Staff Reports
The Orlando Magic, an NBA franchise, is facing cancel culture backlash after it was revealed that the team made a donation to a Political Action Committee (PAC) supporting Ron DeSantis for president. While the donation is completely legal and ethical, the press and left-wing cancel culture advocates are using it as an opportunity to attack the team for not aligning with the NBA’s left-wing views on race and transgender issues. Jedd Legum, a prominent cancel culture artist, took to Twitter to criticize the team for their donation.
Major media outlets, including The New York Times, are also joining in on the attack, framing the donation as a contradiction to the NBA’s supposed commitment to social justice goals. This situation highlights the fact that dissenting viewpoints are not tolerated in the NBA and that the league is more interested in promoting left-wing ideologies than providing a superior basketball product for fans.
The NBA should decide whether it wants to be a basketball league or a “social justice coalition.” Most sports fans want to enjoy sports as an escape from politics and do not want political agendas forced upon them. The NBA has been the most guilty of politicizing itself and, as a result, has suffered in terms of viewership and support. The league needs to realize that its audience wants to enjoy the game without being bombarded with progressive ideologies.
1. The @OrlandoMagic publicly supports the LGBTQ community. In March 2023 the team hosted "Pride Night" to "celebrate diversity, equity, inclusion, and unity with the LGBTQ+ community"
And yet, on on June 26, 2023, the Orlando Magic donated $50,000 to the Ron DeSantis' Super PAC pic.twitter.com/EguzYQKQQ2
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) August 2, 2023
In addition, Donald Trump’s top campaign adviser also jumped into the cancellation attempt, urging Magic players to react negatively to the donation. However, the players themselves have not spoken out about the situation, and it is hoped that they will not add fuel to the fire. NBA team owners have the right to donate to political candidates of their choice, and many owners contribute to Democrats as well.
Lastly, critics are trying to portray DeSantis as a human rights violator, but his actions do not match that description. It is not a human right to support transgender ideology that leads to the mutilation of children or to have pornography in schools. DeSantis has taken common-sense actions that prioritize the well-being of children and uphold traditional values. The cancellation attempts should be redirected towards those who are truly violating human rights.
