ESPN has come under heavy fire this year, as its connection to Disney has seen the sports media giant dragged even further into the woke virtue signaling of its parent company. In a year that has seen ESPN forced to commit to unprecedented layoffs and cost-cutting measures, former company star Sage Steele is now piling on the problems as she opens up about some gross problems behind the scenes at the biggest sports entertainment company in America.
Speaking to Clay Travis of Outkick about her time at the company, Steele made it clear that her biracial background made it difficult for her to feel that she belonged at ESPN. “It’s pretty well documented that I was treated differently because I’m literally ‘not black enough.”
To Steele, this concept was both angering and confusing. “What does it mean to not be black enough,” Steele asked. “What the hell does that mean? I don’t know too many other cultures that do that to each other within their own community.”
She noted that she went out of her way to be kind and supportive to those same coworkers who stabbed her in the back when it was convenient. “I have always led with kindness and tried to treat people as I want to be treated. That is part of how I was raised and part of what I think God wants us to do.
“So it was a great lesson like wow, even when you’re true to yourself, which is what everybody preaches, I learned that it doesn’t necessarily matter if you don’t go along with a certain narrative.”
In the most powerful thought in the interview, Steele bashed companies that are unaccepting of diversity of thoughts. “If we can’t accept others for their opinions, then why is anything else going to matter? It’s funny because we really do choose to focus on DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] throughout corporate America and everywhere. And global corporate decisions are made based on that. How about the diversity of thought?”
Steele has recently been in the news due to a legal battle that she is fighting against ESPN, claiming that the media giant “violated Connecticut law and Steele’s rights to free speech based upon a faulty understanding of her comments and a nonexistent, unenforced workplace policy that serves as nothing more than pretext.”
Steele is likely not very concerned about her future career prospects after parting ways with ESPN, as plenty of companies will be lining up to get her attention. Companies like OutKick and Barstool Sports seem like possible landing places as they continue to fight for market share in the sports entertainment space. Other places may also be interested, with TNT continuing to capture the bulk of NBA fans and seemingly coming close to winning over the nation’s quickest growing sport.
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