In his postmortem of last week's massive layoffs by ESPN, The Nation’s Dave Zirin has unleashed a caustic attack on any media that would dare criticize the sports network with charges of liberal bias.
If you see any article that tries to blame ESPN’s economic struggles on the “liberal” tilt of the network, use those to line your birdcage. First, it’s not true. Second, it seems to be a reaction to the fact that ESPN actually has a laudable commitment to diversity and putting women, black people, and people of color in positions to actually talk about sports. This sends the alt-right sewers of the Internet and their minions at publications like the National Review into fits of hysterics. It’s an unserious argument made by unserious people.
This is the same kind of audience-insulting defiance that is costing ESPN millions of viewers. A new poll just revealed 61 percent of survey respondents view ESPN as, not "alt" Left, but downright “liberal.” This figure is significantly higher than the national population and demonstrates an in-your-face, take-it-or-leave-it mentality that’s turned off legions of Americans.
There are none so blind as those who just won’t see the truth. Zirin, the ESPN apologist, is wearing those blinders, writing:
The layoffs of over 100 people at ESPN, including some of their most recognizable and accomplished journalists, has shaken the sports world and created what for non-sports fans must be a puzzling level of grief across social media.
Actually … for many sports fans the layoffs at ESPN served as confirmation of their view that the network has gone off the rails. It was anything but “a puzzling level of grief.”
Zirin also said: “It is worth explaining what we are losing, and what it says about my profession as well as the ruptured wall between journalism and entertainment.
Seriously? No, the ruptured wall is between journalism and activism.
Zirin wrote that ESPN dismissed some of its “best shoe-leather reporters,” Ethan Strauss among them. Strauss, who covered the Golden State Warriors for ESPN, was one of the more biased and one of the very few leftists cut loose. Many of the most strident leftists survived the chopping block and are still spewing their bias at ESPN.
Another of Zirin’s unsupportable claims is that:
The line between entertainment and journalism at ESPN has never been fuzzier. This hurts, because for all ESPN’s faults, its journalism has been critical to expanding the conversation on issues ranging from domestic violence in sports to concussions in the NFL. When ESPN covers these topics, they are more likely to become part of a national conversation.
There is no controversy on concussions and domestic violence. The concern with ESPN is that it clearly sacrifices journalism at the altar of left-wing activism – most notably this year on politics and transgenderism. Which is hardly needed at a sports network when the Washington Post, New York Times, CBS, CNN, ABC, NBC, MSNBC, et al are providing cost-free advocacy for Planned Parenthood, LGBT pressure groups, the Democratic Party and all their radical friends.
Those who want the Left’s talking points of the day know where to get them. The rest of us should not get it thrown in our face on ESPN. We're sports fans; we want sports. Conservatives don't want to watch documentaries about college basketball with inclusions of former President Bill Clinton anymore than liberal golf fans want to watch inclusions of President Donald Trump. Stick to sports!
