“We understand the optics could be portrayed as offensive … “
Auction-style drafts are common to those who play fantasy sports.
But ESPN took that concept and turned it into an idea that should have never made it to TV. Today’s NFL stars — both black and white — were being sold as part of a fantasy football segment Monday.
Cue the despicable visual of a white man holding a black man’s head on a stick.
Soooooo ESPN just did an “auction” sketch [?] pic.twitter.com/zvezCItems
Odell Beckham Jr. noticed.
Speechless. https: //t.co/CddZ917y4u
And others, like NBA star Kevin Durant, piled on with their criticism, too.
Bum ass espn running out of ideas…. pic.twitter.com/4QVTtncN6R
So the network issued an apology.
“Auction drafts are a common part of fantasy football, and ESPN’s segments replicated an auction draft with a diverse slate of top professional football players. Without that context, we understand the optics could be portrayed as offensive, and we apologize, ” ESPN said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports.
Not all ideas are good ideas.
