In 1984, Show revealed that he was a member of the John Birch Society. When people asked whether Show's membership in the far-right organization indicated that he was racist, teammate Tony Gwynn defended Show against such charges. Show's agent, Arn Tellem, said that his membership in the group was part of his search for answers about how the world worked. After Show gave up Rose's record-breaking hit, Graig Nettles wisecracked, "The Birch Society is going to expel Eric for making a Red famous."