Not even the world of sports is immune to wokeism.
Many athletes and networks are fully on board with the progressive agenda.
And a former ESPN commentator revealed the absurd reason he was fired.
Disney subsidiary ESPN has been going through a frustrating transformation.
Ever since around 2015, the network has become deeply concerned with pushing progressive values.
That’s one of the reasons why many non-woke personalities were purged from the network.
One of the people discarded in the purges was former quarterback and broadcaster Danny Kanell.
Kanell believes he was let go from ESPN for two reasons, and both of them are indicative of how far the “worldwide leader in sports” has fallen.
Kanell said:
“Possibly because the person who I upset the most was asking me to be suspended for a tweet because I was trolling the SEC…It did tick off somebody and even though I apologized, I don’t know if that person ever got over it. That person since that time rose up the ranks where they were really powerful and had some influence whether or not I was there.”
Deviating from the narrative can get people in trouble at corporate press entities.
Kanell’s second reason was even more infuriating.
He added:
“The other thing, I don’t know if it helped, even though it was a joke, was wearing the ‘Make Radio Great Again’ hat just because it was red and it appeared like a MAGA hat even though it wasn’t…I’m sure there were people that might have walked by a TV and double-take. One of those two things probably put the final nail in the coffin.”
Just being perceived as a Donald Trump supporter could be both figuratively and literally dangerous.
Kanell and many other non-progressives have been purged from ESPN.
Britt McHenry, Mike Ditka, Curt Schilling, Bob Ley, and several others were shown the door for having conservative views.
And sideline reporter Allison Williams was forced out because she refused to succumb to the company’s vaccination mandate.
Williams and her husband are attempting to have a second child, and she chose not to get the vaccine after consultation with her doctor.
Also, Williams already has antibodies for COVID after recovering from a mild case of the virus.
For whatever reason, the COVID regime does not want people discussing natural immunity, which has been shown to be a far better defense against the virus.
Fortunately for Williams, she landed on her feet with The Daily Wire, but many haven’t been so lucky after crossing the establishment.
As for Kanell, he hasn’t openly expressed his political views, but one thing is for sure: he is not woke.
He came under fire in 2015 for criticizing the “liberal media” war on football.
The war on football is real. Not sure source but concussion alarmists are loving it. Liberal media loves it. Doesn’t matter. It’s real.
— Danny Kanell (@dannykanell) December 8, 2015
No progressive would dare say something like that.
