Sports Illustrated is taking heavy fire over a tweet suggesting that a Supreme Court ruling in favor of a former high school football coach who was fired for kneeling in silent prayer after games would be a blow against democracy, the latest example of the sad decay of a magazine that was once an American institution before it became a propaganda vehicle for radical leftist ideology.
The nation’s highest court will decide the case of Joe Kennedy, a retired USMC gunnery sergeant and combat veteran who in 2015 was fired by the Bremerton School District in Washington State for honoring God at the 50-yard-line at the completion of games. He was unceremoniously dumped from his job after refusing to obey orders to cease and desist resulting in a long legal battle that has made its way to the SCOTUS.
SI, which has celebrated cop-hating, anti-American heel Colin Kaepernick as its sportsperson of the year and specializes in evangelizing for the “woke” left, has a serious problem with the bedrock principle of religious freedom guaranteed by the Constitution and decried a ruling in Kennedy’s favor as a danger to “democracy” – a term that has been hijacked by power-drunk Democrats and the cultural revolutionary left.
“SCOTUS will soon rule on the case of a public school football coach who wants to pray on-field after games,” the outlet tweeted. “@GregBishopSI on Joe Kennedy, the machine backing him and the expected result: a win for Kennedy and an erosion of a bedrock of American democracy” with a link to its article.
SCOTUS will soon rule on the case of a public school football coach who wants to pray on-field after games.@GregBishopSI on Joe Kennedy, the machine backing him and the expected result: a win for Kennedy and an erosion of a bedrock of American democracy: https://t.co/H8tEoQauZh pic.twitter.com/XCmjK0qQsO
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) June 13, 2022
In its long article on Kennedy’s case, SI gets to the heart of the beef, it’s all about Trump: “While its numbers shrank, the Christian conservative base was reinvigorated and emboldened over the past seven years, anyway. That owes mostly to Donald Trump’s presidency, his proposed Muslim ban and anti-immigration stances, his border wall and inciting rhetoric; and his appointments of religious conservatives to the judiciary’s most powerful positions.”
(Video: YouTube/ABC News)
Twitter reacted strongly to SI’s claim that protecting religious freedom is akin to an erosion of democracy.
“Actually, the Court affirming Coach Kennedy’s right to live his faith upholds the bedrock of our democracy—it doesn’t erode it,” Republican Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma wrote.
Actually, the Court affirming Coach Kennedy’s right to live his faith upholds the bedrock of our democracy—it doesn’t erode it. https://t.co/VqUtphjwpQ
— Sen. James Lankford (@SenatorLankford) June 14, 2022
“Radical leftists at @SINow attack prayer AFTER football game as being against ‘democracy’– which is reminder they want to ban Christianity,” wrote Tom Fitton of conservative watchdog Judicial Watch.
New: Radical leftists at @SINow attack prayer AFTER football game as being against "democracy"– which is reminder they want to ban Christianity. Sports Illustrated, btw, is owned by @AuthenticBrands, which also owns @reebox, @BrooksBrothers, @eddiebauer, and many other brands. https://t.co/odqbIf0ZGu
— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) June 13, 2022
“Disappointing article Greg,” wrote former NFL Kicker Jay Feely, “I knelt and prayed after every game I played in the NFL. It was my way of publicly thanking god. With all the challenges in todays society we should encourage faith not discourage.”
“Freedom OF religion is very different than freedom FROM religion.”
Disappointing article Greg
I knelt and prayed after every game I played in the NFL. It was my way of publicly thanking god. With all the challenges in todays society we should encourage faith not discourage.
Freedom OF religion is very different than freedom FROM religion— Jay Feely (@jayfeely) June 13, 2022
More reactions to SI’s ridiculous assertion.
Tell me you’ve never read the Constitution without telling me you’ve never read the Constitution
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) June 13, 2022
“Freedom of religion is both the thing on which the country is founded upon and a threat to democracy” is sure a take.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) June 13, 2022
So, wait, now kneeling on the field is bad?
— Todd The Fox (@ToddFoxtrot) June 13, 2022
No surprise that no one reads and subscribes to you anymore and that you only publish once a month
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) June 13, 2022
A sports publication opposing people exercising their First Amendment rights while playing sports.
— LifeNews.com (@LifeNewsHQ) June 13, 2022
Now do players being told to wear a pride patch…
— The Virginia Project UAC (@TVPUAC) June 13, 2022
Coaches and players have been praying on football fields since we have been playing football.
— Kjeil Greybear (@Kjeil) June 13, 2022
Every time someone does anything I don't like democracy gets eroded. https://t.co/Pi1PlBfdCf
— Ken Bone (@kenbone18) June 13, 2022
“The First Amendment really means a lot to me,” Kennedy told Fox News, “and it is really terrible today in America that somebody can be fired just for expressing their faith. So I am just fighting so that no one else ever has to go through this and doesn’t have to choose between their job and their faith.”
“Every time I took the oath of enlistment it really meant something to me,” he added. “Supporting and defending the Constitution, it makes my hair stand up just today even saying it, and I am a fighter. I have always been a fighter.”
“That’s why I joined the Marines. I wanted to be a part of that fighting force, and I can also serve here in doing this battle right now. The Marine in me just wanted to fight. It’s a long battle, but I am here for it,” Kennedy said.
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Chris Donaldson is an ordinary American who is concerned about rampant corruption as well as the ongoing attacks on our way of life by those who have contempt for our hard-earned freedoms. A Navy veteran, he has been a frequent contributor to conservative websites and resides in Florida.
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