By Perry Green, AFRO Sports Editor
ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro recently told the media that his network will not televise the National Anthem during their broadcast of NFL games.
Pitaro hosted reporters at his network’s facility in Bristol, Connecticut last Friday, where he emphasized how ESPN has never been a political organization and has never aired the playing of the anthem during its Monday Night Football show and plans to keep it that way.
(Courtesy Photo/NFL.com)
“If you ask me is there a false narrative out there, I will tell you ESPN being a political organization is false. I will tell you I have been very, very clear with employees here that it is not our jobs to cover politics, purely,” Axios reporter Sara Fisher tweeted, quoting Pitaro. “ESPN is NOT a political organization. It’s not our job to politics, purely, but we’ll cover the intersection of sports and politics. When something happens, when Eagles disinvited from White House, when someone takes a knee, if we think newsworthy we’re going to cover it.”
The showing of the National Anthem first became a political controversy when former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began taking a knee during the 2016 season in protest of racism and police brutality. Several players across the league soon joined in, keeping the polarizing form of protest alive through three seasons.
Pro-police groups and right-wing supporters have criticized players for what they deem as disrespect to the military and emergency first responders, though players have constantly stated that their protest isn’t about the military but instead to point out the social and racial injustices in the U.S.
ESPN has been accused of being a left-wing organization that gave platforms to liberal-minded personalities like former SportsCenter anchor Jemele Hill, who publicly blasted President Donald Trump after he criticized players for kneeling in peaceful protest. That explains why Pitaro has been pushing to remove the political stigma from over ESPN’s head since he took over for former network president John Skipper back in May.
Pitaro said he recently reminded the NFL that they won’t won’t be airing the anthem during MNF, according to Axios, “as a courtesy given their business relationship.” Per NFL.com, ESPN pays roughly $2 billion per year for the rights to broadcast NFL games on Monday nights.
