In our seemingly progressive world, one still expects male athletes—specifically baseball, basketball, football, and hockey players— to fit a specific mold.
A mold Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas doesn't remotely fit.
Indeed, Casas has gained much attention, good and bad, from baseball and non-sports fans alike for his unconventional behavior.
Be it his much-talked about shirtless pregame yoga, openly admiring his teammates' bodies in the shower, and his immaculately manicured and painted nails.
The 24-year-old's biggest adversaries have frequently complained that he only does this to gain attention, and to a certain extent, they were right.
As documented in the new Netflix series, The Clubhouse, Casas openly admitted that just about all of his off-brand behavior, including painting his nails, is a deliberate attempt to rile up bigoted and homophobic sports fans, as seen in a clip shared on X (formerly Twitter).
He said:
"Pretty much anything that bothers people I wanna do out there."
When asked if this included painting his nails, Casas declared, "that's exactly why."
While his painted nails could easily make Casas a victim of bullying and harassment, he openly stated that the possibility doesn't seem to worry him.
"I'm 6'5", 250lbs, so anybody who, ya know, is gonna mess with me is gonna have a problem."
His painted nails have, indeed, subjected him to plenty of judgment and some homophobic slurs, but Casas has admitted that he never gives those things a second thought:
“I get certain looks about it, and people say certain things about it."
“There’s a stereotype about it."
"People call me this and that, and say I’m this and that."
"But it’s so superficial, and doesn’t change anything about me.”
“It doesn’t change anything about the person I am, or what I bring to the table. It’s just my video game character."
Sports columnist Sean McAdam disclosed on The Clubhouse that when Casas made his professional debut, his pregame yoga was met with a fair amount of surprise and confusion from some of his fellow Red Sox:
"I remember before his major league debut, Triston Casas went out into right field, took his shirt off, and started sunning himself while also performing some yoga."
"And a member of that team looked out into right field and said... 'what the f*ck is this?'"
As he was starting out, veteran members of his team did confront the then-rookie about his behavior, which Casas openly took as constructive criticism.
"I would have been more concerned if they weren't saying anything to me."
"I felt like that would have meant they didn't feel like I was going to be [in the majors long]."
"I think the fact they were telling me stuff, the fact they were getting on me for the little things meant that they wanted me to go about things the right way."
"They wanted me to make sure that I'm going to carry on that tradition throughout the years when I stay up here."
Now entering his third season with the team, it seems clear that his personal and pregame rituals are working, so Casas continues to practice them, no matter what others may say.
“I have trusted my routine since I’ve been a professional baseball player. "
"It’s what’s gotten me to this point, physically, mentally, and production-wise out on the field, and I’m going to continue to do it until my playing career is over.”
“It makes me feel confident for the games, and whatever articles of clothing are included throughout my routine is all part of the process, as well.”
There will always be closed-minded bigots determined to make jokes at his expense, but Red Sox fans have clearly embraced Casas' unique customs and traditions:
Perhaps the most notable sign of his success is the fact that Casas has officially been commemorated as a bobblehead!
In a yoga pose with beautifully painted nails, naturally:
Extravagant as his public behavior might make him seem, off the field and away from cameras, Casas admits to being a truly run-of-the-mill kind of guy.
"I'm low maintenance, I don't need a lot, so a bed and a TV, reading, watching shows..."
The one thing he admits to never watching, however, may surprise just about everyone: baseball!
