Liberal sports host Dan Le Batard is complaining about white people again.
asserted
Batard → complain → people
This time, he is expressing his frustration with ESPN paying certain white people more money than he'd like.
asserted
he → express → money
"Since George Floyd, the company of ESPN and the country of the United States were promising some sort of change over the last five years.
asserted
company → promise → years
But what has happened with the NFL Network and ESPN ... having put a whole bunch of white people in charge of how to select the next evolution of ESPN, this is what happened.
asserted
what → happen → ESPN
I want to ask you guys if anyone is noticing this.
asserted
anyone → want → this
Have you noticed that the people at ESPN who are getting the chances and big money ... are Joe Buck, Pat McAfee, Josh Pate, Rich Eisen, the Golics, Jason Kelce, Peter Schrager and the Mannings?
asserted
who → notice → chances
"As the money flows in to fund [ESPN], that is now sitting out the political discussion that it's a whole lot of white people hiring a whole lot of white people and giving the money to a whole lot of white people ... it
asserted
it → flow → people
Has anyone noticed that?
asserted
anyone → notice → that
"
To answer his question, no. Most people have not noticed that.
asserted
people → answer → that
For one, normal people don't count the number of white and black people on television.
asserted
people → count → television
They don't care.
asserted
They → care → ?
More importantly, however, people haven't noticed what Le Batard is describing because his premise is false.
asserted
premise → notice → what
Consider the names Le Batard cites.
asserted
Batard → consider → names
He lists Joe Buck and Pat McAfee among ESPN's highest-paid talents.
asserted
He → list → talents
Last year, Smith signed a five-year, $100 million contract extension with the company.
asserted
Smith → sign → company
Because McAfee signed a licensing deal, Smith is ESPN's highest-paid full-time employee.
asserted
Smith → sign → deal
ESPN did bring back Mike Golic and Mike Golic Jr. this year, as Le Batard mentions.
asserted
Batard → bring → Golic
But their inclusion in his argument is questionable because they returned on relatively minor deals to host a radio-only program.
asserted
they → return → program
If Le Batard is going to mention them, he should also acknowledge that ESPN brought back Stan Verrett, a black commentator with a long history of toxic, embarrassing social media posts.
asserted
ESPN → go → posts
The Mannings are also on a licensing deal, as are Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal, who host "Inside the NBA" during the NBA Finals.
asserted
who → host → Finals
The point isn't that ESPN has failed to pay star white talent—it has.
asserted
it → fail → talent
The point is that Le Batard has selectively cherry-picked those deals to construct an argument about racial bias that doesn't withstand even modest scrutiny.
asserted
that → pick → scrutiny
In fact, there might not be another media network in the country, other than BET, that has prioritized excluding white people from its hiring practices as much as ESPN has over the past decade.
uncertain
ESPN → prioritize → decade
The "change" Le Batard describes is that ESPN no longer entirely excludes white men from the hiring and promotion process, as it once did.
asserted
it → describe → process
After George Floyd died in 2020, talent agents recognized that ESPN would not promote any white male, regardless of his qualifications or fit for the role.
asserted
ESPN → die → role
The company gave nearly every new promotion to a black employee.
asserted
company → give → employee
Look at the commentators ESPN promoted during that period: Malika Andrews, Monica McNutt, Elle Duncan, Clinton Yates, Andraya Carter, Chiney Ogwumike, Ryan Clark, Marcus Spears, David Dennis Jr. and Christine Williamson.
asserted
ESPN → look → period
ESPN has since recognized that this overtly racist approach was not sustainable, particularly because most of its audience is white men.
asserted
most → recognize → audience
For the most part, the network now elevates and pays those whom management believes deserve it, regardless of their skin color.
asserted
management → elevate → color
ESPN's most prominently promoted talent over the past year includes McAfee, Stephen A., Schrager, Jason McCourty, Josh Pate, Mina Kimes and Malika Andrews.
asserted
talent → promote → McAfee
However, because that group is about 50% white, Dan Le Batard has an issue — or pretends to.
asserted
Batard → have → issue
We don't find Le Batard's outrage genuine.
asserted
outrage → find → ?
If he were truly concerned about a media network hiring too many white people, he would run his own media company far differently.
asserted
he → hire → company
From what we can tell, Le Batard's Meadowlark Media has just one full-time black employee: a producer named Roy Bellamy.
asserted
Media → tell → employee
Everyone else at his company, which may have up to 40 total employees, is white, and mostly male.
uncertain
which → have → employees
OutKick asked Le Batard that question on Thursday via text message:
"Hi, Dan.
asserted
OutKick → ask → message
I have two questions:
- Why did you leave out all of the black employees ESPN recently hired and paid big money?
- You own your own media company, yet just one of your nearly 40 employees is black.
asserted
one → have → employees
Why are you counting the skin colors of ESPN employees with such little diversity at your own company?
asserted
you → count → company
By the way, happy to re-schedule that interview your rep scheduled with me any time."
asserted
rep → re → me
Le Batard did not respond as of publication.
asserted
Batard → respond → publication
…and 18 more, not listed.
The Aporia
