ESPN sportscaster Robert Lee (Photo via Twitter)
ESPN is under fire after announcing on Tuesday that officials are removing an announcer from its broadcast of the University of Virginia’s home opener football game because he coincidentally has the same name as a Confederate general whose statue ignited a deadly rally in Charlottesville.
Robert Lee, an Asian sportscaster, shares the name of Robert E. Lee, a top Confederate general who died in 1870.
White supremacists convened for a rally on August 12 in Charlottesville to protest the removal of the general’s statute (similar memorials are also being removed in other cities). The evening before the rally, they marched on UVA’s campus carrying torches and chanting things like “You will not replace us,” and “Jew will not replace us,” before a fight ensued with counter protesters.
ESPN and Lee made the decision together, according to an ESPN statement obtained by Outkick the Coverage, which first reported that the sportscaster will call the Youngstown State versus Pittsburgh game instead of UVA versus William and Mary. Both games will be live-streamed on ESPN’s ACC Network on September 2.
“We collectively made the decision with Robert to switch games as the tragic events in Charlottesville were unfolding, simply because of the coincidence of his name. In that moment it felt right to all parties.” ESPN officials said in the statement. “It’s a shame that this is even a topic of conversation and we regret that who calls play by play for a football game has become an issue.”
Freelance reporter Yashar Ali tweeted an email from ESPN senior VP of corporate communications Chris LaPlaca who said the decision had nothing to do with race, politics, or offending anyone. “It was about the reasonable possibility that because of his name he would be subjected to memes and jokes and who knows what else,” LaPlaca said.
Now, ESPN is the butt of the joke.
Hey Robert Iger. Your channel is being run by literal idiots. DO SOMETHING. https://t.co/5fpIalKLtK
— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) August 23, 2017
In an era of rampant stupidity, ESPN taking an Asian announcer named Robert Lee off a Virginia football game may be the dumbest idea ever.
— Mike Vaccaro (@MikeVacc) August 23, 2017
If this @espn Robert Lee story is true and we’re a book I think the title would have to be: ‘pandering for dummies’
your thoughts?— Charles V Payne (@cvpayne) August 23, 2017
YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING,@ESPN. Are you that STUPID & Alt-Left, that you pull an ASIAN-American bc his name is “Robert Lee”?? #ESPN pic.twitter.com/4obGl5ur9O
— Wild Bill (@wmmII88) August 23, 2017
I’m sitting here blown away about the ESPN Robert Lee story. You can’t make this shit up. Ron Burgundy is running ESPN.
— Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) August 23, 2017
If this society can’t tell the difference from “Robert E Lee” from 150+ years ago to an Asian sportscaster “Robert Lee” we are in trouble
— Eric Smith (@Eric_RaceReview) August 23, 2017
ESPN’s LaPlaca said that the reaction to their leaked decision is “reasonable proof that the meme/joke possibility is real.”
He said they were just trying to “be supportive of a young guy who felt it best to avoid the potential zoo.”
