Chicago Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw made headlines last season when he missed a critical late-season game to attend a memorial service for right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk. The Cubs, who played a man down rather than place Shaw on the restricted list (due to his ineligibility for placement on MLB’s bereavement list), lost that game during their playoff hunt.
Shaw had also been scratched from the Cubs’ lineup on Sept. 10, the day Kirk was killed, due to what the club said at the time was a team matter. Shaw later confirmed he missed the game after finding out that the Turning Point USA founder had been murdered.
In the aftermath, there were debates in the sports media world about the appropriateness of Shaw’s decision. Shaw would later say that he met Kirk when they lived in the same apartment complex and that they’d struck up a friendship and would often text after Cubs games. While Shaw said at the time that he was “not concerned at all” about any backlash to his decisions, the initial secrecy around his removal from the lineup left some with a bad taste in their mouth.
You can probably count Dan Bernstein among them. The former 670 The Score host had some choice words for Shaw after learning that he is speaking at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest 2025 next weekend. Bernstein thinks the Cubs’ third baseman should do what he wants, but he wants him to own it in a way he hasn’t so far.
“Matt Shaw is telling you something,” said Bernstein on his 312 Sports Dan Bernstein Unfiltered podcast. “I don’t want to hear any mealy-mouthed explanations when he’s asked about it. I don’t want him to say, ‘Oh, well, I’m just his friend, or this is just because of my faith.’ Don’t give me any of that bullsh*t. Own it. Own it. That’s all I ask. Embrace it. Be proud of it, Matt Shaw. That’s all I ask, is don’t try to say this isn’t what this is.
“Just have the guts to stand up when asked about it and when asked about your appearance, standing shoulder to shoulder with Donald Trump Jr. and Steve Bannon and Roger Stone and Megyn Kelly and JD Vance. Just be proud of it. Just say, ‘these are my people. I feel strongly about what this represents.’ And don’t lie, don’t obfuscate. Be proud of it. Be proud that you’re standing in between Russell Brand and Rob Schneider and Benny Johnson and Vivek Ramaswamy and Ben Carson and Tom Homan and Jack Posobiec.
“If you want to go to a gathering that tells me clearly that you are proud to be among hatemongers, homophobes, fascists, racists, flag-waving proud racists. If these are your people and this is your thing, and you want to be at this proudly Nazi-adjacent pep rally, go ahead. Go ahead. Have a day, man. Have a week. Whatever blows your hair back.
“And if you have been given permission to associate the Cubs brand, all things Chicago Cubs, with this lineup of horrible, horrible people, all standing proudly on the wrong side of history. Go ahead. Just don’t pretend you’re not. Don’t try to ameliorate it. Don’t try to soften it. Stick that chin out like it is in the picture, you and your Cubby Blue, and own it.”
Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest 2025 is set to take place Dec. 18-21 in Phoenix.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.