ESPN is making an example of one of the few right-leaning anchors in the company, and you will BE SHOCKED at what they did to her!
Sage Steele might be one of the most well-known ESPN anchors of her generation, but “Sportscenter” viewers are not going to be able to see her any time soon if she keeps expressing her right-leaning opinions!
ESPN forced Steele to take a break from her regular ESPN duties last October because she appeared on an outside podcast where she shared some controversial viewpoints on President Barack Obama’s racial background, the coronavirus policy of ESPN, and also suggested that some female journalists actually “court harassment” due to their choice of attire.
Steele has long developed a reputation for being one of the most conservative personalities on the show. However, it was the recent remarks that she made on “Uncut With Jay Cutler” that appear to have been a bridge too far for ESPN executives at this Disney company’s Bristol, Connecticut location.
“At ESPN, we embrace different points of view — dialogue and discussion make this place great. That said, we expect that those points of view be expressed respectfully, in a manner consistent with our values, and in line with our internal policies,” the sports-media outlet said in a statement. “We are having direct conversations with Sage, and those conversations will remain private.”
It was during this same podcast that Steele took aim at Disney’s requirement that most of their employees will have to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. She called this requirement “sick” even though she went ahead and did it anyway, even though she “didn’t want to” get the shot. She also expressed surprise that President Obama identifies as black.
Steele also went off the air for a certain period of time due to the fact that she had been diagnosed with COVID-19, according to a person familiar with the situation. However, the anchor is going to take part in ESPN’s espnW summit, which is a focus on women in sports.
“I know my recent comments created controversy for the company, and I apologize. We are in the midst of an extremely challenging time that impacts all of us, and it’s more critical than ever that we communicate constructively and thoughtfully,” Steele said in a statement provided by ESPN.
Either way, Steele has never been afraid to play the role of an off-air provocateur. It was on Instagram that she once chided Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver, Mike Evans, for his protest of the “Star-Spangled Banner.” Moreover, the Wall Street Journal once discussed how she felt that she was being excluded from certain ESPN programs because other Black employees didn’t care for her views.
Even though she has some controversial viewpoints, this hasn’t kept ESPN from putting her in some prominent roles. She once contributed to the “NBA Countdown”, but more recently, she has been involved in various editions of “SportsCenter”.
She told Variety in 2017 that she was basically ignoring any criticism that she might spark on social media.
“The more people have been vocal about me, the stronger I’ve gotten and the easier it’s gotten for me to not really pay attention and not really care,” the right leaning journalist said, trying to focus on her job and family instead. “I don’t have enough hours in the week for those two things.”