Does NBA photographer who has been fired for posting up an Kamala Harris meme deserve a 2nd chance?

Politics
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In the times we now live, the cancel culture can literally eat you alive.

Here we have a very accomplished sports photographer being cancelled.

Background: Bill Baptist posted up on his Face Book page a ticket depicting VP Candidate Kamala Harris in a very negative light.

Shortly thereafter he was fired by the NBA and despite profusely apologizing too.

Yet I get the feeling this one professional photographer has likely taken his last snap shot on a NBA court.

Seems to at least me, this guy is being sincere in showing remorse and perhaps deserves a 2nd chance.

What’s your take?

According to fox news, the NBA fired a long-time photographer after he posted a meme of Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., following the announcement of her candidacy for vice president, alongside presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

The now-fired Houston-based photographer, Bill Baptist, worked for the Houston Rockets for more than 30 years, reported USA Today. The meme read, “Joe and the Hoe.”

WNBA Hall of Fame recipient and gold medalist Sheryl Swoopes, called out Baptist on the “disrespectful” Facebook post, added Wednesday, saying, “he needs to go.”

“So this guy works for the NBA but covers the Houston Rockets. Has been around for a while. Even worked for the Houston Comets. It’s amazing how people will smile in your face but eventually their true colors will show. @NBA and Houston Rockets he needs to GO!!! So disrespectful. Bill Baptiste shame on you!!”

An anonymous source confirmed for USA Today Sports, that Baptist had been pulled from the NBA bubble in Orlando and let go.

Baptist, who was working as an independent contractor for the Houston Rockets, issued a public apology in a statement to a local Houston media outlet.

“I deeply regret posting on my Facebook page a phrase that I saw and copied from others as a sample of some people’s reactions to Biden’s selection of Senator Harris as his choice for VP," Baptist said. "The phrase I posted does not reflect my personal views at all.”

“I should not have been so insensitive to post the statements by others,” he added. “I sincerely apologize to all of those who have rightfully been offended and I have taken the post down from my FB page. It was a horrible mistake on my part."

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What he posted was pretty bad., and he was an independent contractor, not an employee. I say too â– â– â– â– â– â– â–  bad, actions have consequences.

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Interesting you don’t tell people what it is he posted, but instead call it an example of “cancel culture”.

Wanna tell people what he posted?

Hint…it’d likely be against the Terms of Service here.

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Expect for many to agree that canceling one’s livelihood is cool so long as laws aren’t broken.

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Capitalism is cool

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Welcome to the 21st century. We all live with this Sword of Damocles over our heads. Your social media is not your private diary or you and your friends goofing around. It is the digital equivalent of taking out an ad in a paper to express your views.

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Would you care to share what Mr. Baptist posted?

As a mod could you rule whether we can share it here if we take appropriate precautions?

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Has anyone on the left lost their livelihood for posting something?

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If you’re on any social media you see it regularly, where some people truly seem to believe any moderation or censorship of what they say is a violation of their “free speech”, and their idea of free speech is that they get to say whatever they want, wherever they want, and there’re can not be any consequences from it.

Those are the people who decry “cancel culture”. They want or be be able to say whatever they have on their no matter how offensive, without any repercussions from it. Apparently getting racists fired from their jobs for what they say on social media is a booming industry, and some people don’t like how they works. But the right to say whatever you want and enjoy the free market response to that speech is the same right.

That’s what I see behind the push back against “cancel culture”, people who want to say offensive things without the free market response.

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Yes. This happens to people every ■■■■■■■ day and has for a decade. I’ve had employees fired for posting an unflattering tweet or FB post about the job during a shift. Let go ten minutes after the HR director saw it. Middle of their shift.

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I meant as a result of posting something about a person on the right.

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I honestly don’t know where these folks work. Any job I’ve had in the last like several years, I have to sign a document that lays out the social media policies of who I work for and if I violate them they will fire me for it.

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Yep. Certain social media posts would 100% get me kicked off a job.

None of this is new.

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This is the right to work environment that’s been championed and implemented across the country. Employees need to be able to hire and fire for whatever the reason to be able to compete effectively.

People are free to say whatever they want, and they are free to experience the repercussions of that speech.

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I don’t really keep track of this ■■■■■ but I remember a reporter being fired for comparing Trump’s election to 9/11. People fired for encouraging Trump’s assassination.

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Yep…Kathy Griffin was blacklisted after her stunt with the Trump severed head.

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Homeboy should’ve read his employee handbook. I sure as hell read mine and it includes a social media policy section.

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That wasn’t cancel culture, that was repercussions for attacking the president or something.

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I seriously doubt most anyone will dispute or defend Baptist’s missteps here.

Just seems to me a double standard is the real story here.

After all, we have all seen numerous examples of others in the sports industries getting 2nd chances after pleading guilty to things like driving under the influence and much, much worse things too.

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They are usually star players and the owners of those teams don’t wish to lose their talents.

Photographers…even the best ones…don’t usually display such a talent disparity that they can get away with the same missteps.

The double standard is “how easily can you be replaced?”

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