Despite admitting that it has gone too far to the left by mixing liberal politics with its sports commentary, ESPN announced the return of liberal-ranter Keith Olbermann to the network to host a 25th anniversary special on ESPN Radio.
Olbermann is set to host a two-hour special celebrating ESPN Radio’s 25th anniversary, which airs on January 4th with guests Tony Bruno and Chuck Wilson, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
ESPN fired Olbermann, known for his tirades against Republicans, in 2015 when the network reportedly wanted him to talk about sports and lay off the wild-eyed political commentary. Also part of ESPN radio from 2005 to 2007, Olbermann served as a co-host on the “Dan Patrick Show” during that period.
But the move comes even after ESPN ombudsman Jim Brady admitted that the network has lost fans, in part, because of its continuing left-wing slant. Brady welcomed a better representation of conservative views on the network saying, “If ESPN continues to let its personalities debate the issues of the day but finds a way to better balance those conversations, it will be richer for it. In more ways than one.”
Olbermann recently signed on with GQ magazine to host a very little-seen YouTube show he calls “The Resistance,” where he launches spittle-specked attacks on President-elect Donald Trump week in and week out.
Recently, for instance, Olbermann lapsed into wild conspiracy theories saying the U.S. had just suffered a “coup” by the Russians, and in another launched a passive-aggressive effort demanding that liberals refuse to call Trump our president.
ESPN is hardly alone in worrying about liberal bias driving viewers and customers away. During the summer CNN’s Jeff Zucker called it “legitimate criticism” that his network leaned too liberal.
And after the recent election, even The New York Times apologized for its hopelessly-biased coverage of the 2016 campaign and promised to “rededicate” the paper to honest reporting.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.
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