Former ESPN broadcaster Sage Steele said the network deserved to be slammed for failing to air the national anthem on its main channel before the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans following a terrorist attack in the city the previous day.
Steele was born “Out Kick The Morning” and appeared surprised because of ESPN's failure to show the national anthem that day, which the company said was “the news of the moment.”
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The national anthem is played before the 2024 Sugar Bowl between the Texas Longhorns and the Washington Huskies at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. (Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports)
“It was really bad, and I tweeted about it and I put it on my Instagram, and I really try to avoid a lot of things that have to do with my former employer. That life is It's over, and I'm so glad I got through it. I'm thankful for Charly for those years, because it was a clear decision for me to jump,” Steele told OutKick's Charly Arnolt on Tuesday.
“You're miles away, maybe less than New Orleans, from where all those people were killed the morning of what was supposed to be a game on ESPN. And you chose to ignore it when people suffer and It is much bigger than football?
Steele said ESPN's showing of the pregame prayer last week was in response to comments he received because of Sugar Cup.
Sage Steele (Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Bullseye Event Group/File)
“So, I think this was a reaction to that. I think it went too far … show the national anthem,” he said. “Do you need to show a prayer? And I believe the prayer was — they said it was to pray for the victims of the California wildfires as well as the terrorist attack on New Orleans. (We're) a little behind for that.”
“Listen, I pray every day. I pray for those people over and over again, so I don't think we should focus on that,” Steele continued. “But from a business perspective, what do we do? Be consistent. And I think it wouldn't be a good thing if they were consistent about this, right? Because they (would) continue to do something wrong for people.
(John Korduner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images/File)
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“That's what this is. This is bigger than business, this is bigger than sports. It's about humanity, and I think (I) wasn't surprised by what happened in the Sugar Bowl. I was I'm very sad and disappointed because this is the reason why, one of the many reasons, ESPN as a whole is not what it used to be.”
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