Ron DeSantis Is Using Government Power To Stifle Speech He Considers Too “Woke”

The nation looked on as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis lashed out at Disney after employees and company representatives spoke out for LBGTQ rights. Although there’s no indication that he was offended enough by their stance to refund their political donations, he didn’t mind using the issue as an opportunity to grandstand by denying the company a longstanding special district designation. Now, he’s going after another private business entity, a sports team that spoke out against gun violence.

There’s room for a lot of long conversations on whether, when, and how much the government should be providing grants for industries worth billions of dollars, but DeSantis seems to be making a concerted effort to attack industries and companies that have offended him with speech he considers too “woke.”

Following his attacks on Disney, which he openly stated were about attacking their pro-LGBTQ public stance, DeSantis is now targeting the Tampa Bay Rays, who had requested a $35 million grant for a new practice facility, but also made public posts about gun control after the school shooting in Uvalde Texas.

A few sample posts from the team’s Twitter timeline are below:

In lieu of game coverage and in collaboration with @Yankees, we will use our channels to offer facts about the impacts of gun violence.

The devastating events that took place in Uvalde, Buffalo and countless other communities across our nation are tragedies that are intolerable.

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) May 26, 2022

Source: https://t.co/aQwzF6GzFd

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) May 26, 2022

Source: https://t.co/DPFDaBmkQW

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) May 26, 2022

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Hey Rays Fans,

Our content will return to its usual focus tonight, but we continue to mourn. The tragedies of gun violence cannot continue. Please join us in having conversations about this in our homes, our neighborhoods and communities, and in taking action toward its end.

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) May 27, 2022

The team also announced a contribution in the amount of $50k to Everytown for Gun Safety.

Outkick, a sports reporting site bought out last year by Fox News, reported that the veto was in response to the Rays “politicizing recent shootings” and that DeSantis was “giving a voice to the people who do not want their sports and children’s companies on the front lines of the cultural divide” — although the action looks less like giving a voice to anyone, than attempting to punish voices that don’t share right-wing views.