Tipsheet

Sports Journalists Are Melting Down Over 'Controversial' Statue at the Texas Rangers' Stadium

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  April 16, 2026 3:00 PM

It looks like the Left, aided and abetted by journalists, are going to try to create another statue controversy. This time, it's in Texas, at the Rangers' stadium.

There, according to the Atlantic's Stephen Nesbitt, the Texas Rangers installed a "deeply controversial statute" in the stadium's concourse.

What's this supposedly controversial statue? It's a statue that pays homage to the Texas Rangers — not the baseball team, but the law enforcement agents.

At the Texas Rangers stadium.

Nesbitt then linked to a breathless New York Times piece by Sam Blum:

The reason to be wary of potential controversy was the man who served as model for the statue: Jay Banks, a former Ranger law enforcement officer known for enforcing school segregation at Mansfield High School and Texarkana Junior College in 1956, at the direction of then-Gov. Allan Shivers.

On Wednesday, MLB will celebrate Jackie Robinson Day. Robinson’s integration is one of the most celebrated elements of the sport’s history. Outside Globe Life Field, community leaders are planning a press conference to talk about why they believe this statue is antithetical to Robinson’s legacy.

Russell Molina, board member and vice chairman of the Texas Rangers Association Foundation — who stood side by side with Rangers ownership that morning — disputes the idea that the statue depicts Banks, while simultaneously defending Banks’ legacy.

“Who really was Jay Banks,” he told The Athletic in one form or another five separate times. “Does one picture define a man’s life?”

The statue honors all Texas Rangers, not just Jay Banks. And that's why Nesbitt was ratioed into oblivion over this.

A fifth grader could connect those dots.

It's always fascinating what does and does not offend these people.

Yes, they do.

But some Texas Ranger did something they don't like, so they can't tolerate a statue.

They erect ugly statues they classify as "art" or statues honoring criminals like George Floyd and expect everyone to enjoy it.

Then they lose their minds over other statues.

The statue in question has been on display since 1961.

We can't believe people pay to read that stuff.

"The Rangers have symbolized Texas since 1835, from pursuing outlaws like Bonnie and Clyde to combating cartels today," Alexander wrote. "There is nothing “controversial” about this very real and still existing law enforcement agency apart from a COVID-era book trying to manufacture outrage on vague charges of settler colonialism and white supremacy. But the New York Times just refers to the current “controversy,” stemming from the also manufactured 2020 “controversy,” each engineered outrage supporting the next until they’ve fabricated a multi-year narrative of scandal, expecting the audience to fill in the rest. The whole thing is a hall of mirrors."

They do this because the Left wants to politicize everything, including baseball. They have an agenda, and they're not going to stop until every aspect of our lives is purely political.