“It’s not our jobs” new ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro said when speaking to the injection of politics into sports.
Entering year three of NFL football with National Anthem protests a part of gameday, ESPN has announced that they will not show the National Anthem during “Monday Night Football” broadcasts this season.
NFL fans have been accustomed to cameras being pointed at those showing acts of protests during the anthem, and if the network is on break, informing the viewing audience on which players kneeled while they broadcast was away.
Pitaro noted that ESPN generally does not broadcast the anthem before MNF games, and will not change that policy this year, publicly taking a stance on the issue for the first time.
Pitaro is on a mission to change the notion that ESPN has transformed into a “political organization.”
When speaking to reporters about where ESPN currently stands, he said, “We are a sports media company. We are always going to cover the intersection between sports and politics,” but stated “we are not” when asked if the network has turned into a political organization.
