AMAC EXCLUSIVE
The media mob has come for Kansas City Chiefs placekicker Harrison Butker following a commencement address he gave earlier this month re-affirming conservative Christian values and criticizing cultural leftism. But in their attempts to slander and defame Butker for his faith and conservatism, the same left-wing journalist class which once praised NFL players for disrespecting the American flag and tirelessly defended Colin Kaepernick’s anti-police extremism has again only succeeded in exposing the depths of their moral depravity.
So, what’s all the fuss about?
During roughly 20-minute-long remarks at Benedictine College, a small Catholic school in Atchison, Kansas, the 28-year-old three-time Super Bowl champion, who ranks second in NFL history in career field goal percentage, encouraged graduates to embrace their distinct gender roles while delivering a scathing indictment of modern society’s obsession with career over family.
Butker first addressed the female graduates in the audience. “I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolic lies told to you,” he said. “Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.”
He then urged the male graduates to likewise embrace their vital role as the leader of their household. “To the gentlemen here today, part of what plagues society is this lie that has been told to you that men are not necessary in the home or in our communities,” Butker said. “As men, we set the tone of the culture, and when that is absent, disorder, dysfunction, and chaos set in. This absence of men in the home is what plays a large role in the violence we see all around the nation.”
Butker also praised Benedictine for adhering to traditional values like opposition to pornography and premarital sex which “seem like precepts of a bygone age.” He specifically called out President Joe Biden as someone who “proudly proclaims his Catholic faith but at the same time is delusional enough to make the sign of the cross during a pro-abortion rally.”
In another comment that was sure to elicit backlash, Butker praised Benedictine students for pursuing their faith with pride, but “not the deadly sin sort of pride that has an entire month dedicated to it.” He also warned about society “pushing dangerous gender ideologies on the youth of America” and lamented “growing support for degenerate cultural values and media.”
In short, Butker went after every one of the left’s sacred cows. The liberal high priests in the media didn’t wait long to respond.
In an unhinged screed for USA Today, “race and inequality editor” Mike Freeman called Butker an “idiot” who “wants to take America back in time,” describing his remarks as “ugly,” “extremist,” and “Neanderthalic.”
Freeman’s attack was just the start of the media pile-on. “Harrison Butker’s sexist, antisemitic speech ignites backlash,” Rolling Stone reported. “Chiefs kicker gets major backlash after dissing Taylor Swift and working women,” crooned The Huffington Post. (The supposed “diss” was a reference to a Swift song that had nothing to do with the artist herself.)
ABC News, meanwhile, accused Butker of “criticizing working women,” and Kansas City Star columnist Toriano Porter declared Butker should “stick to kicking footballs.” CNN said that Butker of “railed against LGBTQ rights, diversity initiatives, and President Joe Biden.”
Left-wing politicians and activists – and even the NFL – got in on the action too. Former Kansas City Commissioner Justice Horn wrote in an X post that Butker “doesn’t represent Kansas City nor has he ever.” A Change.org petition demanding the Chiefs release Butker “for discriminatory remarks” has more than 30,000 signatures. (Nevermind the fact that these supposed warriors for female empowerment have never demanded the release of any of the many NFL players with histories of domestic violence.)
The NFL’s “chief diversity and inclusion officer,” Jonathan Beane, also offered a rebuke of Butker, saying his views “are not those of the NFL as an organization” and that the league “is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion.” Apparently, that commitment does not extend to conservative or Christian views.
Of course, all of these attempts to besmirch and cancel Butker have less to do with the actual substance of his remarks and more to do with the fact that he is a conservative Christian with a massive platform who is unafraid to proclaim his faith and his politics publicly.
The entire basis of the media outrage is a gross mischaracterization of Butker’s comments, particularly those concerning women. While the media has insinuated that Butker believes all women should just be homemakers (take, for instance, NPR’s assertion that he “urged female graduates to become homemakers”) that is clearly not what he said. What he actually relayed was a warning about the message society is sending to young women that pursuing a career at the expense of starting and raising a family will somehow be more rewarding and fulfilling.
Butker only said that most of the female graduates are “most excited” about their future marriage and children – not that they cannot or should not pursue work outside the home if they so choose. His clear intention was to offer a defense of the importance of wives and moms at a time when the mainstream culture derides the idea of being a homemaker as archaic and backwards.
In other words, Harrison only encouraged the women in the audience to value their family more than a corporate 9-5, whether they work or not. Is that really such a radical idea?
Butker’s comments addressing the men in the audience, urging them to “be unapologetic in your masculinity” and “never settle for what is easy,” might offend liberals worried about “toxic masculinity” (which in practice just means any and all traditionally masculine characteristics) but they are likewise desperately needed at a time when young men feel more anxious, lonely, and purposeless than ever before. While critics like Freeman accuse Butker of wanting to “wrench power from a society that has become more pluralistic and diverse,” in reality Butker is only urging men to embrace a sense of responsibility that society has told them it is wrong to feel.
At the core of the Butker controversy is a battle over who gets to use their platform as a professional athlete to express their views and opinions.
Take, for instance, the case of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. When Kaepernick started a movement to kneel during the National Anthem, wore socks depicting police officers as pigs, and compared the NFL Draft, where many black kids from poor neighborhoods receive the opportunity to make millions of dollars, to a “slave auction,” he received glowing media profiles and even an endorsement deal from Nike after he was cut from the team for poor play.
The media likewise were overjoyed when a team in another professional sport, baseball’s L.A. Dodgers, honored the “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence” at the team’s “Pride Night” in a grotesque display of anti-Christian bigotry. NBA superstar Lebron James, who proclaims himself to be a warrior for social justice (which apparently includes openly threatening police officers online) but has been infamously silent on human rights abuses in China where he has deep financial ties, also gets fawning media attention for his politics.
But when Harrison Butker dares to suggest that men and women should embrace their distinct roles as fathers and mothers, or that kids should be taught the biological truth about sex and gender, or that the country should not have an entire month dedicated to celebrating alternative sexual lifestyles, he is derided as a dangerous extremist.
What the left is upset about more than anything is that they don’t own Butker. Despite their best efforts and a coordinated media attack campaign, they have not yet intimidated him into silence like so many other noteworthy sports figures. For that, the rest of us can be grateful.
Shane Harris is a writer and political consultant from Southwest Ohio. You can follow him on X @shaneharris513.
Looks like Harrison Butker hit a nerve. All the indignation from the left’s talking heads proves it. I applaud and respect this man for telling it like it is. Truth isn’t negotiable.
The FIGHT between GOOD and EVlL continues. If the ADVERSARY is allowed to continue its blatant attacks against GOOD, then all will be lost. This nation was built on a GOOD FOUNDATION and Pres. George Washington WARNED of the consequences if the NATION was to fall away from GOD. The attack continues and the GOOD must stand up to this persecution and overcome.
Wr need a lot more like him to stand up to these Lunatics who are destroying America.
Kudos to you Mr. Butker for your outstanding comments. I admire your courage and willingness to make such monumentally important comments that represent what is good, and what is so desperately needed in today’s society. The Left will NEVER practice what they preach and scream – “tolerance”. These hypocritical, brainwashed, delusional, and extremely unhappy people will ONLY show tolerance IF you agree with and support their perverted, sick and twisted ideologies and agendas. Liberalism is truly a mental disorder.
Mr. Butker, stand firm in your good and righteous beliefs and never cave-in to the enemies within our country. Do not fear ANY of these evil cancel-culture demons, including the gutless NFL big wigs. They have a history of folding like a generic lawn chair when attacked by Satan’s cancel-Culture warriors. And ignore the evil, corrupt, anti-America LAME-STREAM/FAKE NEWS media. They are masters at spewing lies, hatred, and demented perversions.
Congratulations MR.BUTKER. I am proud to be an American but even prouder to see someone in your position stand up for what is Right! You are an example for other men and ladies to follow. Thank you and praise JESUS.
Three cheers for Butker! We need more people like him, unafraid to stand up for what they believe.
Whether one agrees with Butker or not, he is entitled to express his opinion. Oh but the left wants to silence those who do not march to their drum! Kudos Mr Butker. Stay strong and thank you for saying what so many of us think and feel everyday.
decent young man. save our families
What an excellent article!! I do wish I could see the student’s reactions to his speech. I will be keeping my eye out for other articles on Harrison Butker!
MSM, Once Again making Asses of themselves !! If its not their way they try to slander !!
Good grief! What has become of our right to freedom of speech? I may not agree with what someone has to say, but he has the right to say it, as long as he is not yelling “Fire” without cause in an occupied theatre. If this young man makes people think, kudos to him!
With all that is wrong among the morality and selfishness of NFL players today, the media has certainly shown its absolute foolishness complaining about Butker, a decent and honorable young man. Thanks for speaking out and setting the record straight.
Good thing he didn’t suggest illegals become NYC lifeguards because they’re “proven to be good swimmers” or there’d really be a firestorm! Isn’t funny how the left kept chanting “science, science, science” when the subject is climate change or 6 feet distancing or closing schools for 2 years or COVID treatments but ignore BIOLOGY when the subject is “chicks with Richards”?
I boycotted the NFL years ago when they allowed KappaPig to kneel for our national anthem as United States military men and women held the American flag that stretched across the football field. Nevertheless, the NFL has a duty to allow conservatives to speak freely as much as they allowed KappaPig to display and spew his crap.
TO: SA Today, “race and inequality editor” Mike Freeman (and other voices of hollowness) — “sorry, dweeb, you are the one who needs to get right-sided or simply clam up! Do what you want but leave the vast, vast majority of others to do what they want.” Seems logical.
Bravo!! Excellent speech Harrison Butker, and right on!! We need strengths like this in the men and they are very important and needed back into families as they stand on what is good and what is of God!!
Good to see a man with the guts to speak the truth and not be intimidated by the leftist.
This young man should run for office! He’d get my vote!!!
kaepernick and the msm are loser’s and butker is a winner, simple as that.
Butker’s statement was terrific: moral, patriotic, pro-family. All things the Marxist MSM hates. You can hear them hissing and writhing in their cesspools of their collective, elitist excrement. His college professors scratching their worm riddled heads asking themselves where they went wrong. Silly leftists.
In today’s society, there are only two religious faiths that seem to be on the chopping block–the Jewish faith and the Christian faith. Both of these faiths seem to cause mass hysteria in a certain portion of society that, for some reason, can’t accept that there are those who put their trust in something or someone other than what is accepted by the secular realm of mankind. I have even heard it said that these egotistical folks harbor the belief that if they can’t be God, then there can be no God. Therefore, they have tossed aside the monotheistic in favor of worshiping all things secular, regardless of how depraved. Now, that would be acceptable to the rest of us if these idol worshipers were content to do their own thing and let us do ours. But, they’re not. They insist on everyone kowtowing to their beliefs and are willing to destroy a fellow human just because he doesn’t comply. My question, regarding the manic responses to Mr. Butkin’s speech would be: What is is about Christianity and Judaism that causes these demented folks to freak out? Are they being physically or financially abused by people of faith? Are they being forced by Jews or Christians to change their lives? Or are they, deep down in the recesses of their soul, afraid that they might be wrong and that’s what truly offends them?
Cure for cancel culture: tell them to cancel away you could care less. What can they say at that point?
Thank you, Shane, for highlighting important parts of Butker’s speech. He is a hero to conservatives and I have long admired his kicking ability.
Beautifully said great read thank you
The DOJ is totally CORRUPT.
We ALL need to stand with Harrison Butker. We need t o stand firm or stand for nothing. End result is collapse, not just as indiviudals but of America. Thank God for people like Harrison.
The people that swallow the lies that have been told to them by suppposedly good, intelligent, tolerant and compassionate and people–demoncrats- have a lot to fear and so much to answer for. They need to take off the blinders and open their eyes and ears to the lies that are being fed to them.Guess they are the symbolism of the three monkeys: hear no evil-see no evil-speak no evil-adding the hands for do no evil.
Everybody has a right to their opinion, and voice it. If you don’t agree don’t listen to it. I am sick of all these far left liberals who discredit conservative values. Harrison Butker is the kind of man I hope my daughter will marry. Good Christian and moral man with wonderful values.
I respect his honesty and morals.
Place my name on the list to keep him!!
Tom
This person sounds like a patriotic GOD loving AMERICA.,Our country would be a much better place if it had more like him.We need this kind of person along with thousands more with shovels to dig AMERICA out of the deep hole that we are in.
Why does anyone give a rats backside what the mainstream media thinks, if that is even possible, about what anyone believes and whose views might be expressed?
Quit giving column inches to the scum in the mainstream media and the oligarchs that must be getting tired of losing huge amounts of money in propping up these laughable outlets, just might sell our their interests in their propaganda toys and one day we can all wake up to find that Rachel Maddow is just another plain aging hosebag with an adams apple envy complex.
What an ass. His backward troglodyte thinking should be cancelled. As should this echo chamber confederacy of idiots.
The Bee made a good point about all this. The NFL is known for a long series of woman abusers and beaters. Apparently, Butker wasn’t on the same page as the league.
What a great testimony at a much needed time for our country! Very proud of Harrison Butker for taking a stand amidst these evil people and those unwilling to take a stand. Brave man and willing to take the bashing from them. Wished we could’ve been there to hear it live! If you are ever invited to speak again, we will be there to support!!
Too long have conservatives remained silent for fear of being castigated by vociferous and nasty liberals who rely on name-calling rather than logical rebuttal to defend their positions. Butker is heroic for standing up and speaking out what the majority of Americans still believe and live – traditional moral values and the importance of solid families as the foundation of society.
The problem with what was said, is that it makes a default assumption that for whatever reason became taboo: that women are homemakers and nurturers first.
Current society looks down on that, and thinks that women shouldn’t even bother having children; rather, they should focus on STEM careers to “level the playing field”.
What he said about violence is partially correct.
What he missed: the unhappiness that women have today is a direct result of the resistance to just be a loving wife/mother who is thankful for what she has. But other women stay silent when they know it’s wrong and it hurts them.
And to think, if his speech was made in 1776 America, It would be “‘ho hum’ we all believed in that.” Why? Because that was when America was truly Enlightened and 99% of the citizenry were in church twice a week being Enlightened by the ‘Great Awakening’preaching and thus we became the freest nation in the world. We have almost lost It completely devolving into the most enslaved nation in the world. May you be free and there is only one Way.
Go Butker go…May God bless and protect you and yours, Amen.And again, Amen
I support him 100% I hate it when a women, when asked her profession, says she is ONLY A MOM. She should be proud of that because that is the most important job in the world. Have a career if you want but don’t downgrade motherhood. There is nothing more important then raising children.
Think about this,It’s OK to allow drag queens, dressed as nuns in public schools, to read to our children, but people have a problem with this man speaking of his Christian values at a graduating class at a Christian university?Something just doesn’t seem right.I also hear that his nfl jersey is selling big time. Myself, I wouldn’t buy one because I’d be supporting the nfl. And I’m not down with that. If there’s any other way to show my support to this young man, let me know?
Here’s the unvarnished truth, our society is plunging headlong into a very ungodly dark hole and has been during the last15 plus years( during this time there has been a number of targets but folks don’t kid yourself thee real target that’s starting to surface and shortly will become the most hated society group will be bible believing Christian’s for the simple reason that from a biblical perspective there is no gray area; God said it l believe it and that settles it”, ALL of the current ills, from pornography to homosexuality to gender horror to abortion and the list goes on are HATED BY GOD and likewise born again Christians; unlike many claiming to be Christian like the Catholic Church they are nothing but watered version’s that are not biblical and would rather befriend these radical groups not wanting to offend anyone to avoid there wrath; well as a born again Christian that will never be me to the bitter end; lastly the worst is yet to come
It is sad times we are living in today when family, motherhood, and taking responsibility for your life and loved ones is considered archaic and neanderthal. Good on you Harrison Butker for reminding us of our freedom to choose and being responsible members of society.
Wonderful; thank God for Harrison Butker
Well said Shane Harris and gigantic thanks to the courageous Mr Butker! God bless you both. Pride is something men and women do before they fall!
Thank you for covering this. Benedictine in Atchison, Kansas is a good Catholic school. Ditto for Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio.
It’s sad that most Catholic colleges today are basically secular colleges with a Catholic name. I hope Catholics know that Benedictine in Kansas and Steubenville in Ohio are two colleges that uphold Catholic traditions. There are also some state funded colleges (and some private non-Catholic colleges) that do have a good Newman Center (i.e. a Catholic Campus Ministry).
Except they didn’t try to “cancel” him. They, and most Americans, disagree with his views. Why do you have to lie just to make a point? If you have to do that, you don’t have much of a point to begin with.
Butker certainly took advantage of having a captive audience.