Having learned nothing from Hispanics' broad rejection of its preachy agenda, Univision is now set to broadcast its own ESPY-like show. What could possibly go wrong?
From the corporate press release (emphasis mine):
“Premios Univision Deportes,” the premier sports award show for Hispanic America, will air live on Sunday, December 18 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT (7:00 p.m. CT) on Univision Network and UDN, as well as on the Univision Deportes app and Univision NOW. The award show will be hosted by beloved actor and TV personality Julián Gil and Liga MX coaching legend Miguel “Piojo” Herrera and will honor sports figures for their accomplishments on and off the field of play. “Sal y Pimienta’s” Karina Banda will share all the backstage action live on social media. A special red-carpet edition of “Sal y Pimienta” will air prior to the awards show at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT (6:00 p.m. Central).
It is now clear that, in the wake of a crushing political loss for Univision, the network will triple down on its platform-wide political agenda- and the quickest way to fill the largest gap in political programming is with a sports awards show á la ESPYs. Hence, the first thing to jump out was the "on and off the field" line, a key element of the ongoing politicization of sports coverage. "Off the field" is where the politicization of sports happens, as we have seen from coverage of Colin Kaepernick - just to name a very recent, prominent example.
This third annual Premios Univision Deportes show will be simulcast on both Univision and Univision Deportes (its broadest diffusion ever), and promises to offer its greatest-ever melding of sports and entertainment. Unlike the network's October 2016 GOTV concert "RiseUP As One", the award show will receive a more favorable Sunday night time slot.
It is unclear to me as to why "...the premier awards show for Hispanic America" sees fit to designate a standalone award for "El Tri (Mexican Men's National Soccer Team) Player Of The Year", but perhaps Univision Chief News/Entertainment/Digital Officer Isaac Lee can explain how this helps promote a more inclusive and tolerant society, yes?
In the meantime, the only remaining mystery surroundng Premios Univision Deportes will be as to the size of the safety pin worn by LeBron James when he collects his Basquebolista of the Year award.
They've still learned nothing.
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