In 2017, new ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro vowed to depoliticize the ESPN brand. Quite frankly, the company has dropped the ball. The political hypocrisy inside the company is staggering.
And now, ESPN has invited back the most politically toxic commentator in its history.
On Thursday, Jemele Hill will make her return to ESPN as part of the farewell tour for “Around the Horn.” The network has released several promos in advance:
ESPN says Hill is only appearing one time to celebrate the show’s legacy. Sure, but including her directly undermines Pitaro’s mission and re-emphasizes the perception of a liberal bias.
Jemele Hill isn’t known as a former sports reporter anymore. She is known as a far-left racial propagandist. Her brand isn’t just political, it’s toxic.
A week before the election, she called white men the “worse [sic] thing in America.” She then argued that American people should “not trust white women” like they should black women.
Is that so?
Hill recently condemned the Los Angeles Dodgers for visiting the White House and falsely accused Donald Trump of trying to bring back segregation. She called the current sitting president a “white supremacist” and Elon Musk the “Nazi-in-Chief.”
The list goes on and on. Heck, she recently accused ESPN of canceling her show in an attempt to “de-blackify” the company. Yet ESPN invited her back to its airwaves? (Her show was canceled because of bad ratings. Bomani Jones-level bad.)
Moreover, Hill is not synonymous with the history of “Around the Horn.” She was neither an original member nor one of its most popular panelists. ESPN didn’t need to include her.
Even if Hill sticks to sports on “Around the Horn,” the association with her is damning. She is a cancer. She has built an entire career around anti-white racism and faux racial hysteria.
Plus, sports fans agree. Nearly every project Hill has undertaken since leaving ESPN has failed–from her television show on Vice to her show on truTV, from her memoir to her podcast.
She’s a wannabe Joy Reid, whom even MSNBC viewed as too destructive.
Imagine the reaction if ESPN brought Jason Whitlock (a Christian conservative) or Will Cain (a supporter of Donald Trump) back for an episode of “PTI” or “First Take?”
And therein lies the hypocrisy.
Jimmy Pitrao contradicted his own promise to employees, shareholders, and consumers by allowing Jemele back on air. He deserves criticism for that.
