In a sports-heavy Monday segment, Washington Post columnist, ESPN commentator, and professor Kevin Blackistone declared on MSNBC’s Deadline: White House that the state of human rights in the United States is so bad, we are unfit to host the World Cup and the Olympics. Additionally, liberal lawyer Marc Elias attacked Major League Baseball for returning its All-Star Game to Atlanta after removing it from there in 2021 when Georgia enacted “voter suppression laws.”
The genesis for the segment was a youth baseball coach, Yeoman Wilder, who was also on the panel, claiming that he prevented ICE from interviewing members of his team about their parents. Wilder claims the kids are all citizens, but it is unclear from news reports if their parents are or if they are here illegally. When CNN asked Wilder if the kids were all here legally, he simply said they were “born and raised” here.
With that as context and amid everything else the left doesn’t like about President Trump, Blackistone declared, “You know, I, for one, don’t think that this country, under this administration, is really fit to host the World Cup or fit to host the Olympics coming up, because those organizations have information in their charters about what they stand for and who they stand for. FIFA has an entire section about human rights, and yet Gianni Infantino, the head of FIFA, had the nerve to embrace President Trump the other day at the championship game of the Club World Cup, someone who does not stand for human rights but instead is trampling human rights.”
The last two World Cups were held in Qatar and Russia. The 2022 Winter Olympics were held in Beijing. A quick glance over Blackistone’s columns shows he was critical of those decisions, but there is still no way to compare dictatorships that commit acts of genocide or redraw borders with force with democracies that simply want to enforce their immigration laws.
But, according to MSNBC America’s democracy is under threat as host Nicolle Wallace turned to Elias, “Yeah, including those of kids. Marc Elias, your thoughts?”
An angry Elias began, “Yeah, look, you and I talk a lot on this show about what it is we all need to do to protect democracy. And Coach Wilder did it, like he is the hero of this story, because he showed courage, and he was surrounded by cowards. The cowards who were staking out and approaching these kids with badges and guns should be ashamed of themselves.”
Eventually, Elias turned to MLB, “And finally, I’d add this for Major League Baseball. You know, in 2021, you told us that the voter suppression laws in Georgia were bad enough for you to move the All-Star Game. Where are you today? Where are you, Major League Baseball? Where are you? The billionaire owners of these sports teams. When democracy needs you, why aren’t you supporting those kids? Why aren’t you supporting your players? Why aren’t you speaking out in favor of democracy? Because you’re cowards also.”
It’s a bold move for liberals to remind everyone how they lied and fearmongered in the most hysterical ways about Georgia’s voting laws, and MLB folded like a cheap lawn chair, but, in the real world, the doomsday prophecies about Georgia’s early voting cratering as a result of the law have reportedly been proven false.
Here is a transcript for the July 14 show:
MSNBC Deadline: White House
7/14/2025
5:39 PM ET
KEVIN BLACKISTONE: You know, I, for one, don’t think that this country, under this administration, is really fit to host the World Cup or fit to host the Olympics coming up, because those organizations have information in their charters about what they stand for and who they stand for. FIFA has an entire section about human rights, and yet Gianni Infantino, the head of FIFA, had the nerve to embrace President Trump the other day at the championship game of the Club World Cup, someone who does not stand for human rights but instead is trampling human rights.
NICOLLE WALLACE: Yeah, including those of kids. Marc Elias, your thoughts?
MARC ELIAS: Yeah, look, you and I talk a lot on this show about what it is we all need to do to protect democracy. And Coach Wilder did it, like he is the hero of this story, because he showed courage, and he was surrounded by cowards. The cowards who were staking out and approaching these kids with badges and guns should be ashamed of themselves.
History will remember them for the cowards they are. The bystanders that the coach got so emotional about. What were they doing? You know, we all ask ourselves, what would we do if democracy would stay? What would we do if we were facing injustice? What would we do if our children, our children were being were being threatened? Well, those bystanders told us what they did. They did nothing. They are the cowards too. And we are only going to get through this part of history, we are only going to make it through to the other side if we have more people who are willing to take a stand like Coach Wilder did, and fewer people who will go along and get along and not stand up and do what is right.
And finally, I’d add this for Major League Baseball. You know, in 2021, you told us that the voter suppression laws in Georgia were bad enough for you to move the All-Star Game. Where are you today? Where are you, Major League Baseball? Where are you? The billionaire owners of these sports teams. When democracy needs you, why aren’t you supporting those kids? Why aren’t you supporting your players? Why aren’t you speaking out in favor of democracy? Because you’re cowards also.
