Barry Bonds achieved a special athletic feat recently.
Twitter quickly went to work making fun of it all.
Bonds, the MLB single-season and career home run leader, is now active in martial arts and recently earned his Brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt. That’s just a couple of steps up the Brazilian jiu-jitsu rankings, and several steps below the ultimate red belt level.
Still, for a 58-year-old beginner in the discipline, it’s a nice achievement.
Bonds’ coach, Jay Janero, presented him with the blue belt in front of the entire class at San Francisco’s Evolve Training Center.
Janero related a funny story about his introduction to the 14-time MLB All-Star.
“(Someone) said, ‘I have a guy, I want to bring him in on some off hours.’ And I said, ‘Hey bro, I’m not treating anybody special,'” Janero said.
“He said, ‘It’s Barry Bonds.’ I said, whatever you need, we’ll make this work.”
When Bonds stepped forward to receive his belt, he told Janero, “You had me in tears.”
Of the course, the jokes and snide remarks immediately erupted on Twitter. For everything Bonds did on the baseball field, his record 762 home runs, his seven MVP awards, the shadow of performance-enhancing drugs follows him everywhere. It’s the reason he’s not in the Baseball Hall of Fame, despite being eligible more than a decade.
So this reaction on Twitter was entirely predictable, although Bonds had a few fans step forward in his defense.
Anyone can get jiu-jitsu belts now. Basically giving them away
— Jake (@JakeBetts29) June 30, 2023
[ESPN MMA]
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.