Stand Up: Carl Higbie Calls Out Woke Agenda in Sports

Carl Higbie’s recent remarks on his Newsmax program cut straight to the point millions of Americans already feel: why do the left always seem determined to ruin simple pleasures like watching a ballgame? He asked aloud what many of us know in our bones — when folks want to relax and enjoy a contest with no political strings attached, activists and the media swoop in and insist on turning everything into a lesson or a protest.

 This isn’t an isolated gripe; it’s the predictable outcome of a long-running campaign to politicize every corner of public life, sports included. From the Kaepernick kneel to modern corporate-sponsored virtue signaling, the line between entertainment and activism has been erased, and ordinary Americans pay the price for it.

The result is cultural exhaustion and resentment: hardworking families want to unwind after a long week, not be lectured by podium pundits or boycotted by brands making performative gestures. Corporate America’s reflex to cave to activist pressure has only taught the left that cultural warfare gets results, which is why we now see firms reshaping advertising and product choices to appease the loudest political actors instead of serving customers.

Higbie’s frustration is more than hot air — it’s a rallying cry for people tired of being told their leisure time is political property to be seized. When anchors and opinion hosts point out this overreach, they’re voicing what millions think but aren’t allowed to say in polite, woke circles: keep politics out of our pastimes. The reaction from the other side only proves the point, as partisan critics rush to label this common-sense objection as something sinister.

Conservatives should stop treating this as mere nostalgia and start treating it as a front in a broader fight for cultural normalcy. Support alternatives that respect customers, call out performative corporate virtue signaling, and don’t apologize for wanting time with your family and friends that isn’t hijacked for someone else’s agenda. The marketplace of ideas — and of products — rewards those who stand firm against the woke mob; we should lean into that power.

Make no mistake: enjoying a game, a movie, or a barbecue is not an act of rebellion — it’s the essence of American life. If the left wants to keep turning everything into an ideological proving ground, then conservatives must respond by defending ordinary pleasures with the same conviction we bring to politics. We’re not asking for special treatment; we’re demanding the liberty to live and laugh without being policed by partisan activists.