Black Sports Online CEO Robert Littal was the recent subject of accusations by former female employees who say he encouraged and led a culture of misogyny, sexual inappropriateness, discrimination and used his power to constantly make unwanted sexual advances towards his predominantly female staff of writers, all the while not paying these aspiring journalists a penny for thousands of stories contributed to his company.
According to the witnesses, who all came out one by one to tell their #SurvivingBSO stories, Littal would remove their names from the stories they had produced for the site after they turned down his advances and left the company so that they didn’t have any stories to show other prospective employers. He would also use his position in the industry to execute smear campaigns against anyone who left the company.
The women, all aspiring journalists, say they initially refused to speak on their horrible experiences at BSO in fear of retaliation by Littal and how that might affect their careers.
Former college track athlete turned sports journalist Sheena Quick dropped the initial bomb on Black media on Saturday when she courageously stepped out and revealed her experiences working at BSO — with plenty of receipts to back up her claims.
I’ll preface this by saying that I went back and forth with myself on whether I was going to share my experience with @bso. I was afraid that it may jeopardize future opportunities and it’s sad that so many women are forced into silence because of this fear.
— Sheena Quick (@Sheena_Marie3) June 28, 2020
I disclosed this to my friend who immediately admonished him and we moved forward. Or so I thought. In Feb 2018, Rob suggested having sex with him at the Combine. pic.twitter.com/mmKyP9itbn
— Sheena Quick (@Sheena_Marie3) June 28, 2020
In addition to this, BSO writers are not paid, despite writing hundreds of articles. Writers pay for their own hotel, travel, per diem, etc while being addressed in a condescending tone in group chats for everyone to see.
— Sheena Quick (@Sheena_Marie3) June 28, 2020
Even after my time with BSO, Rob continued to discuss and lie on me to other writers in an attempt to tarnish my reputation.
— Sheena Quick (@Sheena_Marie3) June 28, 2020
After I left, Rob set out to see who my future credentials were through even though it was no longer his business. Once writers move on, especially if they leave on their own terms, the smear campaign starts – sometimes passively, and sometimes through downright lies.
— Sheena Quick (@Sheena_Marie3) June 28, 2020
From 2016-2018, I wrote over 800 stories and my name has been removed from them all.
— Sheena Quick (@Sheena_Marie3) June 28, 2020
Tamantha Gunn, a news editor for Revolt magazine also came out in length, about her uncomfortable experiences working at BSO.
She also posted a story from an anonymous former employee who had similar experiences as the other women working at BSO
Another anonymous DM from a Black woman who worked for @bso smh he only wanted “attractive” women writing for him no matter what their writing/reporting was like pic.twitter.com/8Ux7uJGPel
— Tamantha 👸🏾 (@Tamantha_5) June 28, 2020
Too often, we don’t believe Black women. We don’t listen to Black women and we don’t care about Black women. To find out that his disgusting behavior still continued after me…I can’t keep letting him get away with this.
— Tamantha 👸🏾 (@Tamantha_5) June 28, 2020
This is my own experience. There are other women who have experienced worse. But it’s not my place to speak for them.
— Tamantha 👸🏾 (@Tamantha_5) June 28, 2020
So anyway, this was the incident that literally took the cake. We have a groupme and there were multiple conversations that were inappropriate that took place in the work chat. I never discussed my sex life with anyone in that chat. I would check in and check out.
— Tamantha 👸🏾 (@Tamantha_5) June 28, 2020
This one particular day, I was going to attend a Chris Brown concert in San Diego for the “Hell of a Night Tour” with my little sister. I checked in told the group I would be writing an article and be out for the rest of the day.
— Tamantha 👸🏾 (@Tamantha_5) June 28, 2020
A white writer we had at the time @LastAngryFan made a sexually inappproritw joke regarding what he believed I was planning to do with the rest of my day off from writing. Something along the line of me having sex with with some military men…something highly inappropriate
— Tamantha 👸🏾 (@Tamantha_5) June 28, 2020
Littal’s supposedly offensive treatment of his female employees also created an environment where the few male writers he employed felt comfortable saying offensive, vulgar and inappropriate things to female employees on Groupme chains that were for working purposes.
Robert aka @bso decides it was appropriate for him to join in on the “joke”
— Tamantha 👸🏾 (@Tamantha_5) June 28, 2020
Receipt one: @bso called himself the “Overseer” and I immediately showed my discomfort with their comments pic.twitter.com/xdm6zXSxuo
— Tamantha 👸🏾 (@Tamantha_5) June 28, 2020
Thank God for @Quierra_Luck because she the only one to interject and call @bso out on his BS in the groupme. pic.twitter.com/vrI3c3NMX7
— Tamantha 👸🏾 (@Tamantha_5) June 28, 2020
After myself and @Quierra_Luck called him out on his inappropriate comments…there was no remorse just “either get over it or not” and “I’m not changing I who am for you” pic.twitter.com/K8xeDSRoWu
— Tamantha 👸🏾 (@Tamantha_5) June 28, 2020
.@bso then removed @Quierra_Luck from the groupme cause he was mad she took up for me and said she “made it more than what it was” pic.twitter.com/7bDlPVmeFs
— Tamantha 👸🏾 (@Tamantha_5) June 28, 2020
Just got this DM from a former worker of @bso who wanted to remain anonymous smfh. But he claims he’s putting on for minority writers/ reporters. BOY FUCK YOU! pic.twitter.com/ue5cSHn61O
— Tamantha 👸🏾 (@Tamantha_5) June 28, 2020
You can read the rest of Tamantha’s Tweets on her Twitter.
Littal, who has worked his way up to Co-Host of TMZ, addressed the accusations in a Live post.
I’m sorry…Let’s have an honest chat…. https://t.co/xnLmXZAGjZ
— Robert Littal (@BSO) June 28, 2020
Other employees are now stepping forward to support these claims and share similar experiences.
On the other hand, a few women have stepped up to defend him.
Let me start by saying this. I was a BSO intern for several years and Rob never did anything inappropriate directed toward me. Not once ever. He was always very upfront that the gig was unpaid so I’m not sure why former writers are so angry about not being paid.
— Natasha (@SportsTalkTasha) June 28, 2020
So these accusations (outside of the texts that he apologized for) are not written in stone and we hope it doesn’t get any worse than this.
