BEVO BEAT Softball
Texas great Cat Osterman ‘will not represent’ pro team after its tweet about the national anthem
Posted June 22nd, 2020
Legendary Texas softball player Cat Osterman’s summer tour may be over as soon as it began.
Osterman tweeted on Monday night that she “will not represent” the ScrapYard Dawgs due to the team’s activity on social media. A tweet published by the professional softball team on Monday showed a picture of Osterman and other players standing for the national anthem. The caption for the since-deleted tweet read “Hey @realDonaldTrump Pro Fastpitch being played live @usssaspacecoast @USSSAPride Everyone respecting the FLAG!”
Nearly four years ago, former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick began to protest police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem. Kaepernick was eventually joined in his peaceful protest by other athletes. President Donald Trump, however, has been a vocal critic of that form of protesting.
Kaepernick’s protest was brought back into the spotlight last month following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Floyd, a Black man, was killed by a white police officer who knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. Floyd’s death has led to all sorts of protests across the country. Some football players have also announced that they will kneel when the national anthem is played during the upcoming NFL season.
Seriously fuming right now😡🤬 @ScrapYardFP you are better than this! Haven’t we been going over this for the last 3 weeks? This is not funny at ALL! Has nothing to do with respecting the flag and ALL to do with respecting ALL Americans in this country regardless of color of skin pic.twitter.com/cdymUwWRsH
— Natasha Watley OLY (@natashawatley29) June 22, 2020
The ScrapYard tweet was quickly condemned by Olympian Natasha Watley, who is Black. Following their opener at the USSSA World Fastpitch Championship, Osterman and many players on the ScrapYard roster echoed Watley’s thoughts. Osterman said that “I DO NOT support the comments made during our game by @scrapyardfp & I will not represent them. We as a people are working towards change, and THIS IS NOT IT.”
I DO NOT support the comments made during our game by @scrapyardfp & I will not represent them. We as a people are working towards change, and THIS IS NOT IT. pic.twitter.com/ziSTiYxuzQ
— Cat Osterman OLY (@catosterman) June 23, 2020
…. I AM HURT … I am disgusted … as a BLACK softball player I DO NOT … DO NOT stand with a statement like this… if you didn’t understand racism and what was going on the last month. This .. THIS IS IT. This is EXACTLY what we’ve been trying to change pic.twitter.com/udoeaSJFwp
— Kelsey Stewart (@stewartkels7) June 23, 2020
I am heartbroken and pissed off. I DO NOT support this, it is completely insensitive and tone deaf. I will not stand by an organization who makes these comments. We’re done. @ScrapYardFP pic.twitter.com/Qg5YNeV2pc
— Delaney Spaulding (@DelaneyyLyn) June 23, 2020
THIS ISN'T US! What has happened was incredibly inconsiderate, we do not condone, and will no longer be supporting @ScrapYardFP due to the actions taken behind our backs. This season was ment to be something special, to be a light in the darkness.
— Aubrey Leach (@aubrey_lynne10) June 23, 2020
This isn’t us. As players, we do not stand with the tweet sent out by @ScrapYardFP We stand with the black community. We love you and we stand united with you. pic.twitter.com/zJrqVoOSZ6
— Riley Sartain-Vaughan (@rileysartain) June 23, 2020
Tonight we were misrepresented by Connie May who acted on behalf of @ScrapYardFP I’m appalled by the insentivity & will not represent Scrap Yard ever again. I’m so sorry to all my friends & teammates and the future softball players that are hurt by this. pic.twitter.com/39B1CaO9uh
— Aubree Munro Watson (@Aubree_Munro1) June 23, 2020
The ScrapYard Dawgs dropped a 4-0 decision to the USSSA Pride on Monday. The two teams are supposed to participate in a summer tour that includes a 22-game schedule. The next game is scheduled for Wednesday in Viera, Fla.
The 37-year-old Osterman came out of retirement in 2018 and earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team. Osterman is also set to join the Athletes Unlimited league in August. She recently stepped away from her duties as an associate head coach at Texas State.
Read more: All kinds of Texas exes show support for current players pushing for change
Osterman still owns many of the significant pitching records at Texas. Last week, Osterman was among the notable Texas exes who tweeted their support for the Longhorn athletes who are currently attempting to change the racial environment at UT.
#ITooAmTexas pic.twitter.com/Q850PwHNdc
— Cat Osterman OLY (@catosterman) June 16, 2020
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