Yesterday, Josh Hader should have remembered the day by pitching in his first All-Star Game. Sure, he gave up a home run to Seattle Mariners shortstop and former Brewers player Jean Segura, but still, he could remember pitching in the All-Star Game. Instead, this day will be remembered as one where the sports world found countless tweets with racist, homophobic and hurtful language when Hader was 17. Where do we go from here with a guy that was supposed to be the face of the franchise?

These are pretty hateful tweets that span a wide range of hurtful messaging about black people, gay people and others. Hader already apologized, and Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Lorenzo Cain said that this was a ‘non-issue’ for him. Obviously, Hader will go in front of his teammates before Friday’s game and talk about everything. Even though it’s hard to fathom, people will get behind and support him. That’s what teammates do. Most humans understand that people act recklessly as children and grow up through the years. We’ve all said hurtful things that we would not want the world to know. If you think you’re perfect, you
are not.

As for fans, they can chose how they want to support or not support. Sure, Cubs and Cardinals fans will always have this against us. It’s a different version of what Brewers fans went through with Ryan Braun years ago. Some still do not cheer for Braun after all these years because he’s a ‘cheater.’ There will be people who will not cheer for Josh Hader going forward because he’s a ‘racist’ and a ‘homophobe.’ If you feel it’s morally wrong to cheer for a guy like Hader, I have bad news about different players on the team. Most people are shitty and not worth cheering for. It’s best to just embrace that and move forward.

Take this with you or not, Hader grew up in a very small town. Millersville, Maryland is a town of 20,000. It’s an old railroad town with many industrial types, and only half of the city has a college degree. The town is primarily white with 71 percent and only 12.5 percent African-Americans. The amount of exposure that Hader had to different cultures was extremely limited. He did not grow up in a melting pot like Milwaukee or any other big city in the United States. If you’re curious why a 17 year old might say those things, look no further than the place he grew up in.

What would go a long way for me with Hader is to do some outreach in the community. Whether it’s related to issues plaguing black people in Milwaukee or working with gay rights, it would be a great gesture for Hader to get involved somewhere. And do it in a quiet manner to begin because the cynics will say it’s a public relations stunt, but to me, it’s a good way to display change especially if it becomes a cause of yours in future years.

Tonight is a very low point in Hader’s career. It’s going to be awkward for him through the next month or two at the stadium and with the fans across social media. Hope he can find a way to make this right even if some think the damage is already done.

Charlie.