Trump Fans Came After Garth Brooks for Wearing a ‘Sanders’ Jersey. They Got the Wrong Sanders.

Photo credit: Getty
Photo credit: Getty

From Esquire

Blame it all on his roots. He showed up in boots a Barry Sanders Jersey. Earlier this week, Garth Brooks posted a photo to Instagram of him wearing the jersey of prolific Detroit Lions running back, Barry Sanders’ to his Detroit show. The player name, the number 20, and some knee jerk reactions led to some very upset country music fans, quick to let Garth know that his job was to sing—not be political. Yep. A lot of fans took SANDERS 20 as a political endorsement, completely bypassing a simple Google search that could have cleared this all up.

Enraged that the county legend would consider making his work political (more on that later), fans hit his Instagram to leave comments like, “Nothing like supporting a communist to loss [sic] a few fans!” and “Good grief. Why can’t you just do what you get paid to do????” Real classic “shut up and sing” kind of stuff.

While Garth fans, Bernie fans, and Detroit Lions fans duke it out in the comments section, Brooks hasn’t outrightly endorsed for anyone running for president, which is pretty standard for the country superstar. Previously one of the most outspoken country artists of the ‘90s, Brooks’s liberal politics in songs like “We Shall Be Free” seem practically mute in comparison to the divisiveness the country is currently facing (see: being angry about a Barry Sanders jersey). But that doesn’t mean that subtle moments in recent interviews haven't suggested that Brooks falls far from his more liberal roots.

Photo credit: Rick Friedman - Getty Images
Photo credit: Rick Friedman - Getty Images

In 2009, Brooks performed at President Barack Obama’s inauguration celebration, and later mentioned in a 2011 interview, “I love him to death and I fully support him and I just wish him well because it’s got to be hell in that office.” Later when approached by TMZ after Trump was elected, a reporter asked whether he’d perform at Trump’s inauguration, which he responded, “I don’t know. I haven’t been asked. It’s about serving, it’s what you do.” When Brooks didn’t appear at the inauguration because of a scheduling conflict, he said in a video on his Facebook, “We can't thank the Obamas enough for serving this country. And may God hold Trump's hand in the decisions that he makes in this country's name as well."

Garth Brooks: master of the curated answer. As for fans confused as to why Brooks would be supporting the Democratic Socialist candidate, a whole slew of commenters have swooped in to correct the misinformed. No sign that it had any effect, but Brooks is unbothered. With sold out show after sold out show, one Hall-of-Famer's jersey isn't going to get in his way. Just maybe think twice before putting on a Clinton-Dix jersey in Chicago.

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