ESPN says it will no longer broadcast pre-game ceremonies when it hosts “Monday Night Football” this NFL season, essentially depriving players who kneel in protest of the airtime they crave.
The network, owned by Disney, has been hemorrhaging viewers and a steep decline in fans tuning out of NFL games in order to avoid players’ protests hasn’t helped. Initially, the sports-driven network tried to double down on its commitment to openly discussing the political purpose behind player protests, but, it seems, they’re now reconsidering their network-wide commitment to promoting “social justice.”
“We generally have not broadcasted the anthem and I don’t think that will change this year. Our plan going into this year is to not broadcast the anthem,” ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro told an Axios reporter late Friday.
“Again that could change. It’s unpredictable what could happen in the world but as of now, we’re not,” he continued. “We have communicated that back to the league. They have not asked but as a courtesy and good partners, we have let them know what our plans are.” – READ MORE
[divider][/divider]On Thursday, Hall of Fame NFL coach Tony Dungy told USA TODAY Sports that the national anthem is not the time for players to protest and voice their concerns. Dungy explained that if he were still coaching, the optimal venue for his players’ voices to be heard would be a national press conference, which he argued would give them more attention anyway.
“As a coach, my challenge would be, well what’s the best way to help these guys get their message across?” said Dungy, now an NBC Sports analyst. “And the best way is not three minutes before the national anthem.”
“You want to raise awareness, I’m going to give you a much bigger platform,” he said. “Instead of just 65,000 people at the stadium, I’m going to give you access to millions of people, and it’ll be re-run and you’ll be able to articulate exactly what your point is. … I think most guys would say that is a better way.”- READ MORE
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