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Chicago Cubs outfielder Matt Shaw will be among many speakers at Turning Point USA’s “America Fest” next weekend in Phoenix.
Shaw attended Charlie Kirk’s funeral, which sparked controversy, as he left his team in the playoffs to attend. He was also scratched from the Cubs roster on September 10, the day Kirk was murdered.
Upon learning that Shaw would be attending next week’s event, longtime Chicago radio host Dan Bernstein implored Shaw to “own him” and “adopt him.” However, Bernstein added that he did not want Shaw to “give [him] any of that bullshit about faith or being Kirk’s friend before taking shots at Turning Point and other conservative figures scheduled for the event.
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Chicago Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw looks into the dugout before the MLB game between the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Angels on August 22, 2025 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California. (Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“Matt Shaw tells you something,” Bernstein said on his podcast. “I don’t want to hear any wild explanations when he’s asked about it. I don’t want him to say, ‘Oh, well, I’m just his friend, or it’s just because of my faith.’ Don’t give me any of that bullshit. Own it. Own it. That’s all I ask. Kiss him. Be proud of it, Matt Shaw. That’s all I’m asking is don’t try to say it’s not what it is.
“If you want to go to a rally that clearly tells me that you’re proud to be among the hatemongers, the homophobes, the fascists, the racists, the proud flag-waving racists. If those are your people and that’s your thing, and you want to be at that proudly Nazi-adjacent pep rally, go ahead. Go ahead. Have a day, man. Have a week. Whatever makes your hair fall back,” he added. Bernstein.
Matt Shaw of the Chicago Cubs in action against the Tampa Bay Rays at Wrigley Field on September 12, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
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“And if you’ve been given permission to associate the Cubs brand, everything about the Chicago Cubs, with this series of horrible, horrible people, all proud on the wrong side of history. Go for it. Don’t pretend you’re not. Don’t try to improve it. Don’t try to soften it. Stick out that chin like it’s in the picture, you and your Cubby Blue, and own it.”
Shaw and Kirk, a Cubs fan, lived in the same apartment complex at one point, and he defended his decision to attend the funeral.
“My connection with Charlie was through our [Christian] faith,” Shaw said at the time, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. “And it’s something that motivates me every day, the reason I’m able to do what I do every day, and it’s something that I’m extremely grateful for. I know that without my faith and without the many blessings that have been given to me in my life, I wouldn’t be here, I wouldn’t be able to talk to you, to help this team finally win championships. It’s something that I feel really, really blessed about, so whatever the reaction, I feel strong in my faith and that what was supposed to happen happened.
Charlie Kirk throws hats to the crowd after arriving at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025, in Orem, Utah. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)
Other speakers include Vice President JD Vance, PK Press Club Channel’s Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld, Erika Kirk, Steve Bannon, Donald Trump Jr., Riley Gaines and more.
