Posted on 08/21/2014 5:35:02 AM PDT by LeoMcNeil
ESPN has a nasty habit of suspending people who they hire to share opinions. Stephen A. Smith was recently suspended for daring to suggest a woman shouldn’t antagonize her violent husband. You would think this is common sense. If a woman knows her man is violent and knows what will trigger him, it’s probably not a good idea to antagonize him. That doesn’t let husband off the hook of course and Smith so much as said so. Max Kellerman admitted on the air he hit his girlfriend years ago (it was in context of the NFL’s Ray Rice suspension, which Smith was also talking about), that warranted a suspension according to ESPN. Dan Lebatard was suspended by ESPN as well, for harassing Lebron James on a billboard. Lebatard is a known agitator, he was hired to do just that. ESPN then feigns outrage when Saint Lebron is mocked.
There are of course more suspensions than just Smith and Lebatard. Most have to do with bowing to political correctness. Which is why Mike Ditka could be facing a suspension. ESPN has been trolling for a change to the Washington Redskins name for several years now. Most of their hired opinion makers have created an echo chamber for a Redskins name change. Ditka apparently didn’t get the memo that ESPN wanted a change. The Redskins name change movement comes from “politically correct idiots.” according to Ditka.
Ditka is of course right. The term redskin wasn’t coined by white people, it was coined by American Indians. They differentiated themselves from white skinned Europeans with the term redskin. The state of Oklahoma’s name means redskins in Cherokee. Most of the professional teams and schools who used Indian names did so in a noble way. They celebrated Indians fierce fighting and wanted to emulate such on the field of play. The Redskins logo is one of a noble Indian chief, it depicts character and strength.
That of course doesn’t matter to the liberals at ESPN or elsewhere. American Indians are for them props to be used to force change when no change is necessary. The same liberals bellyaching about the name redskins couldn’t care less about the deplorable conditions on Indian reservations throughout the nation. Their not interested in people, they’re interested in exerting their power by forcing a name change on a football team. Notice how they’re uninterested in other team names that could be deemed offensive such as Celtics, Fighting Irish, Vikings, Spartans, Patriots or Yankees.
The battle to change the Redskins name is about power. If the left is able to force a name change on the Washington Redskins, they’ll be able to exert that power elsewhere. Mike Ditka clearly isn’t having any of it. As usual, he bluntly shared his view. The question is whether ESPN has the guts to suspend him for it. They probably don’t have the guts to do anything to Ditka, in part because he’s one of their more popular commentators. You have to wonder though whether they would suspend a minor commentator for saying the same thing. If you watch ESPN’s commentary shows, everyone falls right in line on this issue. Suspensions have a chilling effect on opinions, no doubt commentators at ESPN have taken notice. Ditka happens to not care, to his credit.
Well, every time I see Mike Ditka on TV I say “it’s your fault!” It’s his fault that we have the current occupant in the White House. He was mulling over running for the Senate in Illinois but decided not to. I believe polls at the time gave Ditka a decent shot at winning, but he declined to run, and this enabled the rise of you know who. It may be a stretch to lay this on Mike, but it does provide a way to vent my frustration.
It’s not Ditkas fault. It’s the fault of our mind numbed brain dead society.
The Illinois GOP announced he was running before he made the decision - that made him angry, and they gave him the high hat.
You can blame whoever was the head of the Illinois GOP that year for what happened.
I’d forgotten that until just now reading your post. I totally agree with Ditka on this Redskin kerfuffle and ESPN may suspend him for stating an opinion contrary to the party line. Unfortunately, for Ditka, that may mean the end of his time in the media but I bet we don’t hear one thing from him that sounds like an apology while trying to get back on the air.
Ditka running would have been a Hail Mary that just may have succeeded. It’s not too late. Stick his nose into running against a big fish(Durbin). The gop nominee should step aside. The climate this year is generating the perfect storm. Gop could very well take the governors mansion.
I was just thinking of that. If he had run against Hussein, where would we be now?
He could have stopped this, amazingly enough. Too bad, because having a Senator Ditka would have made so many things right in the world.
He’s absolutely correct.
I can’t blame Ditka for Obama. No one could have predicted in 2004 what Obama would become.
I’m from Chicago. I don’t get involved much with anything labeled “boycott” but if they suspend Mike I will not watch the stupid pre, half time and post BS on ESPN.
This is another example of people who are “low infomation voter types.” Why isn’t there a push to get rid of the Blackhawks logo or the Atlanta Braves? Washington Redskins? Are you kidding me?
This is why I don’t watch football anymore.
Mike Ditka IS football! I’d love for ESPN to suspend him just so I can watch the backlash.........
Yea, I would say so......
Just like it's your fault Obama got elected because you didn't have the guts to move to Illinois so you could vote against him........
Except for golf, I honestly can't name three players from any given sport.
However, if the price is right, some will agree to be offended, or at least act offended.
The Washington Cherokees. What would the libs do with that?!!
(probably sue OK for a name change)
I don’t think Ditka will care very much.
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