Businessman Stan Kroenke is no stranger to stirring things up when calling the shots and making business deals. Just ask the people in St. Louis what they think of him. Kroenke is a billionaire who owns the L.A. Rams, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, and the popular Arsenal FC in the UK. But what you may not know is that he is also the owner of Kroenke Sports Entertainment, the group which owns the Outdoor Sportsmen Group (Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel) along with MyOutdoorTV (MOTV), a subscriber-based, online outdoor network.
When My Outdoor TV launched in the UK, it didn’t take long for their anti-hunting watchdogs to jump on owner Stan Kroenke for showcasing lion and elephant hunts with the various shows on the network. Photo credit: MOTV
MyOutdoorTV allows subscribers to access thousands of hunting, fishing and shooting sports shows for a monthly fee. MyOutdoorTV has been around in the US for some time, but just recently launched in the UK. And that’s where the trouble began.
The anti-hunting agenda in the UK is unlike anything we’ve ever seen here in the States. They are a relentless group of folks that, due to extremely strict hunting laws, haven’t a clue when it comes to the positive and wholesome side of hunting. They simply have one mission, and that is to shut hunting down.
So when MyOutdoorTV launched in the UK, anti-hunting groups and various celebrities included noted anti-hunter Ricky Gervais went straight for the jugular. Since Kroenke owns a controlling stake in the popular Arsenal soccer club in the UK, he was an easy target for threats, petitions, and backlash.
Stank Kroenke is certainly no stranger to public backlash over his business decisions.
The same people that show little-to-no regard for human life, suddenly became outraged that the MyOutdoorTV network included the killing of lions and elephants through safari hunts. And all it took was 10,000 signatures from an online petition for Kroenke to cave to the anti-hunting agenda and call for the removal of all trophy hunting on the MyOutdoorTV network. Quotes like the one below bombarded the online petition, news sites and social media throughout the U.K. and eventually the world.
….Hunting is not a sport and has no place in the modern world. As an Arsenal supporter, I am ashamed, embarrassed and very angry that our great club is being associated with this barbaric ‘pleasure’ for the wealthy and depraved.
It’s sad. It’s sickening. And it smells a lot like the recent knee-jerk response we saw from Under Armour when they caved to the anti-hunting community over a bear hunt with a spear.
You can bet the anti-hunting community won’t stop here. Photo credit: MOTV
This statement from Outdoor Sportsman Group was recently released: “Outdoor Sportsman Group is dedicated to serving audiences around the world interested in the outdoors. In the past few days, there has been significant public attention to a small portion of programming on our MyOutdoorTV app that contains content associated with hunting certain big game animals. While many on both sides of this issue have made their voices heard, and this content is only available through paid subscriptions, Stan Kroenke has directed us to remove all content related to those animals in light of the public interest.”
So What’s Next?
You can bet the anti-hunting community won’t stop at the removal of “trophy hunting” (whatever that means) from the network. This is simply another stepping stone for them. Every time a person or a business backs down to their demands, they grow bolder and larger in number. Social media has allowed these bullies to force their will upon others simply through shouting louder than their opponents. Such seems to be the way of the world these days.
Now more than ever it’s critical for hunters to stand together and let their voices be heard. Organizations such as the Sportmen’s Alliance, Safari Club International, National Shooting Sports Foundation and others are fighting hard to preserve our rights and need our support.
We want to hear from you. What’s your thoughts on this latest display of big business caving to the anti-hunting community? How should hunters response to Mr. Kroenke’s decision? Will you continue to support his businesses and his various teams? Comment below and let us know what you think.
