Jemele Hill was right again. ESPN did her wrong. The problem is obvious. Shes a threat. Shes a threat because shes part of a major corporation but has a moral compass, a truly Black American Story, a real connection and allegiance to her people and a fighting spirit that doesnt exist for most African-Americans in her pay grade and celebrity stratosphere.
Since Donald Trump swindled the presidency, hes done nothing but fan the flames of ignorance, hate and incited a race war. Hes even convinced many poor and middle class white folks that supporting his divisiveness, unwarranted attacks and racist and sexist undertones in some way makes them more American than the people of color he institutionally, verbally and financially attacks everyday.
While the increasingly pathetic media is worrying about Cam Newton laughing at some racist reporters question, Trump put the full court press on NFL owners and obviously ESPN who suspended Hill for two weeks for telling an even greater truth than the one that got her into hot water a month ago, when she called Trump a white supremacist on her personal Twitter feed. It’s obvious ESPN doesn’t want any beef and Hill serves it up as tough as it gets.
Trump celebrated the suspension, but took another shot at ESPN with his Tweet this morning:
Donald J. Trump on Twitter
With Jemele Hill at the mike, it is no wonder ESPN ratings have “tanked,” in fact, tanked so badly it is the talk of the industry!
As Puerto Rico drifted into a Hurricane abyss and the people struggled for survival and begged for assistance and demanded the U.S, President to show some sympathy, empathy and leadership, Trump focused on taming and extinguishing the flame of social consciousness that has infiltrated the hearts and souls of once complacent, docile and compliant athletes of color and inspired them to use their power and celebrity to improve our country rather than line their own pockets.
Trump and his conservative, billionaire cronies are also banning together as athletes of this color have created a shift in priorities. Actually their priorities are now in line with people such as Jemele Hill who has so valiantly and courageously fought for equality and against oppression – whether it be sexual, political, educational or economic in nature – since she embarked on her legendary career as a sports journalist back when she was a high school student in Detroit, Michigan.
This culture shift or age of enlightenment has created problems for the capitalists who depend on professional athletes and the media covering these athletes to push the agenda, keep the fans focused on the entertainment and keep the money coming in.
Adam Best on Twitter
Ravens players booed for kneeling BEFORE anthem. This was never about the flag. This is racists trying to silence black athletes’ First Amendment rights.
And we know its all about the money with them. With Trump it’s all about control. Together the two sides can always find a common ground and in this instance they are coming together to basically put Black athletes in their place and in doing so, stripping fellow Black Americans of any pride they may have concerning the protests and why the players are kneeling for the anthem.
Since blasting Trump on twitter and comfortably existing in the firestorm that followed, Hill has been on the capitalist and conservatives most wanted list. The support she garnered during ESPNs first attempt to suspend or discipline her angered the President and his misguided supporters. She’s officially a political figure. No longer just a journalist. Thank the President for that.
Al Sharpton Furious Over Jemele Hill Suspension, ‘We Won’t Stand for This’ | TMZ Sports
Al Sharpton says he’s ready to call for a boycott over ESPN’s suspension of Jemele Hill — telling TMZ Sports, “We will not stand for her to be suspended”. SUBSCRIBE — http://po.st/TMZSportsSubscribe About TMZ Sports: Some of the best stories in sports have been off the field and we’re reporting on athletes from NFL, NBA, UFC, WWE, MLB and more!
ESPN gave her a pass for an opinionated rant against a widely unpopular President. Her support was overwhelming. But the situation put the company in the opinionated President’s crossfire and Hill on thin ice. The company was just waiting for a chance to pounce on her for anything she tweeted. Its another form of negro control, no different from owners and presidents threatening to fire and bench players who want to protest against racial injustice, police brutality and the myriad of jacked up stuff that people of color must endure in this country.
When Hill started dropping real jewels after Cowboys owner Jerry Jones threatened to bench players who didnt stand for the anthem like good boys, thats when she went from a pain in the side of the butt of big business to an all out threat.
Hill is 100 percent correct when he says that Jones ultimatum to his players creates problems for those players that is burdensome. If they go against the owner, then they risk retaliation. If they dont take a stand they risk being called sell outs, which in my opinion they would be after everything that they have endured since beginning to protest.
Hills loyalty to the players and sensitivity to their rights and experiences as Black in Americans also makes her a target for those journalists who always supported the narrative that the owners and league commissioners wanted to push rather than the actual story that the players lived.
Jemele Hill on Twitter
Jerry Jones also has created a problem for his players, specifically the black ones. If they don’t kneel, some will see them as sellouts.
Knowledge is power and its what got our greatest Black leaders killed from Martin Luther King to Malcolm X to Huey Newton. Knowing your economic worth as a Black person upsets the apple cart and throws a monkey wrench into systematic oppressive functions designed to keep black people underserved in this country.
Hill broke it down about how to really hit the NFL in its pockets if you arent happy with the treatment of the players and the actions of the Cowboys organization on these matters.
Jemele Hill on Twitter
This play always work. Change happens when advertisers are impacted. If you feel strongly about JJ’s statement, boycott his advertisers. https://t.co/LFXJ9YQe74
Jemele Hill on Twitter
Or, how about not patronizing the advertisers who support the Cowboys? You can watch and do that, right? https://t.co/duPNqxFta7
When people are introduced to the power of a galvanized Black population it can be a scary thing for whites who are used to conquering and dividing people of color, pitting them against each other or pacifying them with money and taking advantage of their downgraded economic conditions.
Jemele Hill on Twitter
Cowboys have a huge national following. Lot of black & brown folks are Cowboys fans. What if they turned their backs on them? https://t.co/qezpPwDTAB
This display of unity between journalists such as Jemele Hill and players that have kneeled for the anthem is recognized as a sort of mutiny by billionaire team owners such as Jones.
Instead of trying to further understand where the players are coming from with the protests, frustration set in on the plantation and now the slave masters want to beat and whip everything into submission. Staged walk outs, venomous tweets and corporate threats, cloaked in a package of promoting and protecting patriotism. But whose patriotism?
Jemele Hill isnt wrong for speaking the truth. Unfortunately its a truth that doesnt offer anything to the money machine that these owners have created and the capitalistic, obnoxiously elite mentality that Trump brings to the Presidency. She’s also not afraid to take the fans to task. Her honesty is and should continue to be respected.
Jemele Hill on Twitter
If fans really are that upset about what JJ & Stephen Ross have done, don’t call the players sellouts, but you’re watching every Sunday.
So instead of respecting her place and voice in this country of supposed free expression, ESPN decided to remove Hill from her platform and shut her up. Get her in line with the company agenda and strong arm her into turning her back on her people and the real issues inflicting her community. Stop her from relaying information that can empower people and enlighten them.
They’ve tried to make Jemele Hill the enemy. Same as they did Jesus. They tried to hit her with the OJ Simpson. We didn’t get you the first time but take these new bogus charges and eat that. See you in a decade when you emerge from the steel gates, unable to influence people with your genius anymore. ESPN hit her with the Al Capone tax evasion suspension. No hard crime committed, just keeping it a bit too real and too black on our airwaves.
Josiah Johnson on Twitter
How Black Twitter getting ready to ride for Jemele Hill after finding out ESPN suspended her https://t.co/eYGkN4JDPc
Hills suspension is about shattering the socially conscious momentum of blacks in this country. Without even trying, she had become a face of the movement. As a Black woman shes an easy target. She’s not the stripper who blew the whistle on a coke-sniffing NFL coach. Shes not the celebrity harlot who exchanges celebrity boyfriends like dresses in a Gucci store and makes money off revealing their secrets. Shes not the gold digger who blew up Donald Sterling’s racist rants. Shes not leading a parade about slut-shaming. Shes always been an honorable, respectful journalist with so much insight and experience and diversity to offer the game.
It’s made her an enemy of the state and her suspension and attacks from the president are an example of what happens when you try to spit too much truth in the booth. You have to be taken out. History says so. But at a certain point its time to change history and that’s why those who decided to kneel with Kaepernick must stand for Jemele. She didnt ask for this gig, but it has fallen in her lap and we can’t let her fade to black.
