Wow, a two-post day! I know, right?!?!
Actually, I’m trying to get back in the habit of sharing links on a more regular basis, with or without some commentary from me.
In this case, I’d like to address the stupidity that was ESPN removing broadcast Robert Lee from next week’s University of Virginia home football game. If you haven’t read about this, ESPN thought that they might get roasted for allowing an Asian-American with a name similar to the most famous Confederate army general call a game in Charlottesville, VA just a few weeks after the recent Nazi protests there. Well, many sides were protesting. Many sides. But there were a lot of fine people on all those sides.
Stupid is my best description of this decision. It was needless and bound to cause more problems than it would theoretically solve.
Fortunately, a couple other writers offered up takes that I A) agree with and B) do so better than I could.
First off, Will Leitch offers up 10 thoughts on the issue. I think his criticism of Clay Travis is especially spot-on, and can be applied to any number of bomb throwers in all parts of our media. They seem to exist only to find controversy that fits their world view. And if they can’t find it, they manufacture it.
Then over at the site Leitch created a dozen years ago, Barry Petchesky rakes ESPN over the coals. The whole piece is good, but the headline is especially brilliant.