MLB star responds to Panthers great Cam Newton's hot take about baseball dying

Pittsburgh Pirates centerfielder Andrew McCutchen clearly does not agree with Newton's take.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 27: Andrew McCutchen #22 of the Pittsburgh Pirates in action against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on September 27, 2024 in New York City. The Pirates defeated the Yankees 4-2. / (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was once one of the greatest athletes in football. During his career he won countless awards, including the Heisman, a National Championship, a Rookie of the Year award, an NFC Championship and NFL MVP. Even though he hasn't formally retired, Newton has been out of the game since the 2021 season. These days he makes his living sharing takes, both on his 4th & 1 podcast and as a guest on ESPN's First Take.

Earlier this week Newton shared an extra spicy take regarding the future of a major sports league. Specifically, Newton said that baseball is a dying sport and that within 20 years the WNBA would surpass MLB in popularity.

Obviously, that didn't sit well with a lot of baseball fans, including a few of the game's brightest stars. Here's how former MLB MVP and Pittsburgh Pirates centerfielder Andrew McCutchen responded to Newton's prediction.

Andrew McCutchen responds to Cam Newton

He talks about baseball like a person who has never been around baseball talks about baseball. https://t.co/cah3XxTuQV

— Andrew McCutchen (@TheCUTCH22) December 27, 2024

So, who's right? It is fair to point out that baseball's popularity has declined over the years - with TV ratings for the World Series having steadily dropped off since the early 80s. It's also true that the WNBA's popularity is growing rapidly, with ticket sales and TV ratings surging thanks to the arrival of superstar Caitlin Clark, who appears to be putting the league on the map in the same way that Michael Jordand did the NBA about 40 years ago.

That said, even with Clark growing the game it's probably just a little bit of a stretch to assume that the WNBA will pass the MLB in our lifetime. This is one hot take that Cam missed the mark on.

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