Kansas City Royals Getting in Front of Domestic Violence

There was a time when it seemed that domestic violence was occurring almost every week in the NFL. Ray Rice, Ray McDonald and Greg Hardy, among others, all had their run ins with the law on this issue. It is a serious problem for the NFL.

Major League Baseball, meanwhile, does not seem to have that same issue. However, that does not mean that teams should not be getting in front of the issue, doing their best to stop problems from happening before they start. That is a place where the Kansas City Royals have been at the forefront.

As part of that effort, the Kansas City Royals had Kathy Redmond, a survivor of domestic violence and the founder of the National Coalition Against Violent Athletes, in camp recently to speak to their players. This is not the first time she has spoken to the Royals, being in camp in 2013 after the tragic murder/suicide of Kasandra Perkins and former Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher. Now, with a new set of players, she is bringing the same message.

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This message is about more than what it can bring to the Kansas City Royals on the field. This is about driving home the message that, just because they are athletes, they are still expected to live by the same code of decency as everyone else. It is a matter of protecting those who may not be able to protect themselves, and hopefully eradicating this problem once and for all.

It is also a message to remind the players of their standing. Regardless of whether or not one thinks it is correct, these players are role models for millions of young children. Kids will want to grow up to be like their favorite Kansas City Royals player (that’s how I became a sidearm pitcher, because I couldn’t control the ball with a submarine delivery). If one of their idols is hitting women, then it may trigger as an acceptable behavior.

We were all proud to be Kansas City Royals fans during their march through the playoffs. We can be even prouder of our fandom as the team is doing their best to be at the forefront of preventing domestic violence and violence against women.

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