Photo: Sports Illustrated
Ever since I was a little kid, I had a strong admiration for Detroit native and SportsCenter journalist Jemele Hill. His and Hers and now currently S6 are my most favorite shows on ESPN, as her, along with Michael Smith adds a hilariously, entertaining twist to sports broadcasting. From their clever pop culture references to their distinct, unique personalities, this drew me in quickly into loving sports. However, as of now, I'm incredibly disgusted by the unjust treatment she has been receiving.
In a Twitter exchange Monday, Hill tweeted that Donald Trump is "a white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself w/ other white supremacists" and a "bigot". The next day, a statement was issued by ESPN that Hill's comments "do not represent the position of ESPN" and that her actions were "inappropriate".
Photos: Twitter @jemelehill
To make matters worse, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders stated, “I’m not sure he’s [Trump] aware but I think that’s one of the more outrageous comments that anyone could make and certainly something that I think is a fireable offense by ESPN." This caused a total uproar on social media, as a vast majority of individuals, including ESPN colleagues of Hill, expressed their support, as well as a mount of criticism.
Any call for Jemele Hill being fired is incredibly absurd and ridiculous. Jemele spoke nothing but straight facts that needs to be stressed. Your "president" has willingly mocked disabled people in his campaigns, repulsively pursued the "birther" movement, treats African-Americans as tokens to dispel the idea that he's racist, vilely berates women, & threatened to end DACA, an Obama-era program that shields young undocumented immigrants from deportation, stripping away their dream of freedom that they desperately worked hard for. It seems the only thing "president" Trump has the ability to do is to tweet pure and utter BS. This is "your" president folks.
Photos: Twitter @realDonaldTrump
The issue lies deeper than just Jemele's tweets. Racial tensions are at an all-time high than ever before. The events in Charlottesville showed the nauseating true colors of AmeriKKKa. The protests were unjust and incredibly egregious. A car was driven into a swarm of protesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Hayer, who was solely fighting for the country claimed to be the land of the free! How the hell can anyone have an issue with Jemele's comments while Trump STILL refuses to condemn the white supremacists and Nazis who willingly conducted this disgusting act?
What's really sad is that ESPN has not supported Hill at all in this situation, but more so sneakily tried to take Jemele Hill off the air, and replace her with other black hosts as if that will make the situation better; Real smooth ESPN.
While individuals can easily tell Jemele and others like Colin Kaepernick to "stick to sports", athletes and journalists are still human beings, that are also allowed to have thoughts and opinions just as anyone else. They are entitled to make a statement just like everyone else. No one should have the right to tell a public figure to stick to a certain subject when such issues are embedded into our daily lives and affect us all equally. Still, Jemele's tweets are considered more offensive than Trump's rhetoric that prompted the tweets.
Jemele, I tip my hat off to you as you unapologetically and bravely speak your mind. While you are a sports journalist, you understand that we can't be silent on issues that are much bigger than sports. It truly saddens me to see such hateful and belittling criticism towards you. You are the main reason I want to be a sports journalist in the way you express yourself and give individuals something they never saw before. You are the voice that we desperately need. As for ESPN, if you ever fire Jemele Hill, that will be a decision you can never recover from.