The events in Charlottesville involving white supremacists earlier this month have had a major impact across the country. One such influence apparently came within the halls of ESPN and, while it was far less important than much of the fallout, the worldwide leader produced an interesting and, at least in the minds of some, bizarre decision.
ESPN elected to remove college football announcer Robert Lee from a scheduled broadcast of a Sept. 2 game between William & Mary and Virginia that is scheduled to take place in Charlottesville, to get ahead of potential criticism regarding his name and the controversy around confederate monuments. The network released a statement after receiving backlash to the move. (via Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated)
“We collectively made the decision with Robert to switch games as the tragic events in Charlottesville were unfolding, simply because of the coincidence of his name. In that moment it felt right to all parties. It’s a shame that this is even a topic of conversation and we regret that who calls play by play for a football game has become an issue.”
It is easy to see what ESPN was thinking here and Deitsch, in speaking with ESPN’s Keri Potts, brings word that the network did not “mandate that Robert Lee change his assignment,” but that it was a mutual decision. On one hand, it makes sense that ESPN would want to distance itself even from the association with the name of Robert E. Lee during that particular broadcast given the location.
On the other, this could be an example of overreaction ahead of time, simply because Robert Lee (the ESPN broadcaster) is not a household name and the game would be taking place in relative obscurity. Among those to see the decision as ridiculous was ESPN’s own Bob Ley, one of the longest tenured and well respected ESPN on-air employees.
Rather worried my employee ID/pass may not admit me in the AM. Life, as scripted by @OnionSports.
— Bob Ley (@BobLeyESPN) August 23, 2017
Reaction to this type of thing will likely be divided by certain political beliefs or leanings, especially in light of ESPN receiving criticism for being left-leaning. At the end of the day, this doesn’t matter in the slightest but that won’t stop those who disagree from getting fired up in defiance and those who agree from backing ESPN up on the choice.
