RADIOApril 08, 2022

INSANITY: Will the left nationalize THIS industry next?

Sometimes the mainstream media publishes an article SO insane, it’s hard to believe it’s true. This time, Glenn and Stu can't help but wonder if a recent New York Times op-ed (called ‘Baseball Is Dying. The Government Should Take It Over'), was supposed to be written for April Fools Day (despite being published five days later...). Could sports — specifically baseball — be the left’s next target for nationalization? And, more importantly, how could a sports league nationalize with a team based in Toronto, Canada…?

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Stu, I read something today, that I thought, no. This can't be true. And then -- and then, as I read it, I thought. Definitely can't be true. And then by the time I finished, I thought. I'm pretty sure this is actual.

STU: Oh, no.

GLENN: Okay. This is a New York Times editorial today. Okay? Opening day of Major League Baseball season, which falls on Thursday, after being delayed for a week by labor dispute, is as good of an occasion as any, for fans of the game to come to terms with certain hard facts. I'm talking of course about the inevitable future, in which professional baseball, is what?

The inevitable future, that baseball is --

STU: Gosh. Woke. That it's --

GLENN: No. Nationalized. The inevitable truth that baseball is nationalized, and put under some authority of some federal entity.

STU: Wait.

GLENN: Hmm?

STU: Why on earth would that occur?

GLENN: Attendants at the games, have declined steadily since 2008. And viewership figures are almost hilariously bleak.

An ordinary national prime time MLB broadcast, such as ESPN's Sunday night baseball attracts some 1.5 million pairs of eyes, each week. Which is to say, roughly the number that are likely to be watching, a heavily censored version of good fellows, on basic cable movie channel, at the same time, in the same time slot.

Even the World Series attracts smaller audiences, than the average Thursday night football broadcast. The dregs of the National Football League's weekly schedule. In 1975, the World Series had an average of 36 million viewers per game. In 2021, it barely attracts 12 million per game. Casual --

STU: Wait. We're going to -- okay. 12 million a game. We're going to nationalize --

GLENN: Oh, he hasn't started yet.

STU: Okay. Okay.

GLENN: Casual observers may assume that despite the lack of popularity, baseball is somehow insanely valuable. This is an illusion. A major league baseball generated around 11 billion dollars in revenue in 2019. But this figure does not accurately reflect the demand for its product. Mike trouts 426 million-dollar contract. Is effectively being paid by millions of grandparents who just want to tune into Anderson Cooper or the antiques road show.

STU: Oh, stop.

GLENN: As that audience dies off, and younger generations of cord cutters take their place, baseball's revenue will plummet.

Culturally, the game is increasingly irrelevant. The average age of a person watching baseball on television is 57. And one shutters to think, what the comparable figure is for broadcast. Typical American 10-year-olds are as likely to recognize, Jorge Soler, who was named the most valuable player of last year's World Series. As they are their local congressional representative. College athletes drafted by --

STU: That's -- that's such a -- that's a ridiculous point.

GLENN: In some parts of the country, participation in Little League has decreased by nearly 50 percent in the past decade and a half. When my wife and I signed up our 5 and 6-year-old daughters for t-ball a few weeks ago, we did so partly out of the grim sense of obligation. We might have -- we might have been Irish parents in rolling our children in step dancing classes. This is your heritage. And you're going to learn it. And you're going to love it.

STU: All right. I don't think I'm like super bullish on the future of baseball, as compared to maybe some other sports. I love baseball. But, I mean, this is a ridiculous piece. Of you're taking on a guy from the MLB MVP. Who, yes. He wouldn't be highly recognized. But, like, there are a lot of players in baseball who would be. And those are the guys who win the MVP for the entire season.

GLENN: I think it's worth being honest, up front. About what nationalizing baseball would entail. While I would like to think that the Biden administration could just take all the 30 teams and dissolve the league by executive Fiat. Citing language --

STU: Who wrote this? This is pathetic. Who wrote this?

GLENN: This is written by Matthew Walther. He's an editor of The Lamp. A Catholic literary journal.

STU: Right.

GLENN: He writes frequently about sports.

STU: He should stop writing frequently about sports. I don't think he's ever heard about sports.

GLENN: So listen to this. It's more realistic to assume Congress would have to be involved. Legislation would authorize purchasing the teams, at their current, although absurdly inflated market valuation. Players, coaches, and other staff members would become federal employees. General manager would be appointed. Blah, blah, blah. I mean, this has got to be a joke, right?

STU: Was it April 1st that it was posted?

GLENN: No. I just got this today in my show prep. No. April 7th, today.

STU: Maybe he's just late by six days.

GLENN: Maybe.

STU: First of all, we shouldn't nationalize it, even if it collapses.

GLENN: This can't be true.

STU: We should not be involved in that, in any way.

GLENN: We should not nationalize anything.

STU: I would also note that one of the teams plays in Canada, so I don't know why -- how you would be nationalizing the Toronto Bluejays. That would be an interesting trick.

GLENN: No. It came out April 6th. April 6th. Guest essay opinion, New York Times, April 6th.

STU: Now, they've been writing this opinion about how the sport is dying for so many years. I can't even count.

They've been doing it since I was a kid. And, look, it has dropped in attendance a little bit. You look last year. Obviously the covid year. Some of these parks weren't even open at the beginning of the year. So it was down last year.

You know, their numbers are fine. If you can't build a business around 68 million people in the parks, in 2019. 68 million. You can't -- you need to be nationalized? Forget it. Not to mention the TV and the digital deals, on top of the merchandise and all the other crap that goes on. Yes, at times, these -- these teams spend so much money, that they can get themselves in trouble. And there are some issues, with building in inequality, between the Los Angeles Dodgers, and every other team in the league. But still, there's no reason. There's not even an argument, that it would fail. Let alone be nationalized. It's completely ridiculous.

GLENN: I find it interesting, that he says, the average age of people watching it on TV is 57. What's the average number for the person watching TV?

STU: Right. The cable news average audience is like 72 or 3.

GLENN: Right. But they would think about nationalizing that.

STU: No. They would probably --

GLENN: I guarantee you.

STU: Yeah. You're right. The TV average age is --

GLENN: Really old.

STU: People are watching digital.

GLENN: And I shutter to think what it is on radio. Well, most likely, it's on AM radio. And unless you're a conservative, you don't even know what AM radio even means.

STU: Yeah. There's just -- there's just -- there's news talk radio, and sports radio. That's all AM is.

So, you know, this is nonsense. This is basically the -- we're going to have 700 million people, get displaced by global warming next year. It's one of those type of pieces.

GLENN: So I don't want to be -- there are people who are posting on Instagram and Facebook and stuff. My apology to George Soros.

STU: Yes.

GLENN: Last April Fools'. Okay? And they're like, Glenn Beck sold out. He apologized.

STU: Of course, yeah.

GLENN: I called him. I sincerely apologized to Mr. Pepperoni eyes. Does that sound like a sincere apology? For the love of Pete, people are so stupid. But I don't want to be one of those people. When I read this, I'm like, I don't -- I don't know anymore.

I don't know anymore. I don't know. Is this guy serious or not? Does he really --

STU: Probably -- I guess it's serious. The only reason I think it's serious. Is because this type of piece has been written for a long time. Minus the nationalization. That's a wrinkle. Baseball is going to fail. It's not our national past time anymore. It's well behind football and basketball now. And there's truth to some of that for sure.

Certainly football is the number one sport. But still, this is a pretty freaking healthy business.

GLENN: Hang on. Hang on. Maybe he's being sarcastic, and he's actually writing a pro-baseball piece.

STU: Okay.

GLENN: Saying, yeah. It's so bad. It's horrible. It's horrible.

STU: Maybe that's it.

GLENN: We should -- we have to get him on the phone. And if he doesn't get on the show, we'll know.

(laughter)

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Watch Glenn Beck's FULL Interview with Dr. Jeremiah Johnston HERE

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Glenn Beck and Stu Burguiere unpack JD Vance’s viral response to a potential 2028 Vance-Rubio presidential ticket, where Vance praises Rubio as his “best friend” and credits Trump’s “grand strategy” for the administration’s success.

The SECRET every young man NEEDS to hear

The world has a plentiful, seemingly endless supply of angry boys. What it's lacking is real MEN. Glenn Beck shares the secret that our young men must learn if they truly want to protect and perfect our country.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: There's a difference between a revival and an awakening. We are in a revival right now, but that doesn't necessarily lead to anything. Except, oh, I have to re-learn those principles. But that doesn't mean you apply them in your life. Okay?

That's an awakening. There's been two great awakenings in American history. One brought us the American Revolution. The second one brought us the Civil War and the freedom of slaves.

We have the possibility of going into a third great awakening. That's the only thing that will save us. If you don't know the difference between a revival and an awakening. Let me give you the negative print of a godly awakening. Our kids right now, they don't have any purpose. They don't have any meaning.

They look at everything, and it doesn't -- it's not real. None of it is real. It's money. It's fame.

It's -- you know, it's ever changing truths and definitions. And they have no purpose in their life. Okay?

So they're looking for that. Because man has to have purpose in his life. Man has to search for meaning.

So they're searching for meaning. And they found a group of people that actually mean something. And they're willing to die for it. And it's ISIS.

And so they're like, at least these people believe in something. They believe it. And they're willing to die for it. I'm going to stand with them. And they put that twisted understanding into action. That's the -- that is -- that's an awakening. It's just an awakening to the dark side. And that one is already happening. It has to happen on the good side. And let me speak directly to young men: Look, you are inheriting a very loud, angry, cynical and worst of all spiritually starving and malnourished society. And you are being sold a future of cheap pleasures and hollow heroes and screens with blue light that just rob you of your strength, one distracted second after another.

And in the middle of all that noise, may I just give you one piece of instruction. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, of good report or praise-worthy, seek those things.

Don't admire them. Don't nod at them. Seek them!

Hunt them. Chase them. Build your life around those things. A man who will do that. A boy. A young man who will do that, will become different. Noticeably different.

He will stop letting the culture feed him garbage. He stops applauding the trivial. He stops laughing at the obscene or cheering for the cruel.

He will become a curator of -- of real, lasting beauty in an age that has forgotten what beauty even looks like.

When other men are chasing down or holding up cynicism, this man holds up hope!

When everyone around him is chasing dopamine, he chooses discipline. When others will blame their circumstance, he'll take responsibility for his own action. When the world worships the shallow, he goes and searches for the deep!

You want to know what the secret of becoming strong is, or becoming trusted, or becoming the kind of man that your future wife, your future children, your future nation can depend on?

Here it is!

You become what you seek. If you seek trash, you become trash. If you seek virtue, you become a man of virtue. You seek excellence, and your life will begin to shine, not loudly, but steadily. Like the steel glow of a blade being forged.

That's who you'll be.

The world has a plentiful, seemingly never-ending supply of angry boys. We don't need any more addicted boys.

We don't need any more distracted boys. The world needs men. Whole men. Clear-eyed men.

Men whose souls are anchored to something higher than the algorithms, trying to own them!

Build a life worthy of admiration. Forget about the applause. Fill your mind with words that make you wiser. Fill your days with work, hard work, that makes you stronger. Fill your home with beauty that lifts every soul who walks into it.

Have your home a place where people walk in and go, man, I say so great here. I just love it here. I don't know what it is about your house. I just love it. It's the spirit that's there! Because you built it! You protect it.

Protect your integrity like a watchman on the wall. Don't lie. Don't cheat. Don't steal. And when you fail, and you will, stand back up again.

Because a man who seeks the virtuous, is not a man who never fails. He just -- he just becomes a man who refuses to stay on the ground.

If you seek things that are lovely and pure, trustworthy, praiseworthy, you'll become a kind of man this age almost never produces. A man whose very existence is a rebuke to the darkness.

That's your calling. That's why you were born.

Not to be lost. Not to play video games. Not to give up. Not to say, there's no hope. Not to end up in the trash bin of human history because you've -- you've taken so many drugs, you can't stand up straight anymore.

You're not destined to be alone.

You were destined for great things. You are destined to find an amazing woman!

Believe me. I didn't think I would ever find an amazing woman. Because I didn't think I was worth it. I didn't think I was worth it.

And until I started understanding how God works. That, yeah. I'm not worth any of the stuff that I have.

When you realize, it's all a gift. It's all a gift. And even if you work your brains out, you may not ever get all the things that you want. But you're going to have everything you need. Once you realize, carefully selecting friends makes a difference. My mother used to always say, show me your friends. I will show you your future.

It's true. Be careful who you select as friends. Watch your language. Watch what you're putting into your brain and what's coming out of your mouth. Because the brain is so amazing. It's being turned to mush. Did you know that there is a new study that just came out. I have to tell you about it next week, maybe.

New study going out. It is -- it's AI. And it has access to social media, and they have found that the AI -- the AI that is scrolling through social media all day, just to keep updated on everything that's going on in social media. It's getting brain mush. It's actually becoming dumber. It's become less effective!

It's a machine. What do you think this, flesh and blood, this thing is going to do?

We say life is meaningless. And life is the only thing that has any value. And yet, we spend all of our time, on things like social media. And that has absolutely no value.

But we think that's life.

I'm not that smart. I've just lived a long time. And I've made so many mistakes.

And I decided at one point, I'm going to stop saying, it's somebody else's fault. I'm going to start saying. Maybe -- what did I do to create that?

What did I do to attract that?

Why does this thing keep happening to me?

Why is it that I always find myself involved with these same kind of people?

Because, Glenn, dummy, it's you!

What you think, it's like -- it's like think of yourself as a -- as a beacon. It's just -- you're a beacon. Your GPS pin, that is constantly saying, here I am. Here I am. Here I am.

Except, it's transmitting more than just your location. It's -- it's transmitting what you're looking for, who you are. And it's attracting other dropped pins to you. It's saying, "I like this. I think this way. I believe these things. I am afraid of these things."

Whatever it is, you're thinking. It's constantly putting that out.

And saying, here I am. Is there anything else like that?

Anything else that can reinforce that? Anything else that can live like this?

Because that's me. Here I am. Here I am. Here I am.

That's why you keep finding yourself in exactly the same situations. Nothing will change, if nothing changes!

And the only thing that you can change, is you!

Seek the things, that have virtue.

Seek the things, that have beauty in music, in -- in art, in life, in architecture, in clothing! Whatever it is. Look for real, lasting beauty and value.

Find the things that are true! Truly true.

Universally true. Find the things that uplift. Seek those things!

And you will change your life and your world!