ESPN has come under fire for hosting an all-female version of the 11 p.m. ET edition of its flagship program “SportsCenter” on July 27—in what critics said exemplified the Disney-owned sports network’s wokeness.
The late-night episode, anchored by Nicole Briscoe and Elle Duncan, had a primarily all-female cast and crew.
The same all-female takeover is planned for the 11 p.m. edition of “SportsCenter” on Aug. 11. Like the July 27 episode, this one will be presented by Disney Advertising and Ally Financial Inc., and include memorable moments in women’s sports. As was the case on July 27, Ally will control the advertising time on the Aug. 11 show, which Ms. Briscoe and Ms. Duncan will also anchor.
“This particular execution with Ally marks the first time that we’ve developed such a unique combination of tactics and solutions to elevate women in sports—and we’re incredibly proud to be working alongside them on this initiative,” she continued.
“ESPN is a leader in women’s sports coverage, and Ally is a leader in intentional and equitable sports media investments. Together, we’re demonstrating our shared commitment to elevating women’s sports,” said Stephanie Marciano, head of sports and entertainment marketing at Ally, which has made a commitment to spend equally on advertising of men’s and women’s sports by 2027.
“These takeovers, which are unique and creative, deliver an important message—increasing visibility and investment changes the game,“ she continued. ”Our collaboration is another example of how brands and media can work together to advance women’s sports and meet fan demand.”
Similar to that July 27 “SportsCenter” episode, the one on Aug. 11 will have numerous 60-second spots with ESPN basketball commentator Monica McNutt and WNBA icon Sue Bird mockingly doing a “SportsCenter” segment where a bank holding company felt compelled to back men’s sports—in order to make a point that women’s sports deserve the same respect and attention given to men’s sports.
Additionally, the Aug. 11 show, mirroring the one on July 27, will end with live commercials of Ms. Briscoe and Ms. Duncan “that will transition seamlessly into Ally’s branded content,” according to Disney.
Critics blasted ESPN’s all-female “SportsCenter” as an attempt to pander to the left side of the ideological spectrum.
“If they put as much effort into focusing their normal broadcasts on highlights from all sports, men’s and women’s, as they do on these weird gimmicks, maybe they wouldn’t need these gimmicks in the first place,” Zachary Faria, who writes commentary on issues including the intersection of sports and culture for The Washington Examiner, a right-wing outlet, told The Epoch Times.
“The best thing ESPN—or anyone—can do to demonstrate commitment to women’s sports today is to advocate for sex-based eligibility, or in other words, for keeping women’s sports female,” Hadley Heath Manning, Vice President for Policy at Independent Women’s Forum, a conservative group, told The Epoch Times.
“As the nation’s most influential sports media outlet, ESPN is a powerful voice and should use its influence to stand with women.”
A Progressive Shift
ESPN, which has had layoffs recently, has come under fire in recent years for its progressive shift.In 2022, sports commentator J.A. Adande, an ESPN regular, appeared to be carrying water for China despite its human rights violations as it hosted the Winter Olympics.
“Who are we to criticize China’s human rights records when we have ongoing attacks by the agents of the state against unarmed citizens, and we’ve got assaults on the voting rights of our people of color in various states in this country,” he said on air. “So sports—I think it is possible, and it’s necessary more than ever to just shut everything out if you are to enjoy the actual games themselves.”
A few months later, ESPN personality Sarah Spain, a sports reporter, blasted what she called “religious exemption BS” by those who disagree with the LGBT lifestyle—in response to a handful of Tampa Bay Rays players declining to wear a pride patch on their uniform. She called those dissenters bigots.
Also in 2022, ESPN host Malika Andrews decided not to stick to sports on-air and instead slammed the Supreme Court for overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade, which returned the right to regulate abortion to individual states.
“Today, the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, declaring that the constitutional right to abortion, upheld for nearly a half-century, no longer exists. In less than 24 hours, we celebrated equal rights for women and now we react to women’s reproductive rights being taken away,” Ms. Andrews tearfully said.
ESPN host Elle Duncan called on dads to support their daughters’ right to have an abortion following that Supreme Court move.
“I want the dads watching to ask themselves a really honest question right now, and I mean that. How does the sentiment of being a #GirlDad evolve beyond superficial social media posts into actual advocacy? Are you carrying that same pride for your daughters into boardrooms, locker rooms, courtrooms?” she asked.
Moreover, in 2022, ESPN broadcasters Carolyn Peck and Courtney Lyle protested Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, or what some critics have falsely called the “Don’t Say Gay Bill.” Following their remarks, they held a two-minute moment of silence as they declined to do their job of calling the game as it resumed.
“Normally, at this time, we would take a look back at the first half, but there are things that are bigger than basketball that need to be addressed at this time,” said Ms. Lyle during the halftime of a college basketball game. “Our friends, our family, our co-workers, the players and coaches in our community are hurting right now.
“Our LBGTQIA+ teammates at Disney asked for our solidarity and support, including our company’s support, in opposite to the parental rights education bill in the state of Florida and similar legislation across the United States,” said Ms. Peck.
Ms. Duncan joined in on the opposition to the Florida law.
“Many of our colleagues here at ESPN have planned and organized a walkout that will be happening at 3 p.m. ET today, and to be honest with you, we thought we were going to come in here today and really celebrate a sport that has meant so much and done so much, including for so many in the LBGTQIA+ communities, but we understand the gravity of this legislation and also how it is affecting so many families across this country,” she said. “And because of that, our allyship is going to take a front seat, and with that, we are going to pause in solidarity.”
