Only BTS’s V could show up at a Dodgers game, throw a ceremonial pitch, meet Shohei Ohtani, crash the MLB website, and still end up getting “criticized” because—wait for it—he drank Coca-Cola. Yes, you read that right. Apparently sipping a soda in public is now a punishable offense when you’re Kim Taehyung.
Clips of him holding the soda went viral, but not for the reason you’d expect. Instead of people saying “Wow, even drinking Coke looks glamorous when V does it,” the criticism came fast, tied to the #BoycottCoke movement and global calls to stop supporting the brand due to its political associations. X posts mocked fans who previously defended him with excuses like, “Oh, it’s probably just a Korean brand sponsorship,” or “Maybe it’s not the global Coke.” Well, he was in LA, holding the real deal, and the internet was quick to pounce.
Comments like, “Y’all have no excuses now” and “Do you think he flew Coke in from Korea?” flooded timelines. And of course, hashtags like #FreePalestine and #BoycottCoke were attached, turning what was supposed to be a fun baseball cameo into yet another internet battleground.
Here’s the thing: Taehyung wasn’t making a political statement. He wasn’t endorsing Coke as a brand ambassador. He was at a ballgame in Los Angeles, where soda is basically part of the ticket price. Did people really expect him to pull out a mason jar of ethically sourced kombucha from his jacket? The man was just thirsty.
Fans were quick to defend him, pointing out that idols live under a microscope where even the most normal behavior becomes “controversy.” Meanwhile, the same critics conveniently forget that thousands of celebrities sip branded drinks every day without headlines. But because it’s V, suddenly a Coke cup turns into a global debate.
At the end of the day, this isn’t about a soda. It’s about the fact that BTS members can’t move without every action being politicized, scrutinized, and twisted into a bigger narrative. Taehyung didn’t “fail” anyone by drinking Coke—he reminded us that he’s human, and humans sometimes grab the drink in front of them.
So let’s call this what it is: another case of nitpicking disguised as moral outrage. V went to a baseball game, looked incredible, threw a stylish pitch, met a legend, and—gasp—had a Coke. If that’s enough to break the internet, maybe the problem isn’t what’s in his cup, but what’s in everyone else’s.
