Former ESPN broadcaster Sage Steele says the network deserves to be crushed for not showing the national anthem on its main channel before the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, after the terrorist attack that took place in the city the day before.
Steele appeared on “OutKick the Morning” and appeared flabbergasted that ESPN did not air the national anthem that day, which the company blamed on “timing issues.”
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The national anthem is played before the 2024 Sugar Bowl between the Texas Longhorns and the Washington Huskies at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. (Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports)
“It was so blatant, I tweeted about it and put it on my Instagram, and I really try to stay away from anything that revolves around my former employer. This life is over and I’m so glad I passed. I couldn’t help it, Charly, because it was, for me, such an egregious decision to jump,” Steele told OutKick’s Charly Arnolt on Tuesday.
“You’re a mile away, maybe less than New Orleans, from where all these people were murdered the morning of what was supposed to be the game on ESPN. And you chose to ‘ignore when people are suffering and it’s so much bigger than football? They were crushed, and rightly so, for not doing it.
Steele said ESPN showing the pregame prayer last week was a reaction to the negative reactions he received about the Sugar Bowl.
Sage Steele (Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Bullseye Group/Event File)
ESPN broadcasts pregame prayer for cotton bowl after backlash for not showing national anthem after terrorist attack
“So I absolutely think it was a reaction to that. I think it actually went too far… showing the national anthem,” she said. “Do you need to show the prayer? And I also believe the prayer was – they said it was to pray for the victims of the fires in California as well as the terrorist attack in New Orleans. [We’re] a little late for that.”
“Look, I pray every day. I pray for these people constantly, so I guess we shouldn’t focus on that,” Steele continued. “But from a business standpoint, what do we do? Just be consistent. And I guess it wouldn’t be a good thing if they were consistent in this case, would it? Because they [would’ve] continued to do the wrong thing for humanity. »
(John Korduner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images/File)
“That’s it. It’s bigger than business, it’s bigger than sports. It’s about humanity, and I guess.” [I] wasn’t surprised by what happened at the Sugar Bowl. I was so sad and disappointed because that’s the reason why, one of the many reasons why ESPN as a whole isn’t what it used to be.”
