ESPN told its hosts not to wade into political controversies. Then host Jemele Hill lectured America on lecturing Muslims on anti-gay bigotry in the wake of the mass-shooting by an ISIS supporter at a gay nightclub in Orlando.
She didn’t get Curt Schillinged. People pledging their Keith Olbermannship rarely do.
Alex Reimer noted at Forbes that ESPN insists that Hill complied with its politics policy and noticed at Forbes that “it seems as if [ESPN] policy has a double standard.” Ya think?
The Twittericans noticed the double standard, too. They let Hill know about it. Hill fired back.
The critics seem less desirous of ESPN firing a woman they pay for idiotic opinions for giving idiotic opinions off the clock on social media than with the hypocrisy of firing Curt Schilling for offering his opinion on a hot-button issue off the clock on social media. The outspoken liberal keeps her job for the same non-offense that cost the outspoken conservative his job. The Schilling effect has a chilling effect, and, one gathers, that’s ESPN’s point. It’s a small world, after all—at least it is when Disney diversity means hosts who look different but think the same.
Whatever the bold print of ESPN’s policy says, the penumbras and space between the lines clearly says the Bristol brass doesn’t tolerate controversial opinions that also pass as conservative opinions, which make them super-controversial controversial opinions. Abby Wambach can gain a employment at the Worldwide Leader in Hypocrisy after campaigning for Hillary Clinton and advocating for transgenders competing against the opposite sex in sports, Jemele Hill can tastelessly politicize a tragedy before we know the body count not fearing cancellation, and Tony Kornheiser can Tony Kornheiser every day without the censor’s muzzle wrapping around his mouth, but Curt Schilling gets canned after ridiculing males using the women’s restroom and Mike Ditka receives a demotion after criticizing the president? To quote an ESPN catchphrase, “C’mon, man!”
“We have no tolerance for points of view that aren’t inclusive,” ESPN President John Skipper maintained last month. “We have a diverse culture. We are very focused on making sure everybody can exist comfortably and succeed in that culture. That’s what we have no tolerance for and I don’t care of what the politics of a person who has such an attitude are.”
Translation? Say anything you want as long as you agree with your left-wing crackpot Disney overlords.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.