Michigan Dem Senate nominee comes under fire over resurfaced blog post linking football to 'toxic masculinity'

Michigan’s Democratic Senate nominee, Abdul El-Sayed, is under fire for resurfaced writings from 2021. In these posts, El-Sayed criticized traditional masculinity and American sports culture, particularly football, labeling it as breeding grounds for racism, misogyny, and homophobia. He contrasted this with the fictional character Ted Lasso and European soccer, which he described as more egalitarian and aligned with his progressive politics.

• Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed is facing criticism for past writings.
• In a 2021 Substack post, El-Sayed attacked traditional masculinity and American sports culture, especially football.
• He argued that the ‘toxic masculinity’ in men’s sports contributes to bigotry, racism, misogyny, and homophobia.
• El-Sayed suggested adopting traits from the fictional character Ted Lasso as a model for manhood.
• He also expressed a preference for European soccer, citing its perceived egalitarian nature.
• The writings contrast with El-Sayed’s campaign efforts to connect with young male voters by referencing his own athletic background.