ESPN's insane business model is to use television, radio, websites, social media and the ESPY Awards to insult its ever-shrinking consumer base. This bizarre strategy makes social justice friends, while lowering viewership to pathetic levels. Sports reporter Adrian Wojnarowski just joined ESPN's club of political firebrands by telling a Republican member of the U.S. Senate to “fuck off,” and though he and the network apologized, a colleague supports him.
As Howie Kussay of the New York Post explains it, U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver criticizing the league’s dreadful relationship with the Chinese communists. Wojnarowski, "The NBA’s most prominent reporter offered a blunt response to the Republican":
“F–k you,' wrote ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski — who didn’t use dashes in his writing — after being included in a press release with details of the letter."
Sen. Hawley posted a screenshot of the email, tweeting, “Don’t criticize #China or express support for law enforcement to @espn. It makes them real mad.”
ESPN and "Woj" quickly posted apologies. ESPN says it isn't political, but its radicals haven't gotten the message yet and the network keeps having to apologize for them, ala Dan LeBatard and former SportsCenter anchor Jemele Hill.
Hawley responded to the ESPN statement, “Don’t make @wojespn apologize. He’s just saying what he really thinks. Call out the @NBA. You know, your job.”
Kussoy says it isn't known if Woj will be disciplined by the network, adding:
"As the NBA readies for its restart to the season at the end of July, the league is allowing players to showcase any of 29 approved social justice messages on their playing jerseys, such as, 'Equality,' 'Black Lives Matter,' 'Vote' and 'I Can’t Breathe.' However, the league limited statements to an approved list, which excluded any commentary regarding China."
In his letter to Silver, Hawley inquired whether “Free Hong Kong” could also be featured on the back of players’ jerseys. The NBA’s “free expression appears to stop at the edge of your corporate sponsors’ sensibilities," Sen. Hawley wrote.
Another ESPN broadcaster, Maria Taylor, is supporting her colleague's bad behavior. She tweeted that she “will always stand with” Wojnarowski:
“I don’t care what anyone says I will always stand with, by, and, for my incredible colleague & friend @wojespn."
That's ESPN's problem in a nutshell: too many on-air personalities don't care what people think and these social justice warriors continue the cycle of alienating the base and apologizing. People are fed up and tuning out. Newsbusters reported last month that ESPN's highest rated program, First Take, ranked 93rd among all cable programs, taking a wicked beating from National Geographic's Smuggler: Secret Stash, the Cartoon Network's Craig of the Creek and many other programs. Several ESPN programs did not even register a blip on the radar of cable TV's top 150 shows.
So go ahead, ESPN progressives, speak your mind. To fewer and fewer people willing to stomach your far-Left politics and bad behavior.
