By Ray Cardello for May 19, 2024, Season 26 / Post 28

Two members of the Kansas City Chiefs addressed college graduating classes this week and showed how divided we are as a country and how upside-down we have become. Travis Kelce and Harrison Butker could not be more diametrically opposed in their messages. Still, the surprising and sad thing about the two is who was lauded and who was chastised.

Travis Kelce and his brother Jason were awarded University of Cincinnati diplomas. Both missed their graduations due to NFL obligations. In addition to receiving his diploma, Travis delivered the commencement speech while holding a beer. His words of wisdom to the graduating students were, “You gotta fight for your right to party.” That is a shallow message to young adults who invested four years and hundreds of thousands of dollars in their future. There is not a lot of inspiration in that line, and to deliver it holding a beer cheapened the moment even further. You probably have figured out that this was the speech that was cheered.

Harrison Butker, the placekicker for the world champions, took a different tack and has been broadly criticized for his moral message to the graduates of the Benedictine College. I listened to the entire 20:36 speech and found it incredible- incredibly honest, insightful, inspirational, and a speech I wish I had heard at my commencement. The media and critics of the speech are taking a two-minute segment out of context and twisting it to fit their agendas. They are using that snippet to label Butker with every slanderous adjective they can conjure up, and it is a disgraceful show of ignorance and disrespect; disrespect for Harrison and the First Amendment.

Butker, a devout, traditional Roman Catholic, addressed these students at a private Catholic university. He was not speaking to the morons at CNN, MSNBC, or The View. Those ignorant, self-serving individuals could not comprehend the message delivered and would be in their element chugging beers with Travis Kelce. Butker called out everyone from Joe Biden, politicians, the media, and the church hierarchy for their hypocrisy and part in the decline of our country and the family. He pointed to Biden claiming to be a devout Catholic yet showing total disrespect by making the sign of the cross at a pro-abortion event. He spoke about the bishops who have become more political than the shepherds of the church they were supposed to be, and he called out the media for doing exactly as predicted in response to his speech. Rather than embrace the moral message given to young adults about to step out into the world, they mock and condemn the messenger.

Butker urged the graduates to “pick a lane” and be true to themselves and their beliefs. To not let outside influences move them out of their paths. He spoke about the difference between a career and a vocation. He reminded them that God put them on earth to find a mate, create a family, and bring new life into the world. He explained that a career should be secondary to the quest for a good life with a partner who would join you on a path to salvation promised by Jesus Christ. He spoke about his wife, whom he met in junior high, and how she opened his eyes to God. She chose motherhood and educating her children over a career. In her mind, she chose the correct career path for a meaningful and fulfilling life for her and her family. This concept was especially appalling to the critics who claimed the Butkers were setting back women and their role one hundred years. These narcissistic, half-brained, talking heads could not comprehend the depth of Harrison Butker’s words, so they chose to condemn him.

Butker may get the last word in this story. His speech has been viewed over one million times, and his jersey is the number one seller in NFL merchandise, especially the women’s sizes. In a world where people are turning away from the WOKE culture and looking for more meaning in life, Butker’s words were like a symphony to their ears. For the rest of the folk who want to continue to be a part of the herd roaming aimlessly through life, I bet the Kelces have a few more beers in the cooler.