Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker really hit a nerve with his commencement speech for Benedictine College’s 2024 graduation.
Chronically online leftists had a bone to pick with every word in his speech besides “the” and “is,” calling him “misogynistic, “homophobic,” and “hateful” for proclaiming truths all Christians believed until about five minutes ago.
But, for the left, the most “offensive” part of the speech came in a clip shared to the social media platform X by the account Christian Nightmares.
Jesus Christ… pic.twitter.com/bY9bE2XwUm
— Christian Nightmares (@ChristnNitemare) May 14, 2024
In the clip, Butker addressed the graduating ladies of Benedictine College, congratulating them on their “amazing accomplishment.”
He directed his attention to them because “it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you.” He continued, saying that, while many of them were probably thinking about their potential careers, more of them were likely “most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.”
And here came the part that made leftist social media start melting in rage like the Wicked Witch of the West: “I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother. I’m on this stage, and able to be the man I am, because I have a wife who leans into her vocation.”
Choking up as he thought about his beloved wife, he concluded, “It cannot be overstated that all of my success is made possible because a girl I met in band class back in middle school would convert to the faith, become my wife, and embrace one of the most important titles of all: homemaker.”
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Now, for most Christians, especially of a conservative bent, what he said was not only uncontroversial, but wonderfully refreshing.
But for the left, he couldn’t have provoked more rage than if he advocated for indiscriminate puppy-murder.
USA Today, reporting on the speech, decried Butker’s use of the word “vocation” as a 1950’s throwback, before castigating his views as “antiquated,” “extremist” and “Neanderthalic.”
Podcaster and former MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann led the charge on X, disparaging Butker by saying, he “isn’t even considered an actual football player by other football players and he’s going to spew his bulls*** religion-based misogyny without consequences?”
Others quickly followed suit, with one user contending that “Colin Kaepernick was threatened, blacklisted, condemned for peacefully taking a knee in protest against racial injustice/police brutality, but Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker gives a misogynistic, bigoted, homophobic speech and it’s fine? Racism.”
Let me understand this, Colin Kaepernick was threatened, blacklisted, condemned for peacefully taking a knee in protest against racial injustice/police brutality, but Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker gives a misogynistic, bigoted, homophobic speech and it’s fine? Racism.
— Ricky Davila (@TheRickyDavila) May 15, 2024
Another user asked rhetorically, “So, have the @Chiefs fired this incel yet? #Boycott #Chiefs until they do. Women and LGBTQ hater —-> Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker unleashes on Pride month, Biden during commencement address.”
So, have the @Chiefs fired this incel yet? #Boycott #Chiefs until they do. Women and LGBTQ hater —-> Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker unleashes on Pride month, Biden during commencement address https://t.co/jQAm9EVEZm
— Nicole L. Augenti, Esq. (@Nicole1515) May 15, 2024
Now, one of the odd things about this extreme backlash to Butker’s words was that, for one, many forgot or never bothered to learn the context of the speech.
This was at a conservative, Catholic college — what did they expect a commencement speaker at a Catholic college to say?
For another, Butker has never made any secret regarding his faith.
At the commencement speech for Georgia Tech last year, he encouraged the young women there to marry and have children, and his social media bios proudly proclaim “Christus Regnat” (or, Christ reigns).
A quick look at his twitter feed shows him praising God and quoting a saint or Scripture with almost every picture he posts.
“The secret of happiness is to live moment by moment and to thank God for what He is sending us every day in His goodness.” – Saint Gianna Beretta Molla pic.twitter.com/MR2FeFeOPs
— Harrison Butker (@buttkicker7) November 26, 2021
And, contrary to all the haters on social media, he never said women shouldn’t pursue a career — he never once told women they should “get back in the kitchen.”
Instead, he praised the inherent goodness of a vocation denigrated by feminists and those on the left and pointed out how this important role has been demeaned by the lies that women need a career to be “fulfilled.”
But, clearly, Butker’s words hit a raw nerve, almost more so than his anti-LGBT and pro-life messages he also proclaimed at the commencement address.
Perhaps some of the left knew what he was saying was true and hated the reminder, lashing out accordingly.
Hopefully, Butker will not only stand firm in the face of all this unmerited backlash, but also continue to proclaim the truth of the Gospel and the roles of men and women, with even more fearlessness and tenacity.
