Yankees voice Michael Kay rooted for Team USA all through the WBC. However, he has reservations about treating the tournament as a battlefield where Team USA is fighting other countries. So, more than Team USA’s performance against Venezuela in the finals, Kay is left unimpressed by how Mark DeRosa packaged Team USA’s WBC campaign around patriotism.

“I don’t like wrapping sports in a flag and preaching patriotism and bringing in SEAL Team 6 people,” Kay said via the ESPN Radio show.

DeRosa had left no stone unturned to motivate the Team USA clubhouse. After they secured a quarterfinal berth, he called in the American Winter Olympics gold medalist Jack Hughes. According to DeRosa, Hughes “sent the boys a nice little fire-up message.” That proved somewhat effective, as Team USA got the better of Canada. But that wasn’t it.

Before the quarterfinals, he called in a Navy SEAL member, Robert J. O’Neill, credited with killing Osama bin Laden, to speak to the Team USA clubhouse. According to him, a former serviceman was invited to emphasize the significance of representing the United States among the players. However, for Kay, Aaron Judge’s team wearing a Team USA jersey is not the same as the servicemen who put their bodies on the line and fight for the country.

“There are people that represent the United States that really represent the United States, and you know who those people are? The men and women of the military,” Kay added. “Aren’t we getting a little bit nonsensical with this jingoistic stuff?”

American sports leagues packaging a patriotic flavor with their product is no new thing. For instance, an air force flypast is a common scene now on any Opening Day event. But Kay wonders how Team USA wearing their country on the chest could be similar to the servicemen.

Paul Skenes, however, differs. “I want to do this for every serviceman and woman that protects our freedom,” DeRosa quoted Skenes. “And that’s why we wear USA across our chest… You’re getting a chance to share a locker room with the game’s greats. There’s a reason why you’re doing it, and a reason why people protect our freedom at night.”

While the players representing their home country carry immense pride, a warzone and a baseball diamond are different. Team USA’s loss in the final might just have proved Kay right about how a Navy SEAL member could not help a baseball roster.

The World Series vs. WBC debate has Michael Kay miffed

Michael Kay is someone who represents the purists group from baseball, where the MLB World Series is the pinnacle, and it surely is. Rings still define legacy, and Team USA captain Aaron Judge knows that. But Aaron Judge still chose to put the WBC’s atmosphere above the World Series.

According to Aaron Judge, he felt the “WBC was bigger than the World Series.” Because the WBC is fueled by national pride, and players represent different countries worldwide, it felt more significant than a World Series. Michael Kay, however, was offended by it and said he was “taken aback.”

According to Kay, the historical significance, popularity, and legacy of the World Series highlight what best defines baseball when compared to the WBC. It highlights what best defines baseball. Clearly, the first World Series played in 1903 has more historical significance than the WBC, which began in 2006. However, for players Aaron Judge and Paul Skenes, it’s the national pride that’s missing in MLB.

As the WBC is on hold for the next four years, Michael Kay has opened a new debate about whether players should represent nationalism or not.