I know this will probably get me into trouble because this kind of stuff always gets me into trouble and people will get mad at me and I'll get mad at them and jbox and I will vow to ban everybody, but I am going to provide the link anyways.
The Padres had a Mother's Day promotion, which because it falls on Sundays is also a Sunday Kid's Day promotion (foam fingers) and, again because it's on Sunday, means it's one of the regular Military Tribute days, so the Padres wore their camo uniforms.
This apparently is causing the regular huff that comes with glorifying the military to kids.
I know this is a sensitive issue, so let me try to express my feeling on this without causing anybody to get too crazy in the comments...
First off, I really really doubt that the Padres are part of some vast conspiracy that is trying to actively recruit young children to join the military in 5 to 15 years. So let's just get that out of the way. If you disagree, I fully understand where your next comment is coming from.
Now, to the foam fingers, there's apparently another petition trying to get the Padres to completely separate anything having to do with the military from anything having to do with children. In the foam fingers case, I guess it can be taken wrong to be cheering We're Number One while the team is dressed in fatigues, but it seems a stretch and the main issue is the fact that Sundays are Kids Giveaway Days (because, as a parent, I can tell you it's a pain in the ass to get kids out to a night game) and Sundays are also military tribute days (because as a child of a Navy family, I can tell you that it's a pain in the ass to get kids out to a night game).
The dog tag thing, I can totally understand. That's a direct tie to the military. But protesting Padres Mini Bats for Kids falling on National Guard Day? Protesting Hot Wheels Car during Air Force Day? As far as I know, the National Guard doesn't use bats to beat away enemies of the state and the Air Force uses airplanes, not cars to do their work. Maybe they do have flying cars now. I don't watch the news.
Anyways, that's my opinion. My short list of things, before military association, that I would sooner protest in regards to baseball and children:
- Alcohol being sold to kids under 25 year olds (they are not responsible enough to drink. Prove to me otherwise)
- Smokeless tobacco
- Poor food service
- Ushers who tell me to sit down when I stand up to cheer
- Ushers who are really picky about me trying to sneak into seats that are empty in the 7th inning
- Anything that reminds me of a penis (pink bats on Mother's Day, the way hitters use hand towels to wipe down their bats before ABs)