Faux News:ESPN pulls Asian commentator "Robert Lee" from UVA game tonight b/c of "sensitivity"

[anneboleyn]

Last edited Wed Aug 23, 2017, 12:18 PM - Edit history (2)

My spouse (who follows college sports) just read that this is "breaking" on Faux News. I haven't been able to determine its truth yet but wanted to post it so that everyone can be aware of it (either way). IF this is true, and an Asian sports commentator was pulled off a game becaus his name is Robert Lee, well that seems so crazy to me and a very clumsy move politically speaking (I think we need to stay focused as the right loves this sort of crap or the endless "what about the statues of George Washington" slippery-slope). Seeing it all over Twitter (but many of the tweets are citing each other and ultimately right-wing sources).

Yes, the story is indeed true. It has been discussed today on CNN and on Faux (though I won't listen to the Faux coverage -- I am sure we can guess their "spin&quot . They are showing the man's picture and asking sarcastic questions about his service as a Confederate general. I will link to ESPN's own statement and an article on the Washington Post site related to this story. Most of the discussion is about Trump himself and his dismal speech last night.

ESPN:
http://www.espn.com/espn/wire/_/section/ncf/id/20423088

The New York Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/23/business/media/robert-lee-university-virginia-charlottesville.html

BBC:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41022954

Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/08/23/espn-removes-a-commentator-from-calling-u-vas-home-opener-his-name-robert-lee/?utm_term=.a05110000ee4

[larwdem]

1. I call bullshit

fuck fox. don't believe anything from fox

[anneboleyn]

54. Unfortunately, it is true. Verified in many sources and covered on CNN today. ESPN verified it.

[pnwmom]

68. I heard it last night on MSNBC. They showed a picture of the man, too. n/t

[Abu Pepe]

84. who appears to be of east asian descent. so double irony

at least

[pnwmom]

85. Yes. Lee's a very common name in Asia. n/t

[Keefer]

2. It IS true. n/t

[hack89]

3. ESPN has put out an official statement confirming it. nt

[Purveyor]

20. Have a link to that. I'm not finding any credible source, so far, confirming this. eom

[Keefer]

27. Best I could find:

Link to tweet

[underpants]

4. Football? The announcer is the least of the Hoos' worries

Long time UVA fan. The Cubs fans and Red Sox fans have nothing on us.

[Angry Dragon]

5. the sky fell yesterday ......... it is still falling today

idiots

[LittleBlue]

6. Fuck ESPN

When you've gone so PC you've done a 180 banned a man of Chinese descent for having a Chinese surname.

[underpants]

8. Funny tweet

Link to tweet

[anneboleyn]

11. OMG this is awesome! Summarizes the ESPN dumbness in one glorious tweet.

[LittleBlue]

12. Take down his statue now!

[FSogol]

15. LOL, that's awesome. n/t

[anneboleyn]

10. My thoughts exactly. They banned a Chinese commentator b/c of a Civil War general...ugh.

I can't believe this is true but ESPN has put out a statement. These idiots have given the Hannity douchebags something to cry/screech about (well for a day or so).

[Proud liberal 80]

7. If this is true

It's dumb. It lets the racists complain about political correctness going too far.

[FLPanhandle]

13. It is political correctness gone too far

And should be condemned by all.

[Proud liberal 80]

17. You are correct

But I guess I meant that they will say the whole thing about removing confederate statutes is political correctness and point to this. And it removes the focus off of Trump and the racists.

[ck4829]

52. So much for deflating insane right wing tropes like "politically correct"

Escape their framing

[Purveyor]

9. This is some crazy shit (if true and I now have doubts), indeed. eom

Last edited Tue Aug 22, 2017, 10:02 PM - Edit history (1)

[cwydro]

74. CNN just had a segment on it.

Perhaps you believe by now?

It's all over the news.

[Purveyor]

77. I was convinced before I went to bed last night after the major news services started to run with it

At first it just seemed like it couldn't be real...

[cwydro]

78. I thought it was the Onion.

It's really unbelievable.

But we're living in bizarrro world these days. Up is down and down is up.

God help us.

[JI7]

14. This almost seems like it was done purposely

To try to make the side that wants the statues come down look like fools.

Fuck ESPN

[kcr]

64. That's exactly what it is

It's meant as bait for "PC run amok"! comments.

[dalton99a]

16. Idiots. Lee is like Jones or Smith in Korea and China

[Ilsa]

26. "Mohammed Lee"

Someone asked Sheldon Cooper on the Big Bang Theory a "guess who?" Sheldon replies, "Mohammed Lee; the most frequent first and last names in the world."

[Proud liberal 80]

18. Who at ESPN actually thought that this was a good idea

[joeybee12]

19. ffs. This is fix fake news of a story started by the Moonie. Times!

Jebus and people on this thread are buying it.

[Purveyor]

21. Up thread it is claimed the ESPN put out a statement confirming this. I requested a link but other

than that, I'm finding no credible source.

[joeybee12]

22. Where's the link from espn? Nt

[Purveyor]

23. That is what I'm asking for. I've googled and binged but find nothing official. You may very well

be correct. Hope you are.

[joeybee12]

28. I'm not. Jebus what idiots at ESPN. Nt

[anneboleyn]

56. It's everywhere today, including espn. CNN has been covering it in their "panel/discussion" sessions

I have provided just a few links above. ESPN is going to face a lot of backlash over this idiot move (I am sure the Asian community won't appreciate such a clumsy move by espn either).

[RhodeIslandOne]

29. Here's a Tweet from Yashir Ali who asked them directly

Link to tweet

?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.democraticunderground.com%2F10029504112


I think it's a reasonable take.

[cwydro]

35. Here's theother thread quoting the NYTimes

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10029504112

[anneboleyn]

57. Look again today. Definitely true. CNN has been discussing it all day (briefly -- mostly they are

focused on Trump's insanity from last night)

[Lee-Lee]

32. You shouldn't be so fast to scream fake news just because you don't like it

That's how the right acts, not the left.

[cwydro]

59. Exactly.

[cwydro]

34. There's another thread about it quoting the NYTimes.

Until that, I thought it was the Onion, but apparently it IS true.

[pnwmom]

69. The WA Post also reported this "fake news."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/08/23/espn-removes-a-commentator-from-calling-u-vas-home-opener-his-name-robert-lee/?utm_term=.7df98e88221d

[Takket]

24. ESPN goes out of its way sometimes to be politically correct when it doesn't need to be

and ends up actually being quite offense in the process.

This... this is beyond the point of absolute absurdity.

[RhodeIslandOne]

30. ESPN says they wanted to avoid meme worthy shit

I can see that.

Hell, I can predict what it would have looked like....

"That moment you realize ESPN has a broadcaster named Robert Lee doing a game in Virginia!!!"

?1240934151

[Lee-Lee]

31. The right is having a field day with this

Going on and on about how absurd the "snowflakes" are that a name offends them and that how networks have to go to such ridiculous lengths to avoid being called racist.

Lots of "I told you this wouldn't stop at statues, they want to erase anything and everything that even remotely bothers them and nobody is safe"

ESPN has handed them a gift to attack a legitimate cause with by going way too far.

[RhodeIslandOne]

33. You really think so?

A woman got run over and killed and THIS is the right-wing's outrage?

Do you ever stop and think maybe worrying what the right thinks is a pointless exercise? Especially after last night?

[Lee-Lee]

39. In the battle for the votes of the middle it matters

There are people who have supported the effort to remove confederate monuments but were not strongly on board and don't have any real buy in, but who support it because they see it as a reasonable move.

When they see this kind of over the top action attributed to the same movement and ideas- even if it really wasn't- it makes them say "this is going too far".

I'm not talking about the folks like us who won't change our stance. In not talking about your hardcore right wingers who won't change their stance. I'm talking about that largely not political middle of the road bunch who swing their votes whatever way based on whatever catches their eyes. This kind of over the top stuff harms the legitimate grievances and movements by association to that wide swath of the middle of the American electorate.

[RhodeIslandOne]

41. "Gee, I don't know.....

....I really don't want to vote for Donald Trump again, but Nancy Pelosi and the Democrat party's control of the ESPN HR and programming department is just too problematic"

[Lee-Lee]

42. We dismiss it at or own folly

[RhodeIslandOne]

43. It's a non story

The right is making you "defend it".

[anneboleyn]

58. It's being discussed on CNN and it's on sites like the BBC, the Post, The NY Times, so yes I think

it counts as a story. Of course Trump's speech should be the focus but we need to be aware of this story and have a response other than screaming fake news when it is a true story.

[RhodeIslandOne]

73. The right wing made it a story

And the MSM fell for it.

A guy literally changed his shift at work and you are enthralled and concerned.

Good grief. You're right. No wonder Rump is President.

[kcr]

67. ESPN handed them a gift? ESPN *IS* the gift. They're in on it. n/t

[Cosmocat]

36. THIS is why America is fucked

its true, it was a totally innocuous decision, which EPSN and all other sports broadcasting networks make countless times during the course of a season, they schedule and reschedule and bump broadcasters for a variety of reasons, particularly with secondary games like this.

But ... The right wing goes ape shit over it. All the craziness in the world, all the craziness 45 and the Rs engage in, but the world is coming to an end because ESPN did a benign reschedule of announcers AND it isn't just their hard core loons who are up in arms about it, I am seeing a lot of the "mushy middle" who are agitated over it.

[JoeStuckInOH]

37. Oh, FFS people... seriously?

this is the epitome of knee jerk over reaction. Who would complain about some guy with the name of Robert Lee? There's probably dozens of Robert Lees in the nation. And none of them were alive in the 1800's or fought in the civil war.

[RhodeIslandOne]

38. The knee jerk over reaction is reporting about it

Unless you work for ESPN in the scheduling department, who cares?

[Blue_Tires]

40. Dumb, if true...

ESPN could have invented a prefectly legit reason to re-assign him and nobody would have been the wiser...

[Lee-Lee]

44. He could have just referred to himself as Rob Lee

And nobody but a few people would have ever picked up on it, and fewer would even care.

[nolabels]

50. A lot of people named Robert take up the nickname of "Bob"

Name sensitivity is for people who need a crutch

[alp227]

83. ESPN already has a Bob Ley

Longtime SportsCenter anchor and now host of investigative reporting program Outside the Lines.

[RhodeIslandOne]

45. I'd like to know what intern at ESPN is feeding info to Brietbart....

....about mundane scheduling matters.

[ecstatic]

46. Dear ESPN: The enlightened majority isn't stupid. If the situation were reversed

and a sports announcer named Barack Obama was set to be a commentator of a NASCAR race right after Trump's impeachment, yeah, you probably should switch him to another event because rethugs tend to be idiots, generally speaking.

But those of us who aren't deplorable rethugs have common sense and understand nuance, shades of grey, etc. The only reaction, if any, that Robert Lee would have received is one of empathy/compassion.

[Weekend Warrior]

47. This is so absurd that it seems intentional.

Creating news where none exists.

[anneboleyn]

53. MTE exactly. It seems tailor-made for the Hannity types. He will scream about this while ignoring

Trump's hideous speech from yesterday and his dismal performance.

[inwiththenew]

48. This is what you call a backfire

If the official reason for this was to avoid memes and jokes I think they just made it worse. Twitter is having a field day with this.

[anneboleyn]

49. Link to statement from ESPN on this matter (from Washington Post). Yes, it is true, very sadly.

Here is the link to the WP story:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/08/23/espn-removes-a-commentator-from-calling-u-vas-home-opener-his-name-robert-lee/?utm_term=.a05110000ee4

[Initech]

51. This is extremely stupid on ESPN's part.

[Va Lefty]

55. But no more stupid than putting Stephen A Smith on the air

[Lurker Deluxe]

80. Heh

On my sports board people are combing through history trying to find a Steven Smith who was a confederate .... anything to get that dolt off the airwaves.

[Dr. Strange]

86. Truth.

Stephen A. Smith is the Skip Bayless of sports broadcasting.

And vice versa.

[Wednesdays]

60. OH MY FUCKING GOD, THIS IS HORRIBLE!

This is THE most outrageous thing to happen this year, if not in our lifetimes! We need to call congress, right now!
We need to assemble a protest today! Anyone got their torches ready?

[MichMan]

61. I dont blame EPSN at all

This is a no win situation for them. If they move him to a different game, they get criticized by both the right and here.

If they leave him to broadcast as originally scheduled, you know damn well there would be people posting here about it. "Do you believe ESPN ? Right after the Charlottesville tragedy, they deliberately made sure that a commentator named Robert Lee was covering a game there! How insensitive. Probably an appeal to white racists"

You think that sounds ridiculous, but ESPN had a fantasy football commercial a couple weeks ago and there was outrage here that it showed whites bidding on black NFL players like they were slaves.

[xor]

82. I couldn't imagine many people making a stink about someone name Robert Lee

If they did do it then I would find their "outrage" suspect and I am certain most others here would too. Even if they truly were upset by it, then it would be an extremely tiny minority. It would have been far less of an issue than the decision to remove him made. Also, why did they feel the need to announce it? Why not just switch over and not say anything? Do people really follow who is announcing games this closely?

If it wasn't for ESPNs apparent history of going overboard with similar things, I would think ESPN is trying to discredit the movement against the confederate monuments.

[FSogol]

62. ESPN takes a RW tack. They are pretending that this commentator would have trouble from left-

leaning protesters. Total nonsense.

[kcr]

66. There are people who fall for it. Look right above you n/t

[FSogol]

70. Yup, DU isn't immune from the obvious crowd.

[MichMan]

71. Nothing surprises here

I think it is stupid, but I was pointing out that there were posts here a couple weeks ago about the ESPN fantasy football commercial and slave auctions. After seeing those posts, I wouldn't be surprised to see this also creating outrage.

[kcr]

72. You don't seem to understand why that auction commercial was offensive.

ESPN knows what they're doing. They did apologize for that commercial. But, they clearly still play to some of their audience with their BS.

[MichMan]

79. Got it; ESPN and fantasy football is run by RW racists nm

Last edited Wed Aug 23, 2017, 06:17 PM - Edit history (1)

[WinkyDink]

63. Although I have also used "Faux" to mean "Fox," in THIS case I think your title should be "Fox."

[speaktruthtopower]

65. Incredible overreaction

[Paladin]

75. Blame for this rests with trump's neo-confederate foot soldiers.

Back off on the "political correctness" whining. ESPN took this action in order to avoid another right wing cluster-fuck day in Charlottesville. The times we live in.....

[Shrek]

76. The most impressive thing any network has ever done n/t

[obliviously]

81. Obviously a former slave holder

Hang him by the neck!