Autism and baseball intersect in inspiring, powerful ways. Whether you’re looking at players, fans, or broader community efforts, baseball has increasingly embraced neurodiversity and created space for inclusion. The tempo of baseball—one pitch at a time, pauses between plays, innings—creates a more accessible sensory experience compared to faster, louder sports like the NBA or NHL. However, the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. thinks otherwise.

Kennedy Jr. has reportedly initiated a federal investigation into environmental factors potentially contributing to autism. According to a recent CDC report, every one in 31 American children was diagnosed with autism in 2022, up from one in 36 in 2020. While Kennedy described the trend as “alarming“, he also emphasized the need for comprehensive research into possible environmental causes. During the Department of Health and Human Services press conference, Kennedy Jr. cited baseball as an example, claiming that autistic children cannot play the sport.

“Autism destroys families, and more importantly, it destroys our greatest resource, which is our children. These are children who should not be suffering like this,” said Kennedy Jr. “These are kids who will never pay taxes, they’ll never hold a job, they’ll never play baseball, they’ll never write a poem, they’ll never go out on a date. Many of them will never use a toilet unassisted.”

While a few points shared by Kennedy Jr. are indeed correct, he seems to be misinformed about autistic players playing baseball. In fact, baseball is considered to be a great activity for children with autism. In 2018, Tarik El-Abour made history as the first known minor league baseball player on the autism spectrum when he signed with the Kansas City Royals. His contract marked the first time a professional baseball team had brought on a player diagnosed with autism, breaking new ground for inclusion within the sport.

Additionally, Kennedy Jr.’s statement also suggests the notion that autism is man-made. Experts believe this will create challenges in raising awareness towards autism. That’s why, Autism Speaks, a non-profit autism organisation, called out Kennedy for his comments: “Extremely disappointing and damaging.”

The baseball community also wasn’t ready to sit idly and listen to Kennedy Jr. claiming that autistic kids are not able to play baseball. This led to a huge backlash on the social media platform X, where baseball fans are calling out Kennedy Jr. for discouraging the autism efforts. Moreover, fans are countering him, stating that baseball has several autistic players.

Baseball community called out Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Fans are far from unanimous when it comes to the claim that autistic kids cannot play baseball. And they certainly didn’t hold back while highlighting how inclusive baseball is.  Let’s see some of these fan reactions.

Are all the pitchers in MLB autistic? Sounds ridiculous, but one fan thinks so. Well, that’s not the case, and maybe the fan was referring to the pitching actions performed by pitchers. But not all pitchers are autistic. Come on, take any name, like Paul Skenes or Roki Sasaki—how are they autistic? But the league does have autistic players. For starters, El-Abour is recognized as the first professional baseball player diagnosed with autism to sign with MLB. So, autistic children can play baseball.

The health secretary is talking about autism, but one user thinks “he knows even less about autism.” Well, this fan got a point here. “It must be triggered or caused by environmental or risk factors,” Kennedy Jr. said. However, Autism Speaks countered, “the suggestion that it is—especially when linked to environmental toxins without scientific evidence—contributes to decades-old misinformation and distracts from the real needs of autistic people and their families.” It is obvious to trust the entities working on autism for years, exactly why this fan believed that the health secretary is not well-informed.

“RFK has never been inside a baseball dugout if he thinks there’s no tism in baseball.” It seems like the fans can’t get enough of how Kennedy Jr. commented about baseball in his statement. Remember Zach Greinke? The former Dodgers pitcher was not autistic but reportedly suffered from depression and social anxiety disorder. It didn’t cause any issue for him to get inducted into the All-Star game 6 times! So, how can someone comment about autism and baseball if they ever step into the field?

Well, commenting on what Kennedy Jr. has said, one enthusiast took a sarcastic route to counter. “They’ll never play baseball.” He shared a GIF with a sarcastic smile, conveying Kennedy Jr.‘s ignorance of the entire issue. Are you aware of the Little League? The Little League Challenger Division is one of the most heartwarming and inclusive aspects of youth baseball — a true example of how the game can be for everyone. This division has a specially designed environment for children with special abilities. Still, you think autistic kids cannot play baseball?

While the fans are countering Kennedy Jr., the most surprising and prominent response came from a user named Helena. Going by her comment, she is autistic, but that didn’t challenge her to play baseball, hold a job, and even play music. Her X account shares love for the Mets. So, keeping all the arguments and counter-arguments aside, an autistic patient herself countering Kennedy’s statement is, by and large, enough to dismiss the notion.

This country stands for equality, diversity, and inclusivity, and MLB is no exception. Hopefully, with increasing awareness, baseball’s biggest stage will witness a few more autistic players hitting all around the park or eating up some woods. What do you think?