Chris Pratt has never publicly supported Donald Trump, but the sports analogy-laden op-ed he wrote for his mother-in-law Maria Shriver's Sunday Paper ramping up to the election reads like something Trump could have written himself — in that it rambles and wedges in self-praise throughout.
Titled, "Win or lose, my hope is we show up for each other," Pratt's opinion piece opens with an attempt to endear himself to readers as being not just a Guardian of the Galaxy, but a father and a husband who comes from a humble upbringing and has been "doomscrolling" his way through this election like everyone else. But then, like a sportsball person trying to carry their sportsball to the winning whatever, he takes some zigs and zags.
A few highlights:
"I was an incredibly sensitive kid, so when I lost on the football field or got pinned on the wrestling mat, I cried. Like, a lot. Even well into my high school years. I didn’t lose all that often but when I did, it devastated me."
"I’m a son. I’m a dad. I love this country. I’m looking for ways to stay connected to my fellow Americans. I also think there are millions out there like me looking to do the same—to find a way to come together after the election, no matter who wins or loses. And I believe sports gives us a playbook to help us get there."
"I write this now because about half of the voting population is going to be incredibly disappointed on November 6th. But for me, the question is not, “Did your candidate win or lose?” but rather, “Will you wake up the next morning and help an old lady move?”'
Pick up what he was throwing down there? Well, for some, it wasn't a touchdown. Following the publication of Pratt's article, he was called out online for his "Friday Night Lights" approach to an election that threatens to rob many non-millionaires of their rights and freedoms.
"I wanted to comment on this piece by Chris Pratt because it hurt me to read as a trans woman who has looked up to the characters he portrays," writes @gotgarchive in a post to X. "My life is at stake, the bodily autonomy of my fellow trans siblings and people who can get pregnant in general, of Black people and immigrants, of anyone who disagrees with Trump’s policies, and watching Chris Pratt say 'I see both sides' and 'it’s not about who wins and loses' I can not in good conscience believe he truly understands that people’s rights are on the line and still play both sides."
In The Daily Beast's coverage of Pratt's op-ed, they point out that the actor was "conspicuously missing when his fellow Avengers assembled for democracy in an ad supporting Kamala Harris." A reason for his absence was left out of his op-ed.
