Free speech is as synonymous with America as the bald eagle, Old Glory or a slugfest on the gridiron. However, this seemingly inborn right most Americans take for granted has fallen under attack in recent years.
The attack on free speech has often come directly from the left, and is focused squarely on conservative voices. This limitation, often in the form of violent intimidation from paid protesters, seems to only apply when the ideas expressed differ from those on the left. At least this appears to be the case when it comes to the free speech standards at ESPN, according to the most recent occurrence at the network.
What Happened at ESPN?
ESPN anchor and face of SC6 (a new version of SportsCenter with an urban overview) Jamele Hill was only mildly scolded if that after calling the seated president a “white supremacist” via a recent tweet. The tweet is listed below in its entirety:
“Donald Trump is a white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself with other white supremacists.”
For a bit of background, it’s worth noting that Hill is a fairly outspoken liberal who proudly displays photographs with Michelle and Barack Obama on her twitter page. It is not surprising based upon Hill’s personal point-of-view that she might feel less than generous towards the new president. However, her role as a public figure does demand some extra discretion, especially when it comes to basically calling the President of the United States of America a white supremacist.
After all, this wasn’t a tweet making fun of his hair or even criticizing his policies, it is instead a comment that condemns the very essence of who Trump is, at his very core.
What is a White Supremacist?
The term white supremacist or white supremacy are descriptions tossed around a great deal in the media today. Many people seem unable to agree on what the term truly means, but the official definition is pretty clear:
“A person who believes that the white race is inherently superior to other races and that white people should have control over people of other races.”
The KKK and the alt-right groups that have made their presence known around the country of late are perfect examples of what it means to live a lifestyle committed to white supremacy. To suggest the sitting president of the free world is anything remotely close to a white supremacist is ludicrous at best and dangerous at worst.
Due to the severity of the comment, one might assume ESPN acted swiftly and fired Hill. However, that wasn’t what happened at all.
The network said they gave Hill a “talking to” after her comments, and said that her sentiments did not represent ESPN.
Well, okay, so ESPN simply told her she was wrong and made a statement communicating this fact. That’s what they do for all such cases, right? Wrong. If the comments or beliefs are coming from a conservative perspective, the outcome is remarkably different.
ESPN’s Hostility is Nothing New
Curt Schilling, a former MLB star employed by the network was fired for expressing right-of-center views via social media. ESPN’s exact statement is listed below:
“ESPN is an inclusive company. Curt Schilling has been advised that his conduct was unacceptable and his employment with ESPN has been terminated.”
ESPN has also been complimentary of Colin Kaepernick and his ongoing protests during the National Anthem, removed an Asian-American broadcaster named Robert Lee from his assignment based on the fear that his name might offend someone and awarded their “Courage” award to Caitlyn Jenner for being transgender.
It’s obvious from the examples listed above as well as many others that ESPN is beginning to lean to the left politically. The question is why? After all, aren’t there just as many conservatives who enjoy watching sports if not more so than those who lean left? There might never be a truly defined reason behind the network’s actions, but former ESPN personality turn Fox Sports host Jason Whitlock has a theory.
“I think that ESPN has chosen a lane politically…there’s rumors that Bob Iger (the chairmen and CEO of Disney) wants to eventually run for president.”
Whether Whitlock’s theory is true or not is debatable. However, the truth remains that a divide exists between the way ESPN deals with conservative and liberal issues. The only thing this appears to succeed is alienating viewers and killing ratings.
~ Conservative Zone
