Sports

Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich Losing Fans For Anti-Trump Comments

(Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)

Jena Greene Reporter
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Fans of the San Antonio Spurs are dropping like flies, and it has nothing to do with the success of the team.

Regardless of how well the Spurs may do in the playoffs, the team may have a hard time filling the stands because of one pretty political – and high profile – member of the franchise.

Head coach and longtime basketball veteran Gregg Popovich has upset Spurs nation for his increasingly political rhetoric. That’s at least according to fans, who say the coach is alienating a massive demographic with his liberal opinions.

Last year, Popovich called President Trump a “soulless coward” for how he handled the death of four soldiers in Niger last October. To be clear, he made these comments during a press conference that was supposed to be about the upcoming NBA season.

It would be one thing if Popovich were a former member of the Obama administration or if he were the mayor of San Francisco. But he’s not. He’s the coach of an NBA team in the heart of Texas. And fans have had enough.

“I am completely turned off,” a self-proclaimed former fan told the Washington Post on Monday. “After all those years supporting the team, and now I just have no interest. Popovich really messed up,” she continued. “It ruined my basketball life. I took it personally. I was such a loyal fan, and he insulted me. Why would you start attacking the people who had been so loyal?”

Hundreds of former Spurs fans have said on Twitter that they won’t be watching the Spurs anymore because they’re so turned off by Popvich.

And asked on Monday whether he feels any pressure to “tone down” his rhetoric regarding President Trump, Popvich shrugged off the question.

So while some shows and franchises in the entertainment industry – like “Roseanne” – enjoy success for making a concerted effort not to alienate Trump voters, others will likely struggle while they lecture a mixed audience about their liberal politics. It just goes to show you how tone deaf some prominent players in sports and entertainment really are.

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