Posted on 08/23/2017 5:46:05 AM PDT by Enlightened1
A commentator named Robert Lee was scheduled to call a football game in Charlottesville, Virginia, but the coincidence that he shares a name with Confederate general Robert E. Lee caused ESPN to reverse course.
Lee was set to announce the University of Virginia's game against William and Mary but was moved to Youngstown State at Pittsburgh, sources inside ESPN told sportswriter Clay Travis of the "Outkick the Coverage" sports news blog. Considering the lack of connection between the general and the announcer, Travis found the episode indicative of the ESPN's increasing tendency toward political correctness.
"Is there anything more pathetic than ESPN believing people would be offended by an Asian guy named Robert Lee sharing a name with Robert E. Lee and calling a football game?" Travis wrote.
ESPN confirmed the report in a statement Tuesday night, saying that "in that moment it felt right."
"We collectively made the decision with Robert to switch games as the tragic events in Charlottesville were unfolding, simply because of the coincidence of his name," ESPN's statement reads. "In that moment it felt right to all parties. It’s a shame that this is even a topic of conversation and we regret that who calls play by play for a football game has become an issue."
"This makes it a bigger story than it ever would have been," Travis said on "Tucker Carlson Tonight" Tuesday, arguing that Lee announcing the game would have led to little more than Twitter jokes.
"Instead we are talking about how absurd this decision is for ESPN for days to come," he said.
"Does ESPN really believe people are this dumb or that having an Asian announcer named Robert Lee is too offensive for the average TV viewer to handle?" Travis wrote. "Yes, yes they do."
(Excerpt) Read more at freebeacon.com ...
ESN insanity rules.
ESPN insanity rules.
Make sure you let them know how stupid they are—time for a “teaching moment”.
You can contact them at:
http://www.espn.com/espn/news/story?page=contact-index
I wasn’t aware Gen. Robert E. Lee was any part Chinese. The announcer is. I just can’t seem to match the resemblance. It must have been on his mother’s side.
rwood
Is Mark Jones one of the announcers at the UVA game? If so, they better remove him because he may remind people of Confederate General William “Grumble” Jones.
Watching any game on ESPN is why God invented the mute button.
To All Broadcast, Cable News and Sports Networks:
During the Civil War, there was a secret, “second” Vice President of the Confederacy named Keith Olbermann. You should act accordingly before it’s too late....
What’s that? All of you have fired him at least once and would never hire him again?
Never mind.
I don’t have an ESPN account for logging in to their Contact page. Otherwise, I would shoot them such an “insanely critical” e-mail they’d think about calling 911.
thats just it......they wont
That picture freaking awesome!
I think Trump is purposefully pushing the left to where the lunacy will be so evident, no one will pay attention to them anymore.
He should change his name to Ray J. Johnson!
I have a nephew named Robert Lee (my maiden name). I guess he might as well die. /s
If espn has any money left I wish Mr. Lee well in suing espn into the dust as they so richly deserve for their colossal ignorance.
Does anyone really watch sports of any kind for political inspiration? I dont watch it at all for my own reasons but if I did I would stop because of their political agenda. I see enough of that from drones who are far more informed than the likes of espn or kaepernik or whatever the heck his name is.
Good Lord.
In response, I will slug anyone I meet named Carl Marx.
File under “You can’t make this shit up”.
It felt right in the moment. I’d like anyone who just cheated on their wife to use that excuse after they are caught.
Just another reason I haven’t watched ESPN other than for a UK basketball/football game in years. I watch the game if it is on their network. I don’t watch the pre-game or post-game and I haven’t watched Sports Center in 15 yrs.
And they wonder why they are bleeding viewers. Just total buffoons and so hypocritical and two faced.
There is a 84 year old country singer named Stonewall Jackson who has 44 hit country songs and 7 hit country albums.. In spite of his success in a singing career that began in 1956, he is not in the Country Music Hall of Fame. I think the Country Music Association should consider him and put him in the Country Music Hall of Fame, if an argument could be made that his accomplishments in Country Music are good enough for the Hall of Fame. This would give a big fat finger to those who want to tear down confederate monuments.
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