Summary: ESPN is back in the news—not for its perpetually declining ratings, but because of comments by two female anchors. Jemele Hill caused a stir when she called President Trump a “white supremacist” and identified his close associates in the same terms. Linda Cohn, a longtime anchor, observed—accurately—that some viewers may be tuning ESPN out because of its left-leaning coverage. ESPN reacted differently to the two journalists, issuing a statement about Hill, while suspending Cohn. There’s a strange double standard operating in American culture today. If athletes and celebrities voice progressive views, they’re activists for social justice. They get a gold star. But if they support anything right of center, they’re often labelled as politically divisive, and they get sidelined. Tons of viewers turn to ESPN for dunks, heroic comebacks, and witty exchanges. Maybe the network should leave the idea-silencing to police states. There may still be time to “Make ESPN Great Again.” Maybe.
