I find this whole thread amazing, and not in a good way.
On Canada's Birthday, you guys got together and decided to ban something. Call it what you will, it is just another ban. I had to remind myself in Canada you do not celebrate Independence day. You all enjoy being subjects of the Queen, or in this case Mods.
Connor was spot on when he said you guys decided to punish the whole class instead of deal with the actions of a few.
I don't buy anything in the OP post.
1. No one if forced to participate in the Politics thread, in the News Thread or any Corona Virus thread. To say the actions in those threads are affecting board participation IMO is a false flag.
2. BTS did/does a great job as a mod saying keep politics out of the baseball threads. That is all that is required and we could keep all other topic threads.
3. Talking about safe spaces due to action in threads NO one forces anyone to participate in on a baseball board? Laughable...
I have participated in those threads, never once did I feel unwelcome or personally attacked.
YOU know WHERE I felt attacked and not welcome?? In the BASEBALL threads by the Wolf guarding the Henhouse.
I was personally attacked for "being old School" and a long thread supporting the bunt. I was personally attacked and called names for my views on a lead off hitter.
I received PMs from Mods explaining - paraphrasing, this board is a saber board and guys with opinions like yours are not the norm.. Threatening to delete/close a thread advocating bunting... Not making that up.
I received PMs because I said Billy Bean got A## r##$ed in the Donaldson trade. When numerous, numerous posters use same or worse analogies or traped etc.
Never once did I not feel welcome or whatsoever due to OTHER TOPIC Threads.
I was also personally attacked in a Fantasy baseball thread, and the Roy Halladay thread... Both that have nothing to do with Politics etc.
Let me make clear, I don't give s*** about what people say or think about me. I am not asking for a safe space or mod action.
However, this is just changing the sign of the restaurant and putting a coat of paint while you still have s*** food and service.
Is this a baseball board where all baseball opinions and posters are welcome, or is this a Sabre board where only those who have "group' think are allowed in the "clique"?
For the record, for the 100th time, I am a fusion of Old School/ new school in my baseball opinions. However, even having old school philosophy on this site has garnered more abuse then in any politics or Covid thread.
You will get more posters on this site when A) The Blue Jays are more entertaining, When you stop with the cliques/Sabrenazi stuff on the baseball site C) Regulate personal attacks on the baseball side and keep politics etc out of that side.
Again, NO ONE HAS to enter, nor participate in any OTHER TOPIC threads if they are not comfortable. I didn't even know they existed my first year here.
One of the posters applauding these changes is the same guy who would post inflammatory stuff in the threads we are discussing then put everyone on ignore.
Congratulations, you solved a very fixable problem caused by very few by a ban. You didn't even address the actual problems since this is a baseball site.
Nothing personal, but as Mods, I think this was very poorly handled and wreaks of Do as I say, not as I do. You can re-name a s*** sandwich, it i still at the end of the day a s*** sandwich.
Oh, and in a effort to attract new posters, we ran off a long time and active participant in all facets of the board...
Great job!