Before Game 1 of the 2021 World Series, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred was asked about the Atlanta Braves’ Tomahawk Chop and chant. Yes, it is the Braves, and not just the fans considering the Braves actively promote it. Believe it or not, Manfred answered that question in the absolute worst way possible.

More Manfred on the Braves name: "We don’t market our game on a nationwide basis. Ours is an everyday game. You’ve gotta sell tickets every single day to the fans in that market. And there are all sorts of differences between the regions in terms of how the teams are marketed.”

— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) October 26, 2021

Where to begin on this one. Digging deeper, Manfred essentially said in his expanded remarks the chop wasn’t racist (it undoubtedly is) and the Braves name (honestly debatable). Despite that, Manfred relies up on the notion that literally every Native American in the Atlanta area supports the chop, which is an incredulous point, and it does beg us to dig deeper into blackout restrictions.

Keep in mind, the Braves purported region extends well beyond the Atlanta, GA area. If you live in Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, and Mississippi, the Braves are your designated team. As such, it would require MLB to consult with all of the Native American groups in that blackout region to assert whether they also deem the chant racist. Only then could MLB make such a claim, and as we all know, they can’t.

However, it is more than that. The Braves host every National League city and some American League cities in a season. When they host those teams, they knowingly subject those rival fanbases to the chant by and through the television. Right then and there, Manfred’s explanation fails because the actions in Atlanta have a definitive impact on fans in other cities. As such, he has an obligation to make sure this is not a wider societal issue.

That’s when we should fast forward to the postseason. Networks like TBS have shown the chop on their broadcast, and they have done nothing to mute that chant. The Braves have again taken the chop to the national stage, which again, requires, at a minimum, examination of the chop and its racist overtones. It also demands a deeper look into how this impacts Native Americans around the country.

This part is where Manfred admitted he’s the absolute worst person for the job. In trying to defend himself and the Braves, he admitted MLB is not a nationally marketed game. Yes, as we see, it is nationally televised, but Manfred is actually correct here that MLB is not truly marketed nationally. Go outside MLB Network, and you’re not going to find a single national daily television show. That used to be Baseball Tonight, but MLB conspired with ESPN to drop that show.

Manfred has been put in charge of the greatest game this world has to offer. It is pure magic, and it is made up of a diverse group of players from varying backgrounds and different beliefs. This game is America, and it just needs the right steward to usher the game to greater popularity. Instead, we get a commissioner who has no interest in growing the game and pointing out all the things he sees wrong with the game.

That’s right. With respect to Manfred, when we hear him speak it’s about what’s wrong with the game or that racist chants are alright because Atlanta is a racist city. This is hyperbole for sure, but this also doesn’t miss the mark on how his tenure as commissioner is defined. Overall, what MLB has in Manfred is a coward afraid to do what’s right for the game or its fans. That’s beyond incompetent, and baseball needs better.