Jomboy Media, a prominent baseball media company, has come under fire after one of its producers made a disturbing remark about Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer during a livestream on Wednesday night. Dan Rourke, known for his work associated with Yankees Avenue but not officially part of Jomboy Media’s platforms, responded to Springer scoring a run in the Blue Jays’ 8-4 win over the New York Yankees by saying,
“F*ck you Springer, kill yourself, piece of s*it.”
The comment immediately drew widespread backlash, reigniting discussions about conduct in sports media.
Viral Reaction and Industry Backlash
The inflammatory clip quickly spread across social media, raising concerns about the behavior of media personalities linked to Jomboy Media. The company had recently gained recognition for its growing influence in baseball, including a partnership with Major League Baseball (MLB), which added to the urgency of addressing the issue. The response from fans and other media outlets was overwhelmingly negative, with many denouncing the comment as unacceptable and harmful.
Jomboy Media Founder Addresses the Incident
Jimmy O’Brien, founder of Jomboy Media, publicly acknowledged the severity of the situation during his own livestream on Thursday. He revealed that he spoke directly with Rourke, who expressed remorse and intended to apologize for his words. O’Brien highlighted the role of informal, sometimes aggressive language in livestream culture but emphasized that there is no excuse for such a statement.
“I talked with Dan today… and he was feeling awful and I think he’s going to apologize and all of that, I grew up in gaming culture, young kid culture — you talk s*it during livestreams. That’s no excuse to tell a player to go kill yourself. Joking, not joking, it’s like obviously you can’t say that and it’s terrible. And there might be ramifications from it. The league might call us and say, ‘hey, he’s not allowed here.’”
—Jimmy O’Brien, Jomboy Media Founder
O’Brien also mentioned the personal impact the incident could have on Rourke beyond professional consequences. He urged the producer to eliminate such harmful expressions entirely to prevent them from happening again.
“I explained to Dan, like, ‘dude, there’s one thing, like how we deal with this as a company internally and what it means for you and your work schedule and the media the next couple weeks. But there’s also bigger ramifications personally on a personal level. You just need to rid these phrases from your life everywhere, so they just won’t slip out.'”
—Jimmy O’Brien, Jomboy Media Founder
Uncertain MLB Response and Future Implications
While Jomboy Media has taken steps to handle the issue internally, questions remain about whether Major League Baseball will intervene. Given the partnership between Jomboy Media and MLB, and the nature of the harmful remark directed at a professional player, the league’s response will be closely watched. The distinction between Rourke’s personal livestream and official company content complicates the situation but does not diminish the potential consequences for the producer or the media outlet.
This incident highlights ongoing challenges in regulating online conduct and the pressure media companies face to maintain professional standards while navigating informal digital spaces. How the league and Jomboy Media move forward may set precedents for managing similar controversies in the future.
Our Reader’s Queries
Q. Does George Springer have a disability?
A. Springer has a speech stutter. He mentioned that he only started to embrace it and learn new ways to communicate after moving up to the major leagues.
Q. What is George Springer’s disability?
A. He was the person who had to learn all the methods, and he deserves all the praise. Springer has a stutter. He mentioned that after reaching the major leagues, he started to feel comfortable with himself and developed new ways to improve his speech.