Who Is?
S5 E6

Who Is Curt Schilling? Narrated by Joyelle Nicole Johnson

Curt Schilling is the only Congressional hopeful with a 95 MPH fastball, failed video game company, and a wealth of xenophobic, racist, and transphobic opinions.» Subscribe to NowThis: http://go.nowth.is/News_Subscribe» Sign up for our newsletter KnowThis to get the biggest stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox: https://go.nowth.is/KnowThisIn US news and current events today, Curt Schilling is the focus of NowThis' latest episode of Who Is.The middle child of Cliff and Mary Schilling, Curtis Montague Schilling was born in 1966 in Anchorage, Alaska. When Curt was brought home from the hospital, there was a baseball glove in his crib. The two would be inseparable for years to come.The family moved from state to state before winding up in the sweltering city of Phoenix, Arizona.At Shadow Mountain high school, Curt — in Michael Jordan-like fashion — didn’t make his Varsity team until he was a senior.Things quickly turned around for the young Schilling, though. At Yavapai Junior College, his team made it to the JUCO World Series during his first season. And in 1986, he was selected in the second round of the MLB draft by the Boston Red Sox.He spent two years in the minor leagues before being traded to the Baltimore Orioles in 1988, where his major league career started. Throughout the early 90s, Schilling was finding his footing in the league. He bounced around from Baltimore to Houston to Philadelphia and then eventually back to where he spent his formative years, Phoenix, Arizona, playing for the Diamondbacks.In Arizona, Schilling became a household name. He was good at baseball. Really good.He led the Diamondbacks to their first World Series win in 2001 and three years later, after relocating to Massachusetts, led the Red Sox to their first title win in 86 years. Schilling retired a member of the 3,000 strikeout club and with 3 World Series championships under his belt.But before he officially retired from pitching baseballs he started pitching... video games. Schilling founded a video game company called 38 Studios in 2006. He seemingly got into video games as an alternative to a life of excess?SCHILLING: “I had a lot of free time, and if I wasn’t going to be Charlie Sheen, I was going to stay married to my wife and do my thing, it was going to be in my room. And that’s what I did, I played games.”While holding a fund-raiser at his 25-acre estate in Massachusetts, Schilling met Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri. Schilling bemoaned to the governor that Massachusetts wasn’t giving him much help to expand his video game company. At the time, Rhode Island was feeling the effects of the recession long before the rest of the country. So after meeting other Rhode Island politicians, the state of Rhode Island issued $75 million in bonds for 38 Studios to relocate to Providence , and bringing with it hundreds of jobs, giving “the ocean state” some hope.But, just two years after 38 Studios kicked things off, with an amateur gamer in Schilling as the chairman and founder, the company filed for bankruptcy. Employees didn’t find out they lost their health insurance until a pregnant woman, whose husband worked for 38 Studios, went to the doctor, where she was told she didn’t have insurance anymore. Jason Schwartz, a Boston Magazine reporter, said, “the demise of 38 Studios left several employees to shoulder the responsibilities of their unpaid mortgages—mortgages that 38 Studios had agreed to take care of.”In 2012, Rhode Island filed suit against Schilling, alleging fraud, racketeering, and conspiracy. That’s 3 strikes.38 Studios would be the first of many L’s to come for Schilling’s post baseball career. After leaving employees high and dry, Schilling was able to recover, thanks to his baseball chops. He landed a job at ESPN, but that was short lived, too. After posting and quickly deleting a meme comparing Muslims to Nazis, ESPN suspended the 3 time World Series champion and newly minted xenophobe. SCHILLING: “There is a very long standing connection between Islam and the Nazi party.”ESPN finally ended their relationship with Schilling for good after he posted a picture of an overweight man wearing a wig and women’s clothing, it said, “LET HIM IN! #WhoIs #Baseball #CurtSchilling #News #NowThis #NowThisNewsConnect with NowThis» Like us on Facebook: http://go.nowth.is/News_Facebook» Tweet us on Twitter: http://go.nowth.is/News_Twitter» Follow us on Instagram: http://go.nowth.is/News_Instagram» Find us on Snapchat Discover: http://go.nowth.is/News_SnapchatNowThis is your premier news outlet providing you with all the videos you need to stay up to date on all the latest in trending news. From entertainment to politics, to viral videos and breaking news stories, we’re delivering all you need to know straight to your social feeds. We live where you live.http://www.youtube.com/nowthisnews@nowthisnews

More Videos