As a general rule, a professional team broadcaster’s job is to inform their audience of what is occurring in a particular contest, as well as, give pertinent information relative to that game. In the case of the Baltimore Orioles announcer Kevin Brown, he was taken off the air for simply performing his job duties. He was simply giving relevant information regarding the game between the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays. Though it is unclear as to why such actions were taken by the organization, assumptions are being made because the Orioles refuse to comment on the situation.
Until the current season, the Orioles were 0-15-1 in the past 16 series at Tropicana Field. Verbalizing this fact to his audience is seemingly what led to Brown’s suspension, though the club refuses to publicly use those terms. These actions are even more of a mystery, considering that in the 2023 campaign, Baltimore has a 6-3 record against Tampa Bay. In an era where cancel culture is so prevalent, inconvenient facts should not rise to that level of punishment. I think it’s fair to assume that other factors played into the organization’s perceived need to implement such harsh consequences.
By all appearances, it would seems that those above Brown may have some issues with the way he conducts himself. Maybe they feel criticizing the organization reflects poorly on those in power. This is evidence of insecurity regarding their ability to run an organization. Furthermore, they may feel disparaging the team is a signal that you don’t support those in authority. We must speculate because a move of this nature is still left without explanation. Why would such an extreme action be taken for such innocuous comments?
For some strange reason, the team contends this action was not a suspension. Are you kidding me? They removed their television announcer for a period of time. What else could it be? Oh I know. He did such a great job, he deserves an unpaid vacation in the middle of the season. A pennant race, no less. It’s obvious, someone knows the reason, but do not want to face the blowback they would get for going public. This is not fair to the fans, Brown, or the rest of the organization. Thankfully, there has been plenty of criticism from the sports broadcasting fraternity, which forced the reinstatement of Brown. However, an explanation is still warranted to put this whole fiasco behind everyone.
Many of those with authority get a thrill up their leg by exerting power. Unfortunately, we have to assume this may be the case with the Baltimore Orioles brass. These type of people enjoy making others miserable simply because they question their own abilities. They feel questioning their philosophies is unacceptable, and those that do must be punished. It appears that with the reinstatement of Brown, ownership may be trying to regain credibility, but a more fulsome statement is needed to restore the organization’s reputation completely.
Politics is everywhere 😢
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