[Chicago Tribune] Cubs’ Matt Shaw skips Sunday’s game to attend Charlie Kirk’s funeral
September 23, 2025
[Chicago Tribune] Cubs’ Matt Shaw skips Sunday’s game to attend Charlie Kirk’s funeral
40 comments
Can’t imagine what the conversation was like with Shaw asking to go to Kirk’s funeral… the article says he got permission to go but like, I’m suprirised he even *asked* and even more surprised the Cubs said yes
I’m just glad that Hitler’s birthday isn’t in October
Gross
Quick delete this it’s “politics” lmao. We can’t discuss the factors revolving around why players are on/off the field, it could involve bringing up real-life events!
Fuck Matt Shaw
Thank god there was an off day yesterday so this could be the only story to tell for Chicago
It would appear to me that baseball in a playoff push is not his priority. I can’t wrap my head around this decision. I have never, in my life, been so impacted by a celebrity’s death that I left work to cope with it. I understand the political motivations here, I don’t agree with them, but I am trying to put that aside. This just seems ridiculous to me when I remove the politics. If it is a family member or a friend, I understand. An internet personality, though? Weird.
Disappointed that they are allowing outside distractions right now. If the Padres take home field advantage after this, im gonna be pissed
It smelled more like a propaganda rally than a funeral.
embarrassing.
Did he actually know him besides meeting him on the field that one time?
Politics aside I genuinely cannot imagine asking to take off work to go to the funeral of a celebrity whom you had no personal association with at all
The team is struggling to secure home field for the Wild Card round, and this rookie took time off because a podcaster died? Nice to see where his priorities are.
I dont care about Shaw’s politics. The fact that he hurt the team by leaving says enough.
I understand if it was a close relative like a parent/grandparent etc.. that passed away. That’s excusable. But for some podcast guy whom I think he was just a fan of and met once? No way.
And this is more on the Cubs than Shaw. The gall of a rookie to ask to leave and you let him go do it? You think the Dodgers or the Yankees or any serious team would have allowed this?
And then they hid where he went to for 2 days. Why hide it? Just annouce it if it’s not a big deal.
Lot of weird things w/ this ballclub. The entire Tucker injury saga is another one that you have to scratch your head at.
That was a fundraiser, not a funeral.
Time would have been better spent in the batting cage. Dude can’t hit his weight.
This is on Counsel. He should have given him permission to go, then when he comes back report to Iowa. Like him as a player but bottom line he is a rookie batting in 9th spot. Hasn’t earned it yet.
Pretty wild they let a rookie go to this event. Unless they were close friends, I just can’t wrap my mind around how Shaw would put this goofy event above a playoff seed push.
what an absolute clown
I was at the game and I checked to see if he was injured because I didn’t see him. To find out why he left is disappointing. It’s not like the team was doing so well that they couldn’t have used him. My opinion is it just wasn’t a good enough of a reason to skip a game. We JUST made it to the playoffs so he decides it’s a good time to skip? Just doesn’t seem like he wants to be on the team.
Raptured yet?
What a fuckin tool bag.
That’s how you can lose the respect of your teammates in the locker room. This wasn’t a funeral, this was a rally… how did this get approved?
I assume the Cubs just didn’t want the bad press, but ultimately I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s traded in the offseason.
Quit on his team during a playoff race. Soft.
All politics aside, we lost 2 close games while he was out while we’re trying to secure a critical home field advantage.
As far as I’m concerned he owes the team for that. He better be fucking on this series vs the Mets.
Also he better be ready to hear some boos and be able shrug them off too.
This team is clinging to the 4 seed by a thread. Selfish of Shaw to miss a game, organizational malpractice to allow it.
Hard to believe this. Leaving the team for a family member or good friend is understandable but for a political figure??? Not cool at and it does not matter which side he was on. Big black mark here for Shaw.
I wonder how the team feels. Doing this during a playoff run where home field isn’t even guaranteed, that has to rub a bunch of the players the wrong way. Plus he’s a rookie! Bro, your playing time isn’t even guaranteed next year. Crazy.
These kind of people put political views above literally everything. Does Shaw want to play professional baseball or speak at Turning Point events?
He wanted to see the fireworks show, you know, like every ‘funeral’.
What reception will the crowd give Shaw tonight? I’ll be there and will report back. It has to be at least 25% boos, right?
Imagine doing this in your own life at work. Can’t make it in boss, my favorite media personality died.
Such a loser.
Not sure why this isn’t hammered on local TV / Radio. Perhaps not following enough. Would like to get locker room perspective. Will be interesting how he’s received tonight by Wrigley crowd.
I like the kid but this is a bad look. It was not a funeral at all, much more of a political rally and fundraiser. It’s not good on Shaw for wanting to go during the stretch run and the Cubs for allowing it plus for not seeing it for what it was. Now if it was a family member, sure, but this was bad decisions all around.
I have to admit that I have absolutely lost respect for Matt Shaw during these past few weeks. The picture was very disappointing, but to pull yourself out of key games when your team is battling for home field in the playoffs because of what happened is absurd.
Look, I’m pretty left wing so I guess this colors my judgement here.
But this whole thing around Charlie Kirk has been *weird*. He shouldn’t have been killed, but he was always sort of a marginal podcast figure. Taking a week off work to attend the funeral/rally of this guy… it’s all just really weird.
I tried to write this earlier but a mod locked the thread.
I may be reaching here. I’ve been a Cubs fan my whole life. We all know that The Ricketts family are major GOP.
This Cubs team has looked very different this year and the fact that the ownership allowed Busch and Shaw to take an onfield picture with him makes me wonder. I’m not sure if it was intentional or just worked out that way, but suspicious non the less.
I think it send the wrong message to the rest of the team.
40 comments
Can’t imagine what the conversation was like with Shaw asking to go to Kirk’s funeral… the article says he got permission to go but like, I’m suprirised he even *asked* and even more surprised the Cubs said yes
I’m just glad that Hitler’s birthday isn’t in October
Gross
Quick delete this it’s “politics” lmao. We can’t discuss the factors revolving around why players are on/off the field, it could involve bringing up real-life events!
Fuck Matt Shaw
Thank god there was an off day yesterday so this could be the only story to tell for Chicago
It would appear to me that baseball in a playoff push is not his priority. I can’t wrap my head around this decision. I have never, in my life, been so impacted by a celebrity’s death that I left work to cope with it. I understand the political motivations here, I don’t agree with them, but I am trying to put that aside. This just seems ridiculous to me when I remove the politics. If it is a family member or a friend, I understand. An internet personality, though? Weird.
Disappointed that they are allowing outside distractions right now. If the Padres take home field advantage after this, im gonna be pissed
It smelled more like a propaganda rally than a funeral.
embarrassing.
Did he actually know him besides meeting him on the field that one time?
https://preview.redd.it/yg5nddxmgyqf1.jpeg?width=686&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=830dff853e4bd36fe3e192ee7447ace373cec022
Politics aside I genuinely cannot imagine asking to take off work to go to the funeral of a celebrity whom you had no personal association with at all
The team is struggling to secure home field for the Wild Card round, and this rookie took time off because a podcaster died? Nice to see where his priorities are.
I dont care about Shaw’s politics. The fact that he hurt the team by leaving says enough.
I understand if it was a close relative like a parent/grandparent etc.. that passed away. That’s excusable. But for some podcast guy whom I think he was just a fan of and met once? No way.
And this is more on the Cubs than Shaw. The gall of a rookie to ask to leave and you let him go do it? You think the Dodgers or the Yankees or any serious team would have allowed this?
And then they hid where he went to for 2 days. Why hide it? Just annouce it if it’s not a big deal.
Lot of weird things w/ this ballclub. The entire Tucker injury saga is another one that you have to scratch your head at.
That was a fundraiser, not a funeral.
Time would have been better spent in the batting cage. Dude can’t hit his weight.
This is on Counsel. He should have given him permission to go, then when he comes back report to Iowa. Like him as a player but bottom line he is a rookie batting in 9th spot. Hasn’t earned it yet.
Pretty wild they let a rookie go to this event. Unless they were close friends, I just can’t wrap my mind around how Shaw would put this goofy event above a playoff seed push.
what an absolute clown
I was at the game and I checked to see if he was injured because I didn’t see him. To find out why he left is disappointing. It’s not like the team was doing so well that they couldn’t have used him. My opinion is it just wasn’t a good enough of a reason to skip a game. We JUST made it to the playoffs so he decides it’s a good time to skip? Just doesn’t seem like he wants to be on the team.
Raptured yet?
What a fuckin tool bag.
That’s how you can lose the respect of your teammates in the locker room. This wasn’t a funeral, this was a rally… how did this get approved?
I assume the Cubs just didn’t want the bad press, but ultimately I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s traded in the offseason.
Quit on his team during a playoff race. Soft.
All politics aside, we lost 2 close games while he was out while we’re trying to secure a critical home field advantage.
As far as I’m concerned he owes the team for that. He better be fucking on this series vs the Mets.
Also he better be ready to hear some boos and be able shrug them off too.
This team is clinging to the 4 seed by a thread. Selfish of Shaw to miss a game, organizational malpractice to allow it.
Hard to believe this. Leaving the team for a family member or good friend is understandable but for a political figure??? Not cool at and it does not matter which side he was on. Big black mark here for Shaw.
I wonder how the team feels. Doing this during a playoff run where home field isn’t even guaranteed, that has to rub a bunch of the players the wrong way. Plus he’s a rookie! Bro, your playing time isn’t even guaranteed next year. Crazy.
These kind of people put political views above literally everything. Does Shaw want to play professional baseball or speak at Turning Point events?
He wanted to see the fireworks show, you know, like every ‘funeral’.
What reception will the crowd give Shaw tonight? I’ll be there and will report back. It has to be at least 25% boos, right?
Imagine doing this in your own life at work. Can’t make it in boss, my favorite media personality died.
Such a loser.
Not sure why this isn’t hammered on local TV / Radio. Perhaps not following enough. Would like to get locker room perspective. Will be interesting how he’s received tonight by Wrigley crowd.
I like the kid but this is a bad look. It was not a funeral at all, much more of a political rally and fundraiser. It’s not good on Shaw for wanting to go during the stretch run and the Cubs for allowing it plus for not seeing it for what it was. Now if it was a family member, sure, but this was bad decisions all around.
I have to admit that I have absolutely lost respect for Matt Shaw during these past few weeks. The picture was very disappointing, but to pull yourself out of key games when your team is battling for home field in the playoffs because of what happened is absurd.
Look, I’m pretty left wing so I guess this colors my judgement here.
But this whole thing around Charlie Kirk has been *weird*. He shouldn’t have been killed, but he was always sort of a marginal podcast figure. Taking a week off work to attend the funeral/rally of this guy… it’s all just really weird.
I tried to write this earlier but a mod locked the thread.
I may be reaching here. I’ve been a Cubs fan my whole life. We all know that The Ricketts family are major GOP.
This Cubs team has looked very different this year and the fact that the ownership allowed Busch and Shaw to take an onfield picture with him makes me wonder. I’m not sure if it was intentional or just worked out that way, but suspicious non the less.
I think it send the wrong message to the rest of the team.