I found this story online, and it made me stop. It involves a youth baseball coach who was connected to the Houston 12U Yankees and is being called out for some alarming racist posts, especially since he is working with kids.
Melvin E. Edwards shared screenshots of a Facebook post, pulled directly from the Twitter account of someone who refers to himself as Coach Jason Kent. Among the screenshots were images of his profile and of one post that crossed every line possible.
His profile on Twitter shows a picture of him wearing a Yankees uniform and holding a bat and a ball. In the bio, this individual claims to coach the 12U Houston Yankees, 15U Austin Hawks, and 14U Giddings Gamblers. The bio also contains some explicit language, which already sounds very weird for someone who is coaching kids.
The one tweet that had them all furious was one with a date of November 27, saying, “Cry harder blackie.” It’s hard even to believe someone would put that out, much less a youth baseball coach. When the screenshots began spreading, the post had already accrued hundreds of views.
Edwards didn’t sugarcoat anything. He called out the guy as a racist and asked both baseball teams to know about this and take action. And honestly, I agree. If you are teaching kids, your behavior matters, both online and offline.
Comments below the Facebook post revealed shock. Most of the people commenting didn’t understand how someone this vile could be trusted to coach minors. Here is one comment that stands out:
He coaches CHILDREN???? I hope they see it too.
Michele Reader
Others suggested that he be removed from all youth baseball associations to avoid coaching any more young players. Another comment read:
Must report him to the association he coaches for. He doesn’t need to be working with children
Amy Penny-Lowe
One even tagged the New York Yankees, asking how they felt about their logo being used by someone with accusations of racism. That also made me think that logos and teams stand for much more than just sport.
Most comments emanating from this event were laced with bitterness and disappointment. Youth sports are supposed to instill teamwork, respect, and discipline. A connection between a coach and racist language completely disputes everything.
So far, the teams or leagues involved have not put out any spearheads. People expect this to be something both teams and leagues must take seriously and not throw under the rug. With kids involved, there should be no excuses. You may also be interested in: Cedar Park High School Athlete Hank Newman Seriously Injured in Car Accident While Heading Home for Christmas
