Disney has become infested with wokeness.
And the leftist politics have trickled down to subsidiaries like ESPN.
Now an ESPN host made one comment about Barack Obama and something jaw-dropping happened.
Within the last decade, ESPN has decided to infuse progressive politics into its sports coverage.
In one example of many, First Take host Stephen A. Smith walked off the set in protest after the Boston Celtics promoted head coach Brad Stevens to general manager; Smith believed it was “white privilege” that landed Stevens the job.
Many conservative voices have been purged from the network including Mike Ditka, Curt Schilling, and Britt McHenry.
One conservative who’s lasted at the network is SportsCenter anchor Sage Steele.
Steele recently got in trouble for what she said on a podcast with former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler.
Steele shared her frustration with being forced to get the COVID vaccine as a condition of her employment.
Now Steele is under fire for a passing comment she made about Barack Obama.
Steele—who is biracial—discussed how she wanted to fill out the U.S. Census and told Cutler:
“If they make you choose a race, she’s like ‘What are you going to put?’ And I go, ‘Both.’ And she’s like, ‘Well, you can’t’…She goes, ‘Barack Obama chose Black and he’s biracial.’ And I’m like, ‘Congratulations to the president. That’s his thing. I think that’s fascinating considering his Black dad was nowhere to be found and his White mom and grandma raised him, but hey, you do you. I’m gonna do me.’”
Mentioning Obama with even a hint of criticism will undoubtedly draw the ire of the corporate press.
ESPN acted swiftly and yanked Steele off the air.
The company said in a statement:
“At ESPN, we embrace different points of view — dialogue and discussion makes this place great. That said, we expect that those points of view be expressed respectfully, in a manner consistent with our values, and in line with our internal policies…We are having direct conversations with Sage, and those conversations will remain private.”
Sage was forced to apologize, so she might be able to hold onto her job.
Steele said in statement:
“I know my recent comments created controversy for the company, and I apologize. We are in the midst of an extremely challenging time that impacts all of us, and it’s more critical than ever that we communicate constructively and thoughtfully.”
Conversely, far-left former ESPN host Jemele Hill was given considerable latitude to spout off about politics.
Hill famously called Donald Trump a “white supremacist” on Twitter (even though her own mother voted for him) and did not receive a suspension for her comments.
Hill was only reprimanded after she called for a boycott of major corporations in order to get back at Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones for stance on the anti-American anthem protests.
The media culture has moved to the far left, and sports media is being dragged along with it.