-LEFT OLBERMANN RIDICULED FOR REVIVING 'MOVE DISNEY WORLD' IDEA TO SPITE DESANTIS
The column was savaged on Twitter, with many commentators pointing out that a proposed MLB boycott of Florida was reminiscent of the political battle that the sports league previously waded into in the state of Georgia.
In 2021, the MLB relocated the All-Star Game away from Georgia in response to a voting law that the league broadly called "restrictions to the ballot box."
Fox News radio host Jimmy Failla wrote that moving the MLB away from Florida would not actually help the Black community in the state. "Are you suggesting he screw more black cities out of revenue like you encouraged MLB to do with the Atlanta All Star Game? Way to look out for the community!"
DeSantis aide Christina Pushaw joked that failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams would be proud of Blackistone’s opinion piece, tweeting, "The Governor of Georgia agrees with u."
Contributing editor for The Spectator, Stephen L. Miller, also reminded The Washington Post that politicizing sports is a dangerous course of action. "That went well the first time," he wrote.
DESANTIS RIPS NEWSOM IN CALIFORNIA SPEECH, SAYS STATE ‘HEMORRHAGING POPULATION’ TO FLORIDA
"It worked so well in Georgia," another user agreed.
Blackistone claimed that one way for the MLB to prove its commitment to racial equality would be for all 15 of its franchises "that started spring training last month in Florida" to move over to Arizona and "consider making the annual exercise an all-Cactus League affair as long as DeSantis commands an attack on diversity."
That attack on diversity, Blackistone argued, has been the "hallmark" of DeSantis’ time as governor.
Fox News' Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.
