Garth Brooks Is Getting Dragged for Wearing a Bernie Sanders Jersey. Except He Wasn’t.
Country music star Garth Brooks found himself inadvertently at the center of an online controversy this week when he posted a photo to Instagram of himself wearing a jersey emblazoned with the name Sanders. The jersey referred to NFL Hall of Famer Barry Sanders, who played as a running back with the Detroit Lions; Brooks shared the image after a concert in the city of Detroit. A swarm of commenters, however, assumed that Brooks' jersey was an expression of support for Democratic primary candidate Bernie Sanders.
A post shared by Garth Brooks (@garthbrooks) on Feb 22, 2020 at 8:17pm PST
And it turns out Brooks has got a lot of Friends In Low Places, because the replies were pretty rough. "If this is for Bernie Sanders, I'm done with you," reads one response. "I thought you were a true American that loves Our Country?"
"Good grief," says another. "Can’t you just do what you get paid to do ???? Why why why does it have to involve politics !!! So sad. We don’t pay good money for anything other than to watch you perform. 😡Thought you were different."
Similar criticisms have been leveled against other celebrities who have used their platforms to bring awareness to social and political issues, the most notable example of which is Colin Kaepernick, who was told by a vast number of self-proclaimed football fans to quit his protesting during the national anthem and just play the game. To recuse himself from saying or doing anything other than what is outlined in his official job description as quarterback.
The key difference being, Kaepernick was making his position clear. Brooks simply wore a jersey bearing the name of a famous athlete, one who is synonymous with the city where he just played a packed gig.
The vitriol with which the photo was met, when entirely unearned, is indicative not just of the toxicity of much political "discourse" online (if it can be called that), but also of the tribalism of both sides, where famous individuals can be "claimed" like kids picking their teams in gym class.
A number of comments also praised Brooks for "feeling the Bern," with one calling Brooks their "new favorite country singer." One can't help but wonder how they'll feel about their new fave after learning he's just a football fan.
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