Cubs' Joe Maddon, A 'Second Amendment Guy,' On Gun Control: 'What Civilization Doesn't Protect Their Children?'
(670 The Score) Cubs manager Joe Maddon believes that social activism in the game of baseball is minimized in large part because Major League Baseball plays nearly every day.
Maddon believes the schedule can be prohibit players from staying as involved in our nation's issues as some of those in the NFL or NBA, for example. However, Maddon also believes that there will be more athletes and coaches using their platform provided by baseball to speak out.
Recently, Maddon offered his support to Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo in the aftermath of a shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School, Rizzo's alma mater, in Parkland, Florida. Maddon said that while baseball players often don't want to become politicians, he encourages anyone like Rizzo to stand by their beliefs.
On Tuesday on the Spiegel & Parkins Show, Maddon offered his own stance on the topic of gun control in America.
"This really bothered me a lot," Maddon said of the Parkland shooting. "Everything bothers you a lot, but (it was an) enough-is-enough kind of a thing. We're at that point where we got to do something about it. I love the activism by the (Stoneman Douglas) kids. I absolutely love that the kids are doing that.
"Why would you ever expect everybody to agree with you? Quite frankly, there's a lot of people that I'm really happy they disagree with me. Think about that. Think about that group of people that you know if they start agreeing with you, you think, 'Oh my God, what am I doing wrong?'
"When you meet a like-minded person, obviously you're going to find some strength and comfort there, but also, when you find that person that's not necessarily and all of a sudden they want to listen to what you're saying and they see your point and it creates a conversation, that's what you're looking for. You're looking for compromise. Nobody wants to compromise. Everybody wants to be right. Not everybody's right here, man. There is a middle ground.
"We're so polar with two political parties. Nothing exists in the middle. Nobody can cross over now and shake somebody's hand or even go out for a beer and try to listen to what this guy has to say, which I read was a big part of political climate back in the day, the '80s and before. We need to compromise. We need to talk to both sides and listen to everybody, and then come to some really good conclusions.
"What civilization doesn't protect their children? When you don't protect your kids, what does that say about us as a group? When you make these really hard arguments against protecting the kids, which really, they are with promoting assault rifles, etcetera. I don't get that. Listen, I'm a second amendment guy. I believe in it. But when you put a piece in somebody's hand that does damage, I don't understand why they should be part of our culture."
