I have a boiling hot take that I just have to share somewhere.
Professional sports players are part of the working class while they play. Yes, even the rich ones.
They don't own their labor. They play at the whims of the team owners. They can get traded across the country without their consent. Hell, some people get traded TO OTHER COUNTRIES. They routinely get punished for political speech and get blacklisted within their entire league, which is the only place they can play.
I just learned about the whole Seattle Kracken situation, and I'm so mad. The team's official TikTok was making thirst posts about their players to play into a trend. They sexually objectified their employees on an international platform. They boosted posts of people making super explicit comments about their employees, which encouraged people to come to the games and chant these things. I know some people are mad at the individuals who were making these posts and chanting at the games, but I'm mad at the team leadership. The team made it seem like the guys were in on the joke and everyone was having a good time with it. One player's wife finally called it out and said it had gone too far. It never should have gotten to that point! The team shouldn't have encouraged this behavior toward the players. They shouldn't have made videos sexually objectifying their employees. It's so fucking gross. Team owners feel a disgusting level of entitlement towards their players, and this situation really shows it.
WithCindy on YouTube did a good video about the Kracken situation. That's how I learned about it. For bonus viewing, check out Secret Base's video "Russell Cunningham Seizes the Means of Production." It's about the NFL players strike.
