SURPRISE, Ariz. _ The highest profile story involving the Texas Rangers does not include a player, and the person in question is not in Arizona with the team.
The team's color analyst for the telecasts stepped in it because he liked a photo of the U.S. women's hockey team celebrating their gold medal.
No. Really.
Second-year broadcaster C.J. Nitkowski finds himself cleaning off a pile of social media muck from his reputation because he pushed the "heart" button on Twitter of the above mentioned photo.
It could be worse. He could be Mike Jeffcoat _ who really stepped in it.
Turns out, the photo C.J. liked was posted by an alt-right group.
In the past week, C.J. and the Rangers have had to deal with this nonsense because we're in 2018, and mistakes are not to be rectified but crucified over and over again.
Nonetheless, both Nitkowksi and Jeffcoat, whose controversially-phrased email to a recruit went viral, both must own the following: They represent not just their own names, but the brand of their respective organizations. That's where they goofed, and where everyone in these types of positions must be smarter.
Jeffcoat had to know he could not send his email, whereas people need to get off C.J. Nitkowski. I don't even know the guy and what he did did not merit a reaction, other than a chuckle.
But here in 2018, we all now must swallow our daily dose of outrage, real or imagined.
The outrage at Nitkowski is quite imagined. The Rangers were annoyed, whereas Texas Wesleyan was irate.
The only reason to even visit this story now is a public service announcement that there is no such thing as being too careful, and we all need to get over ourselves, and reduce our time on social media. That goes for C.J. That goes for me. That goes for the President of the United States.
Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram are all fine ... in moderate doses; please note this rule, however, does not apply to following me on Twitter, @MacEngelProf, Facebook or Instagram.
The photo in question that Nitkowski liked is posted by an organization called, "The Proud Boys."
Never heard of 'em.
The group apparently is an alt-right organization; its Twitter profile states: "I am a Western Chauvisnist and I Refuse to Apologize for Creating the Modern World. The West is Best!"
The Twitter page boasts nearly 23,000 followers, which had included C.J.
This does not mean he's an alt-right guy.
Social media is an open forum of ideas, and unfiltered conversation. I follow plenty of people I don't agree with, simply to hear another side.
Twitter is the perfect recipe for error. The slightest touch and you're following someone and you don't even know it. A push and you "liked" something you didn't mean to like.
In the case of the photo, one of the women's hockey players was making a three-finger gesture below her belt. The sign is part of a long-established game where if you see that sign, the person can give you a slight punch in the arm. Or something stupid like that.
Apparently, however, the same gesture has been used to signify white supremacy.
Ka-boom goes the dynamite on C.J., and all over the Rangers.
In the past few days, C.J. wiped out his Twitter profile. The Rangers had to issue a statement. He had to issue a statement.
The Rangers had to have a talkin' to their TV color analyst.
The only real mistake in this was the scenario was Nitkowski's exchange with a reporter from The Athletic when the writer in question took what was what he believed to be an off-the-record comment and ran it.
C.J. never meant those words to be public, and the reporter simply misunderstood.
Take Nitkowski at his word: He just meant to like a photo of the women's hockey team. I don't believe that he endorses alt-right ideology.
Quite frankly, anyone who has listened to him for 10 minutes would know he's too smart for that.
Nonetheless, he must know, and act, as someone who calls 100 games on television for the Rangers he represents their brand beyond his own name.
Like Jeffcoat.
No one outside of a small community had any clue Texas Wesleyan had a baseball team until Wednesday when a recruit from Colorado made Jeffcoat's stupid email to him public.
For whatever reason, you might want to write that email. You never send that email. Not unless you are ready to set fire to that bridge, and are ready to be fired.
Jeffcoat is a nice guy who made his living coaching a little NAIA baseball team in west Fort Worth, and lost his job for what?
He couldn't help but let his political feelings be known in a letter to a recruit.
As the head coach of a team, he represents his university. There is a time and a place for political rhetoric, and such a letter is neither the time nor the place.
He has to know better.
Jeffcoat didn't just accidentally touch a "like" button. He wrote a long letter that contained volatile, political rhetoric to someone he did not know.
Both guys have to know we're in 2018, and these are the consequences.
