MSNBC’s Martin Bashir used his Clear The Air segment to address the selfishness of Alex Rodriguez and selflessness of Negro League baseball players.
On Monday afternoon, President Obama hosted Negro League baseball players at the White House to mark their contributions to American history, civil rights and athletics.
On the same day, one of today’s biggest Major League Baseball players, New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez was suspended from baseball for his alleged use of performance enhancing drugs.
“Mr. Rodriguez has never made any secret of his core commitment, and it has always been to himself,” Bashir said.
Bashir continued, saying that Rodriguez’s only concern is himself and his multi-million dollar contract.
But those Negro League players never had such illusions, because they knew they were never playing for themselves. Those brilliant, bright young men knew that their efforts, albeit on the field of play, would be added to the great team of social activists—led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and others—that would bring civil rights and voting rights to all the citizens of this great nation.
“Alex Rodriguez is actually the perfect proof of an ancient truth: that he who keeps his life, will lose it,” Bashir said. “And today, those Negro League players are the winners by a landslide.”
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