Cubs Rookie Matt Shaw Responds To Backlash
The quiet integrity of Matt Shaw’s decision to attend Charlie Kirk’s funeral has become yet another lightning rod in a cultural moment where sports, politics, and personal conviction are constantly colliding — and not always with grace.
During Tuesday night’s Mets-Cubs broadcast, longtime New York broadcaster Gary Cohen paused in the fourth inning to call Shaw’s absence from Sunday’s game “weird.” Todd Zeile, a former player himself, called it “unprecedented.” To be clear, they weren’t commenting on the politics of Charlie Kirk — at least not explicitly. But the suggestion that it’s somehow abnormal or inappropriate for a young man to attend the funeral of a friend and mentor, simply because his team is “in the middle of a race,” feels callous and out of touch.
NEW: Cubs rookie Matt Shaw says he doesn’t regret skipping his game to attend Charlie Kirk’s memorial.
“My connection with Charlie was through our faith”
“Whatever backlash comes is ok. I feel strong about my faith & that what was meant to be happened”pic.twitter.com/aKqaRd19gS
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) September 23, 2025
What Cohen and Zeile missed — and what Shaw made beautifully clear in his comments — is that life is bigger than baseball. Shaw didn’t miss a game for a vacation, or a PR stunt, or to sit courtside at the U.S. Open. He missed it to honor someone who shared his Christian faith, someone who believed in him, and someone whose death shook him to the core.
In fact, Shaw was invited to the memorial by Erika Kirk, the widow of the man he called one of the biggest Cubs fans he’d ever met. Shaw didn’t skip town in secret. He talked with manager Craig Counsell, spoke with teammates, and was supported by those closest to him in the clubhouse. He showed maturity, integrity, and loyalty — not just to a friend, but to his own sense of identity and purpose.
@SNYtv I hope you say something to Gary Cohen, what an incredibly stupid thing to say about Matt Shaw attending Charlie Kirk’s Funeral.
Baseball is a children’s game, not to mention the cubs already were in the playoffs. He looks like an absolute POS tonight for that comment
— Angelo Martinez (@Angel0Martinez3) September 24, 2025
What’s truly “unprecedented” is not Shaw’s absence, but the criticism of it. It speaks to a sports culture that sometimes forgets players are human beings — not machines. And it speaks to a media class that often views any association with faith or conservative figures as suspicious, regardless of context.
And yet, Shaw has remained composed. He made no grand statements. He didn’t lash out. He simply reaffirmed that his decision was rooted in faith and personal conviction — and that whatever backlash came from it, he was prepared to face.
Hey Gary Cohen, it’s none of your business that Matt Shaw went to Charlie Kirk’s memorial service. They were friends. Why is this an issue?@Mets maybe don’t have this idiot talk about players on other teams. He should worry about the Mets. #Moron https://t.co/wORqaJXRCt
— Ghostwriter1981 (@GhostWriter1981) September 24, 2025
