Harrison Butker jersey sales spike after commencement speech goes viral
Outnumbered panelists discuss NFL kicker Harrison Butkers commencement speech, which has been criticized online as he urged graduating women to embrace their roles as homemakers.
A group linked to billionaire liberal George Soros ripped Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker in a scathing op-ed as a misogynist that can’t be ignored because many Americans "think just like him."
Svante Myrick, the president of the Soros-backed People For the American Way, wrote an opinion piece in The Hill headlined, "Butker’s misogyny is not unique, it’s the conservative agenda," that asked if he’s "just one dude with some backward ideas," or a "fanboy" of the viral tradwife craze before declaring he’s not alone.
"His views are emblematic of not just one cultural attitude but a policy agenda that could be coming to a legislature — or even a White House — near you," Myrick wrote.
Alex Soros, who has taken over the family empire that backs liberal politicians and causes, shared Myrick’s piece on social media. Soros' Open Society Institute has donated to People For the American Way, and Myrick was described as the younger Soros’ friend in a 2023 Wall Street Journal piece.
CLICK HERE TO READ HARRISON BUTKER’S FULL SPEECH
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker has emerged as a polarizing figure since urged women graduates to embrace being a "homemaker," and criticized the LGBTQ community and President Biden during a recent Benedectine College commencement speech. (Cooper Neill)
Butker has been pilloried on the left since he praised women becoming homemakers and criticized the LGBTQ community and President Biden during a recent Benedectine College commencement speech. His jersey sales have since skyrocketed nationwide, while many in the media have attacked the kicker.
Myrick drew a parallel between Butker and far-right figures like Nick Fuentes.
"Fuentes is an extremist among extremists. But he’s part of an increasingly vocal contingent promoting a vision of the past in which marriage was always between a man and a woman, where women always stayed home and cared for kids and men always were breadwinners. In this idyllic past, there was practically no crime, domestic violence, or substance abuse," Myrick wrote.
"And that’s the real ‘diabolical lie.’ Not only was that never how the world worked, but it was also a fantasy that caused desperation and pain for millions of people," he continued. "Another lie? That the social problems we have today are caused by the ‘breakup’ of the so-called traditional family, which was set in motion by contraception, abortion and no-fault divorce."
The Soros ally then declared former President Trump is "going after all those things."
"So while some argue that Butker should be ignored, that he’s just one ultrareligious guy giving a speech at an ultrareligious college, there’s a reason that his remarks struck a nerve among so many. Americans are already losing our rights. We don’t like it. We’re deeply concerned about losing more of them," Myrick wrote, noting that Trump winning is a "legitimate" threat.
Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs speaks during a media press during Super Bowl LVIII Opening Night on Feb. 5, 2024, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Robin Alam/ISI Photos)
"So yes, in this environment it’s hard to shrug it off when you hear remarks like Butker’s. There are far too many people seeking power who think just like him," Myrick wrote.
People For the American Way "has engaged cultural and community leaders and individual activists in campaigns promoting freedom of expression, civic engagement, fair courts, and legal and lived equality for LGBTQ people" for 40 years, according to its website.
Butker has stood by his comments. In remarks on Friday in Nashville, he said it was clear that the Catholic values he espoused were "hated by many."
"Our love for Jesus, and thus, our desire to speak out, should never be outweighed by the longing of our fallen nature to be loved by the world. Glorifying God and not ourselves should always remain our motivation despite any pushback, or even support. I lean on those closest to me for guidance, but I can never forget that it is not people, but Jesus Christ who I’m trying to please."
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Fox News Digital’s Ryan Morik contributed to this report.
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