Sage Steele says she was excluded from the network’s special on race and claims her Black colleagues blackballed her.
What We Know:
- Last month, Steele filed a complaint with ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro saying she was disappointed that she was not selected to participate in the network’s special “Time for Change: We Won’t Be Defeated” which aired June 24. The special took a look at the experiences Black athletes had with injustice and also talked about the injustices of the Black community amid the death of George Floyd. SportsCenter anchors Elle Duncan, Michael Eaves, Jay Harris, and college football reporter Maria Taylor hosted the special.
- Steele claims Duncan and Eaves blocked her from participating in the special. According to Joe Flint of the Wall Street Journal, Steele advised that her colleagues told her she was considered for the special by the executive in charge, Michael Fountain, until Eaves and Duncan said she wouldn’t be accepted by the Black community. Steele argued that trying to define “who is and isn’t Black” is the opposite of what we’re fighting for in this country.
- Steele has a reputation of being critical of the Black community, having slammed Colin Kapernick during his kneeling movement. She has also been blasted on social media and is not taken seriously when it comes to the Black community because she always mentions she is “biracial” rather than saying she’s Black.
https://twitter.com/tariqnasheed/status/1285726382325194753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1285726382325194753%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthegrio.com%2F2020%2F07%2F21%2Fsage-steele-blackballed-by-colleagues%2F
Are we talking about this Sage Steele? Is this the same person who feels like her Black colleagues don’t rock with her? Would you blame them for having an, “All skinfolk ain’t kinfolk” way of dealing with her? pic.twitter.com/NeDE04hqO9
— L E F T, PhD ⚫️ (@LeftSentThis) July 21, 2020
- Steele had admitted that she is a “proud bi-racial woman” and was given criticism when she allowed a white, male studio guest to play in her hair. She stated, “Instead of praising or uplifting each other, way too many people of color choose to tear down, mock and spew hatred at other blacks who feel differently, think differently, or make decisions that are different from theirs. That, my friends, is hypocrisy at its best. Or should I say, its hypocrisy at its worst.”
In 2016, Steele wrote a Facebook post addressing critics who slammed her for her seemingly anti-Black rhetoric.
