Dan Le Batard made some waves this past spring, criticizing ESPN for giving a slew of promotions and raises to “a whole lot of white people” rather than being more diverse. And while ESPN vehemently denied this in a subsequent statement, Le Batard doubled down this week.
On Tuesday’s edition of his show, the longtime pundit once again declared that “white people” and specifically “white men” are receiving the lucrative contract extensions at ESPN.
“ESPN, you already made your statement. It doesn’t come out on a Friday afternoon. You already made the statement,” Le Batard said. “This is not an arguable thing, unless you’re just looking to argue. Because what’s untrue about what I’m saying here, when I say where the money and the platforms [are] going to? And you won’t be able to disprove it on, the people making the decisions there, all white. All of them. That one’s not up for dispute. I’m talking about these platforms and this money, the tens of millions of dollars that are being given. And who’s getting the shows. Not, do you get to appear as part of somebody else’s shows. Who’s getting the shows? White people. White men.”
What about Stephen A. Smith?
Naturally, the topic of ESPN’s longtime and highly-paid employee Stephen A. Smith was brought up. But Le Batard seemed to dismiss him as an example.
“I’m talking about the next evolution of football. I’m talking about the NFL Network, and the NFL in general, which cannot be trusted on matters of race,” Le Batard said. “When they come in and own 10 percent of ESPN, I’m talking about the next evolution of how you get young people. I’m watching (Monday night) at halftime; it’s Kelce, McAfee, it’s Scott Van Pelt. That’s where the big money and the big platforms are going.”
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Le Batard warned that the next round of layoffs at ESPN could wind up being “all white people choosing white people” as talent to retain at the network. He challenged anyone to prove him wrong and declared that ESPN just wants “mullets and sleeveless shirts” and “SEC football fans” as its audience.
“I’m talking about the next evolution, because there are going to be more layoffs here,” Le Batard said. “What it looks like next is being shown to you now. And it’s all white people choosing white people. I’m gonna say it again: Not an opinion. The biggest platforms and the biggest money, the shows are going to the white people. Hard stop. It’s not arguable.”
“I’ll welcome anybody who can prove to me that what I’m saying is not so. They are going for mullets and sleeveless shirts. They are going for SEC football fans.”
Shots fired.
