That’s ESPN explaining in part why it shifted a college football broadcaster off the University of Virginia home opener in the wake of deadly white nationalist protests earlier this month in the school’s Charlottesville, Va., home.
Much of Twitter said the sports network created an issue where there was none.
On Tuesday night, ESPN confirmed that its management moved an Asian-American announcer named Robert Lee off UVa’s September 2 game against the College of William and Mary “simply because of the coincidence of his name.”
ESPN's statement on Robert Lee no longer calling the game between #UV and W&M pic.twitter.com/jxg2Oeed8g
— Eric Hobeck (@eric_hobeck) August 23, 2017
The August 12 march (and counter-march) in Charlottesville was in protest of plans to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The clash, in which a self-proclaimed white nationalist killed counter-protester Heather Heyer and injured dozens, continues to play out in national politics, including in President Trump’s Tuesday night speech in Arizona.
And once a flurry of “fake news” claims had settled down, much of the collective voice on social media felt ESPN’s move had little basis.
Yo @ESPN, I think viewers will know the difference between Robert E Lee the confederate general and Robert Lee the football announcer. pic.twitter.com/sMO86DMGOl
— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) August 23, 2017
Chief takeaway from the ESPN Lee flap: ESPN is exactly who its detractors said it was, and its defenders denied.
— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) August 23, 2017
Website Outkick the Coverage first reported the switch on Tuesday with a critical headline invoking a popular conservative nickname for ESPN that combines its letters with the name of the left-leaning MSNBC: “MSESPN Pulls Asian Announcer Named Robert Lee Off UVa Game To Avoid Offending Idiots.”
ESPN claimed it really only had its broadcaster in mind.
Just received this email from an ESPN executive re the Robert Lee controversy. pic.twitter.com/OuBORlWO9f
— Yashar Ali (@yashar) August 23, 2017
Lee will instead call the Youngstown State versus Pitt game on the same day. Disney-owned DIS, -0.84% ESPN had planned to live-stream both games on its digital networks, not on television.
Some posters noted the controversial change may attract more attention to these low-rung gridiron matchups than any of the affected schools could have hoped for (or not).
The idea that anyone would watch a UVa football game is just nuts.
— Steven Ginsberg (@stevenjay) August 23, 2017