MLB reprimanded the Pittsburgh Pirates after a rapper who threw out a first pitch at their game Wednesday endorsed marijuana.
Rapper Wiz Khalifa was invited to throw out the first pitch before the Pirates’ game against the Baltimore Orioles. He did so happily and was in a gregarious mood before tossing out the pitch. The problem is he used the spot to make a subtle political statement. Khalifa was wearing a shirt that said “legalize it” and also made a smoking gesture before delivering his pitch.
Pittsburgh's Wiz Khalifa prepares to throw out the first pitch before tonight's Pirates game against the Orioles at PNC Park. #412 #420 pic.twitter.com/EcMA6Lwi5B
— Christopher Horner (@Hornerfoto1) September 27, 2017
@wizkhalifa rockin the "Legalize It" shirt for the first pitch at the @Pirates game tonight pic.twitter.com/brUPbtihnf
— Bev (@TBev13) September 27, 2017
Even though Khalifa was popular with many of the Pirates’ players as well as the fans, MLB wasn’t too happy with the marijuana endorsement. They sent this statement:
MLB statement re: Wiz Khalifa: “Marijuana is probated substance in all of our drug programs. It's unfortunate this situation occurred." 1/2
— Rob Biertempfel (@BiertempfelTrib) September 28, 2017
MLB statement cont: “The #Pirates have informed us that this should not have happened.” 2/2
— Rob Biertempfel (@BiertempfelTrib) September 28, 2017
Wiz Khalifa is a big Pittsburgh guy and one of his famous songs is “Black and Yellow” about the city’s sports teams. He also has an album titled “Rolling Papers,” so you should probably be prepared for this sort of thing when you have him throw out a first pitch. It’s like asking Snoop Dogg to throw out the first pitch and getting upset if he does something similar. It comes with a territory; you may end up ticking off some parents while trying to appeal to their kids.
