Michigan Democratic Senate Nominee Faces Backlash Over Critique of Football and “Toxic Masculinity”

Abdul El-Sayed, Michigan’s Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, is confronting renewed scrutiny following the publication of past writings that heavily criticized American football and male sports culture. The Midwesterner uncovered a 2021 Substack post in which El-Sayed attacked the sport in response to former Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden’s resignation following the release of inflammatory emails.

In the post, El-Sayed argued that “the toxic masculinity at the heart of America’s most popular sport, and men’s sports culture more generally, is way deeper than a few emails or a Jay-Z turnaround.” Drawing on his own experience as a starting center at Andover High School, he claimed the sport perpetuates bigotry, recounting experiences with “racist taunting” and asserting that within male athletics, “racism, misogyny, and homophobia were lingua franca.” El-Sayed also leveled accusations of “deep-rooted racism” against the NFL itself.

Rather than championing traditional athletic values, El-Sayed promoted a progressive reimagining of masculinity modeled on fictional characters. He specifically held up the lead character from the soccer comedy “Ted Lasso” as an ideal, noting approvingly that “Ted cries. He talks through his problems. He encourages his players. He bakes biscuits for his boss. He smiles … like, all the time.”

A separate 2021 Substack entry cited by The Midwesterner revealed El-Sayed’s ideological preferences for European soccer, which he characterized as “deeply egalitarian” compared to American sports leagues. He explicitly connected his sports commentary to left-wing political positions.

The disclosure highlights a stark contrast between El-Sayed’s academic critiques of gender and masculinity and his recent campaign efforts to establish credibility with younger male voters by emphasizing his high school wrestling and football participation. El-Sayed defeated Rep. Haley Stevens in the Democratic primary and now faces Republican Mike Rogers in the general election, putting his comments before working-class voters in the Midwest.