In what should be a proud time for African-American women in the world of journalism, Sage Steele has kind of sullied the moment because she has serious problems with, maybe a disdain for conventional Black thinking, which, despite her rising accomplishments, puts her on the outside of the circle of sisterhood looking in.
I mean, just imagine Cari Champion, Jemele Hill, Josefina Anderson and Stage Steele around the water coolers of the ESPN offices talking about Charlottesville and Sage waltzes over and says , Kill that noise. People dont watch SportsCenter to hear about Charlottesville.”
BlackSportsOnline on Twitter
Not one black woman at ESPN rocks with Sage Steele, NONE, ZERO. On cam or behind scenes. https://t.co/VXuh0vWDHD
That’s got to be an awkward conversation. Hope she didn’t just get her hair permed that day.
While most people who share her complexion compliment ESPN for acknowledging social issues that pro athletes feel strongly about, Steele is letting everyone know that on her side of town, nobody wants to hear all that. If players are gonna ball, then ball, but save all the politics and social injustice rap.
She has been making it loud and clear for weeks that when she takes over the revamped morning SportsCenter, there will be less politics and more pure sports highlights. All of this talk about race and the focus on her unpopular views concerning politics, race and sports over the past year is starting to piss her off. She didn’t get into sports journalism for this.
Harvey Specter on Twitter
Sage Steele is trending and I literally don’t even have to look to know it’s for some cooning https://t.co/kLeGEJLBge
According to reports, Steele, ESPNs new SportsCenter morning co-host, “wants the network to pivot from discussing political issues and return to focusing on sports coverage a move that many conservative viewers have called for.”
I do believe that people come to [ESPN] for their sports. Not everybody agrees with me on that, not everybody I work with agrees with me. Thats my personal opinion, thats where we go to escape, Steele told the New York Post.
Believe it or not, many Black people are also missing the sports purge that ESPN once provided, but we have so few outlets for our frustrations to be exposed and heard that we appreciate the sports medium and the light it sheds on social injustices that mostly affect the African-American community.
I can do without all of the politics myself, but now is not the time to turn our backs or fail to use celebrity platforms to bring attention to the issues.
ESPN’s Sage Steele Reacts to the Colin Kaepernick Situation | The Dan Patrick Show | 8/24/17
ESPN’s Sage Steele, who’s brother works for the Baltimore Ravens, discusses the Colin Kaepernick situation with Dan Patrick.
Trust me, I have a problem with it, Steele said of the coverage. I do not look forward to discussing this on SportsCenter, I really dont. And we are going to be doing things a little bit differently. I mean, on NFL Mondays, you will see every highlights from every game played on Sunday. Every one. Doesnt mean theyre all going to be two minutes, but were getting back to that, to more sports I know, God forbid. And not that we havent done it on other shows, but that was a key for me. So these discussions need to be had, and there are crossover topics like this that will be discussed. But [Ill be] talking to Herm Edwards, and [guests like that] dont want to talk about it all that time, either, because it is what it is. Is there news on it? No, so move on.
Heres the thing, when I turn on SportsCenter, thats not what I want to hear, she said. As a viewer, I want to see the highlights, I want to hear from Rich Hill. Thats what I want as a viewer, and thats what I believe most.”
Any time Steele opens her mouth, most Black folks cringe and start licking shots.
Jim on Twitter
@sagesteele who criticized #BLM protesters and went after @mikeevans13_ wants to talk ONLY about sports on @espn and not @Kaepernick7 … https://t.co/mYp8Qq86Ue
She did make an exception for the worthiness of the Colin Kaepernick discussion because of the fact that hes an NFL quarterback, but she refuses to cast a stone at any of the owners who refuse to sign Kaepernick because his social stance conflicts with their business goals.
I just disagree with the whole premise of the issue that people have, Steele said of Kaepernicks unemployment. Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, along with the other 31 owners in this league, they run a business, she said, and they have a right to make the decision that they believe is best for their business, just like Colin Kaepernick has the right to express his opinion and do whats best for him, for his brand, for his career. Theres repercussions to both. I have no problem with what Steve Bisciotti did and I would have no problem if Steve Bisciotti brought him into the Ravens]. How much of a problem did we have with Jerry Jones, with Greg Hardy over the last couple of years?
Steele, who was born in 1972, of African-American and Irish/Italian descent into an American Army family living in the Panama Canal Zone, also threw some shots at the New Yorkers who feel strongly enough about the issues plaguing our country to do something about it.
You know, people pick and choose what they want to freak out about, Steele went on, in comments that were picked up by Breitbart. New York City yesterday, she said, referencing the protests concerning Kaepernick. I mean, go for it, that is your right. I think its comical.
Or maybe he is, and these team owners, the PR staffs say is it worth it? Because the fallout that comes with it fans, suite luxury box holders theres a lot of money involved in that. And you have to consider all those things as a business owner.”
Steele isnt going along with the crowd. She’s totally going to let us know that she’s not about all that Black power junk at the end of the day. In fact, shes trying to set up a line of defense against the direction that she feels ESPN is unwisely moving in.
Shes obviously committed to going against the cultural grain. Just a short while ago she was demoted to lesser programming on ESPN. Now she’s a savior of sorts, with an even larger platform to continue her crusade to salvage ESPNs diminishing conservative fan base.
