Pirates pitcher Jameson Taillon took a break from his offseason routine over the weekend to stop by the 2018 X Games in Aspen, Colo. The 26-year-old right-hander was representing Major League Baseball on behalf of the Shred Hate bullying-prevention initiative.
More than 10 million students report being bullied each year in the U.S., according to a study by the Center for Disease Control and the U.S. Department of Education, and the Shred Hate initiative aims at addressing that issue.
"Because of what I do, I'm given a platform to speak out, and I know kids look up to me and look up to all athletes, so it's my duty to speak out," Taillon said.