Cubs Owner Todd Ricketts On Matt Shaw & Charlie Kirk's Relationship Receiving Backlash | Don't @ Me w/Dan Dakich
Dan Dakich asks Cubs co-owner Todd Ricketts about the backlash that Matt Shaw received for his friendship with Charlie Kirk
Matt Shaw of the Chicago Cubs took on a stunning amount of hate for attending the memorial service of his close friend, Charlie Kirk, following his assassination. The liberal media, members of the woke mob, and plenty within the Cubs’ fanbase took exception to the then-rookie missing one regular-season game a year ago to honor his late friend, days after he was brutally murdered in front of the entire world.
Those living in reality, who understand meaningful relationships and realize baseball is very much just a game, completely understood Shaw stepping away from the organization to attend the service.
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Todd Ricketts, the longtime co-owner of the Cubs, falls into that camp.
Matt Shaw of the Chicago Cubs in action against the Tampa Bay Rays at Wrigley Field on Sept. 12, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Ricketts joined Tuesday’s edition of ‘Don’t @ Me With Dan Dakich,’ and described Shaw attending Kirk’s memorial as "normal," which is a word not often used when discussing the people who were up in arms about the situation.
"I know that Matt and Charlie were pretty good friends. They knew each other in a world that had nothing to do with baseball, Turning Point, or politics," Ricketts told Dakich. "They met in Arizona, where they both lived, and they were always friends. I think it’s completely natural for someone to take a day off to attend the funeral of a loved one, whether that’s a close friend or a family member. I thought that was pretty normal.
"Charlie’s murder was something that shook a lot of us to the core. When things like that happen, we have to be generous in how we think about our own responses, and also generous toward others in how they respond."
The September game Shaw missed to attend the memorial service ended up being a 1-0 loss on the road to the Cincinnati Reds. With the Cubs in a tight playoff race at the time, the team losing the game added more fuel to the fire that members of the left had already blazed.
SNY’s New York Mets broadcaster, Gary Cohen, notably called Shaw missing the game against Cincinnati "weird."
When Shaw spoke with the media about missing the contest against the Reds, the word ‘normal’ re-entered the situation.
Charlie Kirk's widow Erika Kirk speaks during the memorial service honoring Charlie Kirk at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Sept. 21, 2025. (Rob Schumacher/The Republic)
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Shaw explained that he and Kirk had become friends during the offseason when they lived in the same apartment complex in Arizona. He also went on to explain that they shared a bond through their Christian faith and that Charlie's wife, Erika, had personally reached out to him, asking him to attend the memorial.
Shaw simply missed a day of work to attend the memorial service for his friend at the request of his widow. Doing the opposite of that, showing up to work and ignoring Erika's request, would be disrespectful, outrageous, and the opposite of what the Christian faith Kirk and Shaw shared would lead him to do.
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