ESPN is in a constant tailspin.
The pioneering sports network has become bloated and stale due to its commitment to social justice.
ESPN lost 500,000 subscriptions in April alone, and the latest rant from one of its hosts certainly won’t help matters.
ESPN’s new program “Get Up!” has been a ratings disaster. Co-host Mike Greenberg swore to audiences the show wouldn’t be political, but of course he was wrong.
Co-host Jalen Rose posted a tweet mocking Shania Twain after the Canadian singer said she would’ve voted for Trump during an impromptu interview.
Now co-cost Michelle Beadle, who has clashed with other network personalities on female-related topics, climbed on her soapbox to lecture men in society about bad behavior.
The rant came in response to a story about the Washington Redskins cheerleaders being mistreated during a photo shoot.
From Sports Illustrated:
Multiple former Washington Redskins cheerleaders spoke to the New York Times and outlined a 2013 trip to Costa Rica where they were allegedly required to be topless for a calendar shoot and “picked” to be personal escorts.
The photo shoot was held at the adults-only Occidental Grand Papagayo resort on Culebra Bay. Even though topless photographs would not be used in the calendar itself, some of the cheerleaders were required to remove their shirt. Furthermore, the team invited an all-male contingent of sponsors and FedEx Field suite holders to spectate, according to The New York Times.
In another instance, the cheer squad’s director told nine of the 36 cheerleaders to be personal escorts at a nightclub, hand-picked by male sponsors.
“So get back to your room and get ready,” the director told them.
Several of them began to cry, according to the Times report.
“They weren’t putting a gun to our heads, but it was mandatory for us to go,” one of the cheerleaders told the NYT. “We weren’t asked, we were told. Other girls were devastated because we knew exactly what she was doing.”
The cheerleader’s participation did not involve sexual activity, but many cheerleaders said they felt uncomfortable and felt like the team was “pimping us out.”
“It’s just not right to send cheerleaders out with strange men when some of the girls clearly don’t want to go,” one cheerleader who was there told the Times. “But unfortunately, I feel like it won’t change until something terrible happens, like a girl is assaulted in some way, or raped. I think teams will start paying attention to this only when it’s too late.”
[…]
On Thursday, the Redskins issued the following statement:
“The Redskins organization is very concerned by the allegations involving our cheerleaders in the recent New York Times article. We are immediately looking into this situation and want to express how serious we take these allegations. Based on the dialogue we’ve had with a number of current and former cheerleaders over the past 48 hours, we’ve heard very different first-hand accounts that directly contradict many of the details of the May 2 article. I can promise that once we have completed looking into this matter, if it is revealed that any of our employees acted inappropriately, those employees will face significant repercussions.
“Our entire organization has great appreciation and respect for our cheerleaders. From the work they do in the local community, to visiting our troops abroad, and for always representing the Redskins organization in a first-class manner, these women are exemplary members of our organization and are worthy of our utmost respect. We are proud of these women and support them during this time. We will continue to take all necessary measures to create a safe and respectful work environment.”
If the allegations are true, there should absolutely be repercussions for such inappropriate behavior.
However, Beadle took it a step further.
From Breitbart:
Thursday on ESPN’s “Get Up,” co-host Michelle Beadle reacted to the report that Washington Redskins cheerleaders were required to partake in a topless photo shoot during an event held in Costa Rica in 2013.
“I don’t need women to change what they’re doing,” Beadle stated. “I need men to change what they’re doing.”
“There is a fundamental lack of education starting at a young age for boys in this country about how you are supposed to treat girls that grow up to be women. … It’s a societal problem. It doesn’t just mean cheerleaders, it means women in the office, women that serve you your food.”
The irony of Beadle’s outrage is that the social politics of the left is largely to blame for this type of culture.
Feminists have spent decades downplaying the importance of fathers, and mocking “antiquated” notions of chivalry and decency.
Labeling all masculinity as “toxic” doesn’t get rid of men who behave poorly.