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Jay-Z Helped the NFL Banish Colin Kaepernick
The former quarterback caused a problem for the league—which turned to the celebrated rapper for assistance.
AUG 15, 2019
Jemele Hill
Staff writer for The Atlantic
USA TODAY SPORTS / REUTERS
Yesterday the hip-hop mogul Jay-Z and National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell held a joint media session at the Roc Nation offices in New York to seal a once-implausible partnership that isn’t being received as positively as both parties probably hoped.
I assume neither Goodell nor Jay-Z expected to be on the defensive once the NFL announced that it would give Roc Nation, the music mogul’s entertainment company, significant power in choosing the performers for the league’s signature events—including the coveted Super Bowl halftime show. Jay-Z and Roc Nation will also help augment the NFL’s social-justice initiatives by developing content and spaces where players can speak about the issues that concern them.
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This wasn’t just another routine example of Jay-Z living out a lyric he’d rapped nearly 15 years ago—“I’m not a businessman. I’m a business, man!” Instead, the rapper faced questions yesterday about why he chose to collaborate with the same league that he’d publicly criticized for its treatment of Colin Kaepernick, the quarterback who hasn’t had an NFL job since taking a knee during the national anthem three years ago to protest police brutality and racial injustice. This is the same Jay-Z who showed support for Kaepernick by wearing his jersey on Saturday Night Live. On his megahit song “Apeshit,” Jay-Z rapped this lyric: “Once I said no to the Super Bowl: You need me, I don’t need you. Every night we in the end zone. Tell the NFL we in stadiums too.”
The NCAA Doesn’t Speak for College Athletes
JEMELE HILL
Now he’s in business with the league.
Kaepernick’s girlfriend, Nessa Diab, wrote on Twitter that Kaepernick didn’t speak with Jay-Z before he brokered his deal with the NFL. Jay-Z said yesterday that he spoke to Kaepernick on Monday, but he wouldn’t divulge how their conversation went.
Jemele Hill: Kaepernick won. The NFL lost.
A source close to Kaepernick, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic, told me, “It was not a good conversation.”
But it was all smiles yesterday between Jay-Z and Goodell.
“We don’t want people to come in and necessarily agree with us; we want people to come in and tell us what we can do better,” Goodell said at the press conference. “I think that’s a core element of our relationship between the two organizations, and with Jay and I personally.”
The financial arrangements have not been made public. But whatever the numbers, the NFL’s new partnership with Jay-Z is a huge win for the league. Some of the biggest celebrities in the world have voiced their support of Kaepernick, saying they would boycott the NFL until Kaepernick is back in the league.
Now that the NFL has Jay-Z’s blessing, it’s conceivable that some of those entertainers who distanced themselves from the NFL might change their mind. Jay-Z has given the NFL exactly what it wanted: guilt-free access to black audiences, culture, entertainers, and influencers.
NFL officials must have been bothered by how much Kaepernick was discussed during Super Bowl week earlier this year. Not only did Goodell have to answer more questions about why Kaepernick still isn’t receiving any interest from NFL teams, but there had also been a number of reports that the league was having a hard time finding performers for its halftime show. Some stars, including Rihanna and Cardi B, reportedly turned down the opportunity to appear at the event show out of allegiance to Kaepernick. Other celebrities, such as the comedian Amy Schumer, publicly pressured the Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine to pull out of his performance. The Reverend Al Sharpton, the civil-rights leader, blasted the rapper Travis Scott, who performed with Levine. “You can’t fight against Jim Crow and then go sit in the back of the bus,” Sharpton told TMZ.
Ironically, one of the people who also advised Scott not to perform at the Super Bowl was Jay-Z. Yesterday the Roc Nation founder said he’d told Scott he shouldn’t perform at the Super Bowl because he would be playing “second fiddle” to Maroon 5. It had nothing to do with Kaepernick.
Clearly Jay-Z’s support of Kaepernick only went so far. Regardless, why would Jay-Z waste any of his enormous social and cultural capital on the NFL when he doesn’t need the league’s platform, money, resources, or validation?
Read: The war on black athletes
I get that Jay-Z might see this as an opportunity for artists to connect with the NFL’s immense audience. He could also offer some incredible insight and direction to the league on the social-justice front, since he’s been actively engaged in such work for a long time. I also understand that, to become hip-hop’s first billionaire, Jay-Z didn’t always have the luxury of avoiding relationships and partnerships with people he disagreed with or disliked.
inRead invented by Teads
But in this case, Jay-Z isn’t getting enough out of the deal to justify the sacrifice of some of his credibility. This alliance plays right into the NFL’s hands, because the league seems determined to banish any memory of Kaepernick with its recent social-justice efforts—even though it’s likely that Jay-Z and the NFL wouldn’t even be entering into this arrangement if Kaepernick hadn’t taken a knee in 2016.
It’s easy to see why Kaepernick would be upset now. The partnership with Jay-Z is part of the NFL’s larger strategy to continue to absolve itself of what happened to the quarterback and throw enough money at social-justice causes so that the players will no longer feel the need to protest—or, at the very least, keep their opinions about racial injustice far away from the football field. Last year The New York Times obtained audio of the three-hour meeting that took place among owners, players, and executives in October 2017, during the pinnacle of the protest drama. The late Houston Texans owner Bob McNair told the players who were present at the meeting, “You fellas need to ask your compadres, ‘Fellas, stop that other business. Let’s go out and do something that really produces positive results, and we’ll help you.’”
By leaving Kaepernick completely out of the mix, Jay-Z is now complicit in helping the NFL execute its strategy. Now he is an accomplice in the league’s hypocrisy.
“I think that we forget that Colin’s whole thing was to bring attention to social injustice, correct?” Jay-Z said during the press conference. “So, in that case, this is a success; this is the next thing. ’Cause there’s two parts of protesting. You go outside and you protest, and then the company or the individual says, ‘I hear you. What do we do next?’ So, for me, it was like, action, actionable item, what are we going to do with it? Everyone heard and we hear what you’re saying, and everybody knows I agree with what you’re saying. So what are we going to do? So we should, millions of millions of people, and all we get stuck on [is] Colin not having a job. I think we’re past kneeling. I think it’s time for action.”
It doesn’t matter whom the NFL partners with, or how much money it pours into social-justice causes. The league’s actions come off as disingenuous because Kaepernick remains unemployed as a result of a peaceful protest. How can the NFL be taken seriously as a social-justice champion when it blackballed a player who stood up for equality?
I don’t question Jay-Z’s commitment to social justice or his desire to empower African Americans. He has consistently used his platform to have critical conversations and bring awareness to the inequalities and injustices that black people regularly face. Jay-Z brilliantly put into perspective how the war on drugs disproportionately hurt blacks and Latinos. He executive-produced a riveting six-part documentary series on the slain teen Trayvon Martin that aired on BET last summer. He also produced a miniseries on Kalief Browder, who was falsely imprisoned at New York’s Rikers Island for three years, starting when he was 16 years old, for allegedly stealing a backpack. Browder died by suicide a year after he was released. Jay-Z’s foundation has funded countless initiatives related to education and professional development. He has also donated millions to so many causes that he is one of the most important humanitarians in the world.
Read: No country for Colin Kaepernick
I don’t believe Jay-Z is a sellout, because his track record proves otherwise. But it does seem like he’s being used as cover. Or, at best, a buffer. The league can point to its partnership with Jay-Z whenever anyone brings up the fact that several of its owners are Trump supporters. As Kaepernick’s best friend, the Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid, pointed out on Twitter, the announcement of this partnership helped move the news cycle past last week’s controversy involving the Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross.
The Miami wide receiver Kenny Stills criticized Ross for holding a fundraiser for Trump last week. Stills, who continued to kneel during the national anthem last season, called out Ross for hypocrisy. The Dolphins owner also serves as a co-founder of RISE (the Ross Initiative for Sports and Equality), whose mission is to create leadership programs and workshops to address racism, inequality, and prejudice—which Trump keeps making worse. As evidenced by Ross and the New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, NFL owners are quite comfortable playing Robin Hood in one world and Gordon Gekko in another.
Fortunately for Ross and other owners, Jay-Z gave the NFL what it wanted—a blank slate. Jay-Z is an iconic figure, and it would be a shame if this partnership changed how people think of him. But I have also learned this about the NFL: Football is the NFL’s primary business, but chess is the game it plays best.
The former quarterback caused a problem for the league—which turned to the celebrated rapper for assistance.
AUG 15, 2019
Jemele Hill
Staff writer for The Atlantic
USA TODAY SPORTS / REUTERS
Yesterday the hip-hop mogul Jay-Z and National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell held a joint media session at the Roc Nation offices in New York to seal a once-implausible partnership that isn’t being received as positively as both parties probably hoped.
I assume neither Goodell nor Jay-Z expected to be on the defensive once the NFL announced that it would give Roc Nation, the music mogul’s entertainment company, significant power in choosing the performers for the league’s signature events—including the coveted Super Bowl halftime show. Jay-Z and Roc Nation will also help augment the NFL’s social-justice initiatives by developing content and spaces where players can speak about the issues that concern them.
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This wasn’t just another routine example of Jay-Z living out a lyric he’d rapped nearly 15 years ago—“I’m not a businessman. I’m a business, man!” Instead, the rapper faced questions yesterday about why he chose to collaborate with the same league that he’d publicly criticized for its treatment of Colin Kaepernick, the quarterback who hasn’t had an NFL job since taking a knee during the national anthem three years ago to protest police brutality and racial injustice. This is the same Jay-Z who showed support for Kaepernick by wearing his jersey on Saturday Night Live. On his megahit song “Apeshit,” Jay-Z rapped this lyric: “Once I said no to the Super Bowl: You need me, I don’t need you. Every night we in the end zone. Tell the NFL we in stadiums too.”
The NCAA Doesn’t Speak for College Athletes
JEMELE HILL
Now he’s in business with the league.
Kaepernick’s girlfriend, Nessa Diab, wrote on Twitter that Kaepernick didn’t speak with Jay-Z before he brokered his deal with the NFL. Jay-Z said yesterday that he spoke to Kaepernick on Monday, but he wouldn’t divulge how their conversation went.
Jemele Hill: Kaepernick won. The NFL lost.
A source close to Kaepernick, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic, told me, “It was not a good conversation.”
But it was all smiles yesterday between Jay-Z and Goodell.
“We don’t want people to come in and necessarily agree with us; we want people to come in and tell us what we can do better,” Goodell said at the press conference. “I think that’s a core element of our relationship between the two organizations, and with Jay and I personally.”
The financial arrangements have not been made public. But whatever the numbers, the NFL’s new partnership with Jay-Z is a huge win for the league. Some of the biggest celebrities in the world have voiced their support of Kaepernick, saying they would boycott the NFL until Kaepernick is back in the league.
Now that the NFL has Jay-Z’s blessing, it’s conceivable that some of those entertainers who distanced themselves from the NFL might change their mind. Jay-Z has given the NFL exactly what it wanted: guilt-free access to black audiences, culture, entertainers, and influencers.
NFL officials must have been bothered by how much Kaepernick was discussed during Super Bowl week earlier this year. Not only did Goodell have to answer more questions about why Kaepernick still isn’t receiving any interest from NFL teams, but there had also been a number of reports that the league was having a hard time finding performers for its halftime show. Some stars, including Rihanna and Cardi B, reportedly turned down the opportunity to appear at the event show out of allegiance to Kaepernick. Other celebrities, such as the comedian Amy Schumer, publicly pressured the Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine to pull out of his performance. The Reverend Al Sharpton, the civil-rights leader, blasted the rapper Travis Scott, who performed with Levine. “You can’t fight against Jim Crow and then go sit in the back of the bus,” Sharpton told TMZ.
Ironically, one of the people who also advised Scott not to perform at the Super Bowl was Jay-Z. Yesterday the Roc Nation founder said he’d told Scott he shouldn’t perform at the Super Bowl because he would be playing “second fiddle” to Maroon 5. It had nothing to do with Kaepernick.
Clearly Jay-Z’s support of Kaepernick only went so far. Regardless, why would Jay-Z waste any of his enormous social and cultural capital on the NFL when he doesn’t need the league’s platform, money, resources, or validation?
Read: The war on black athletes
I get that Jay-Z might see this as an opportunity for artists to connect with the NFL’s immense audience. He could also offer some incredible insight and direction to the league on the social-justice front, since he’s been actively engaged in such work for a long time. I also understand that, to become hip-hop’s first billionaire, Jay-Z didn’t always have the luxury of avoiding relationships and partnerships with people he disagreed with or disliked.
inRead invented by Teads
But in this case, Jay-Z isn’t getting enough out of the deal to justify the sacrifice of some of his credibility. This alliance plays right into the NFL’s hands, because the league seems determined to banish any memory of Kaepernick with its recent social-justice efforts—even though it’s likely that Jay-Z and the NFL wouldn’t even be entering into this arrangement if Kaepernick hadn’t taken a knee in 2016.
It’s easy to see why Kaepernick would be upset now. The partnership with Jay-Z is part of the NFL’s larger strategy to continue to absolve itself of what happened to the quarterback and throw enough money at social-justice causes so that the players will no longer feel the need to protest—or, at the very least, keep their opinions about racial injustice far away from the football field. Last year The New York Times obtained audio of the three-hour meeting that took place among owners, players, and executives in October 2017, during the pinnacle of the protest drama. The late Houston Texans owner Bob McNair told the players who were present at the meeting, “You fellas need to ask your compadres, ‘Fellas, stop that other business. Let’s go out and do something that really produces positive results, and we’ll help you.’”
By leaving Kaepernick completely out of the mix, Jay-Z is now complicit in helping the NFL execute its strategy. Now he is an accomplice in the league’s hypocrisy.
“I think that we forget that Colin’s whole thing was to bring attention to social injustice, correct?” Jay-Z said during the press conference. “So, in that case, this is a success; this is the next thing. ’Cause there’s two parts of protesting. You go outside and you protest, and then the company or the individual says, ‘I hear you. What do we do next?’ So, for me, it was like, action, actionable item, what are we going to do with it? Everyone heard and we hear what you’re saying, and everybody knows I agree with what you’re saying. So what are we going to do? So we should, millions of millions of people, and all we get stuck on [is] Colin not having a job. I think we’re past kneeling. I think it’s time for action.”
It doesn’t matter whom the NFL partners with, or how much money it pours into social-justice causes. The league’s actions come off as disingenuous because Kaepernick remains unemployed as a result of a peaceful protest. How can the NFL be taken seriously as a social-justice champion when it blackballed a player who stood up for equality?
I don’t question Jay-Z’s commitment to social justice or his desire to empower African Americans. He has consistently used his platform to have critical conversations and bring awareness to the inequalities and injustices that black people regularly face. Jay-Z brilliantly put into perspective how the war on drugs disproportionately hurt blacks and Latinos. He executive-produced a riveting six-part documentary series on the slain teen Trayvon Martin that aired on BET last summer. He also produced a miniseries on Kalief Browder, who was falsely imprisoned at New York’s Rikers Island for three years, starting when he was 16 years old, for allegedly stealing a backpack. Browder died by suicide a year after he was released. Jay-Z’s foundation has funded countless initiatives related to education and professional development. He has also donated millions to so many causes that he is one of the most important humanitarians in the world.
Read: No country for Colin Kaepernick
I don’t believe Jay-Z is a sellout, because his track record proves otherwise. But it does seem like he’s being used as cover. Or, at best, a buffer. The league can point to its partnership with Jay-Z whenever anyone brings up the fact that several of its owners are Trump supporters. As Kaepernick’s best friend, the Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid, pointed out on Twitter, the announcement of this partnership helped move the news cycle past last week’s controversy involving the Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross.
The Miami wide receiver Kenny Stills criticized Ross for holding a fundraiser for Trump last week. Stills, who continued to kneel during the national anthem last season, called out Ross for hypocrisy. The Dolphins owner also serves as a co-founder of RISE (the Ross Initiative for Sports and Equality), whose mission is to create leadership programs and workshops to address racism, inequality, and prejudice—which Trump keeps making worse. As evidenced by Ross and the New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, NFL owners are quite comfortable playing Robin Hood in one world and Gordon Gekko in another.
Fortunately for Ross and other owners, Jay-Z gave the NFL what it wanted—a blank slate. Jay-Z is an iconic figure, and it would be a shame if this partnership changed how people think of him. But I have also learned this about the NFL: Football is the NFL’s primary business, but chess is the game it plays best.
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith Fires Back At Jemele Hill On Twitter
Earlier: Oftentimes, the most entertaining Twitter disagreements are the ones you don't see coming, like today's back-and-forth between Jemele Hill and Stephen
thespun.com
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith Fires Back At Jemele Hill On Twitter
OAKLAND, CA - MAY 30: TV sports personality Stephen A. Smith speaks with youth from the Hidden Genius Project prior to Game Seven of the Western Conference Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2016 NBA Playoffs at ORACLE Arena on May 30, 2016 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images)
Earlier: Oftentimes, the most entertaining Twitter disagreements are the ones you don’t see coming, like today’s back-and-forth between Jemele Hill and Stephen A. Smith.
Earlier today, Hill, a former colleague of Smith’s at ESPN, responded to a video clip featuring Smith saying he and Jay Z were partially responsible for Colin Kaepernick’s NFL workout last month.
“Arguably ESPN’s most prominent talent admitting to help orchestrate a workout for Colin Kaepernick … yeah let me go back to minding my business. Guards!” Hill tweeted.
Depending on how you look at it, that tweet could be interpreted as a shot at Smith, the NFL or ESPN, Hill’s old employer.
Her next tweet definitely seemed like a dig at Smith though.
Naturally, Stephen A. saw the original tweet and has aired out his response.
As expected, he didn’t hold back.
The interesting thing about this squabble is that both Hill and Smith have been vocal supporters of Kaepernick in the past. Smith did take the quarterback to task for how he handled the workout, and in doing so, received plenty of criticism in return.
It’s doubtful that Hill and Smith have legit “beef” but it is interesting to see them go at it like this. We’ll see if anything more happens between the two.
Update: Looks like Hill will take her explanation off-line, which is probably smart.
Sports Media: Who U Got??? ESPN Stephen A. Smith Fires Back At Jemele Hill On Twitter
https://thespun.com/more/sports-media/espns-stephen-a-smith-fires-back-at-jemele-hill-on-twitter ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith Fires Back At Jemele Hill On Twitter OAKLAND, CA - MAY 30: TV sports personality Stephen A. Smith speaks with youth from the Hidden Genius Project prior to Game Seven of the...
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ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith Gets In Twitter Back & Forth With Ex-Coworker Jemele Hill (TWEETS)
Read “ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith Gets In Twitter Back & Forth With Ex-Coworker Jemele Hill (TWEETS) ” and other NFL articles from Total Pro Sports.
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^^^^^^
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Jemele Hill Apologizes For Old Tweet After Calling Out Barstool Sports
Jemele Hill has apologized for an old tweet that resurfaced after calling out Barstool Sports and Dave Portnoy on social media.
thespun.com
@playahaitian Michael Smith is back also
Michael Smith, Michael Holley launching original sports talk show for NBC's Peacock
Former ESPN personality Michael Smith will team with Michael Holley for a new original sports talk show on NBC's Peacock streaming service.
awfulannouncing.com
@playahaitian Michael Smith is back also
Michael Smith, Michael Holley launching original sports talk show for NBC's Peacock
Former ESPN personality Michael Smith will team with Michael Holley for a new original sports talk show on NBC's Peacock streaming service.awfulannouncing.com
Gabrielle Union and Jemele Hill Explore the Complications of New Money for Showtime
By Halle Kiefer@hallekiefer
Photo: Andrew Toth/Getty Images
Gabrielle Union, Jemele Hill, and Kelley L. Carter are ready to make New Money for Showtime. According to Variety, the L.A.’s Finest star is developing the scripted half-hour comedy with Hill, who is currently a contributing writer for the Atlantic and host of the Spotify podcast Jemele Hill Is Unbothered, and Carter, journalist at ESPN’s The Undefeated.
The series reportedly focuses on successful Black women currently enjoying the fruits of their twenty-somethings struggle, only to be beset in their 30s by problems that come with, well, “new money,” which include “hangers-on, false friends, unwanted media attention, and greedy relatives,” not to mention negotiating “the treacherous world of dating.” Patrik-Ian Polk, writer for Being Mary Jane and P-Valley, has also joined the project to write and executive produce, as will presumably many others interested in making a ton of New Money.
By Halle Kiefer@hallekiefer
Photo: Andrew Toth/Getty Images
Gabrielle Union, Jemele Hill, and Kelley L. Carter are ready to make New Money for Showtime. According to Variety, the L.A.’s Finest star is developing the scripted half-hour comedy with Hill, who is currently a contributing writer for the Atlantic and host of the Spotify podcast Jemele Hill Is Unbothered, and Carter, journalist at ESPN’s The Undefeated.
The series reportedly focuses on successful Black women currently enjoying the fruits of their twenty-somethings struggle, only to be beset in their 30s by problems that come with, well, “new money,” which include “hangers-on, false friends, unwanted media attention, and greedy relatives,” not to mention negotiating “the treacherous world of dating.” Patrik-Ian Polk, writer for Being Mary Jane and P-Valley, has also joined the project to write and executive produce, as will presumably many others interested in making a ton of New Money.
Thursday, January 7, 2021
VICE News talks consequences—for the rioters, president, country, and democracy.
www.vicetv.com
Dan Le Batard’s New Media Startup Will Reportedly Target Jemele Hill And Bomani Jones
ROBBY KALLANDTWITTERSENIOR SPORTS WRITER
JANUARY 12, 2021
uproxx.com
Dan Le Batard has ventured off on his own after two decades at ESPN, as the longtime columnist, radio host, and TV personality parted ways with the four-letter on January 4 with an emotional goodbye on Highly Questionable.
In the week-plus since, Le Batard’s radio show has been doing a “pirate” broadcast now that it is independent and while there was ample speculation about where the wildly popular show would land, the answer we got over the weekend was that Le Batard and former ESPN chief John Skipper would be teaming up to launch a new media company. While we don’t know specifics on a launch date for the new outlet or even a name, we do have some details on who they will be targeting to bring on board.
According to Front Office Sports, they are going after a number of Le Batard’s former ESPN colleagues, including Jemele Hill (who confirmed discussions in the story), Bomani Jones, Kate Fagan, and Erik Rydholm — the producer and creator of Highly Questionable, PTI, and much of ESPN’s afternoon block.
In any case, the Le Batard and Skipper company clearly has a vision for the type of personality they want to bring on board and see themselves as capable of landing some very big fish — which also indicates they will have ample funding behind them.
ROBBY KALLANDTWITTERSENIOR SPORTS WRITER
JANUARY 12, 2021
Dan Le Batard’s Media Startup Will Target Jemele Hill And Bomani Jones
Dan Le Batard reportedly has his eye on some of his favorite former ESPN colleagues to bring onto his new media startup.
uproxx.com
Dan Le Batard has ventured off on his own after two decades at ESPN, as the longtime columnist, radio host, and TV personality parted ways with the four-letter on January 4 with an emotional goodbye on Highly Questionable.
In the week-plus since, Le Batard’s radio show has been doing a “pirate” broadcast now that it is independent and while there was ample speculation about where the wildly popular show would land, the answer we got over the weekend was that Le Batard and former ESPN chief John Skipper would be teaming up to launch a new media company. While we don’t know specifics on a launch date for the new outlet or even a name, we do have some details on who they will be targeting to bring on board.
According to Front Office Sports, they are going after a number of Le Batard’s former ESPN colleagues, including Jemele Hill (who confirmed discussions in the story), Bomani Jones, Kate Fagan, and Erik Rydholm — the producer and creator of Highly Questionable, PTI, and much of ESPN’s afternoon block.
Hill has a number of projects she is working on, like her Vice show Stick To Sports with Cari Champion as well as a Spotify podcast, so it seems the biggest hurdle is figuring out exactly what her role would be and how involved she is. Jones is still under contract with ESPN, having taken over Highly Questionable in Le Batard’s absence among other responsibilities, so swiping him away would be quite the task.
In any case, the Le Batard and Skipper company clearly has a vision for the type of personality they want to bring on board and see themselves as capable of landing some very big fish — which also indicates they will have ample funding behind them.
John Skipper, Dan Le Batard's Progressive Response To 'Outkick'
John Skipper and Dan Le Batard are talking to Jemele Hill about a liberal sports startup that would be opposite of Clay Travis' Outkick.
frontofficesports.com
John Skipper, Dan Le Batard’s Progressive Response To ‘Outkick’
- Jemele Hill confirms early discussions with the new startup.
- New outlet would be philosophical opposite of Clay Travis’ site.
- BY MICHAEL MCCARTHY
JANUARY 12, 2021
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Former ESPN president John Skipper and personality Dan Le Batard are partnering on a politically progressive sports media company. The new venture is described as the strategic opposite of Clay Travis’ Outkick, sources told Front Office Sports.
Skipper and Le Batard will build a diverse lineup of progressive sports voices, said sources. Their target list includes former ESPN colleagues Jemele Hill, Bomani Jones and Kate Fagan.
Their still-unnamed startup has begun to seek sports talent in front of and behind the camera, said sources. Their strategy: sell various types of original content, from TV, radio and streaming sports shows to films and documentaries.
Hill confirmed she’s had early discussions with Skipper.
“We’re trying to figure out the most productive way to work together,” she told Front Office Sports. “Both John and Dan know I have such a deep level of respect for them. So me working with them again always felt like it was inevitable.”
Skipper, the executive chairman of sports streaming company DAZN, also wants to hire a “content creator” he trusts from his six-year stint as president of ESPN from 2012-2017.
Among possible executives on his wish list are three longtime colleagues: Erik Rydholm, who executive produced Le Batard’s “Highly Questionable” TV show at ESPN; Connor Schell, the former content chief who resigned to form his own production company; and DAZN executive vice president of content Jamie Horowitz, who launched DAZN’s “40 Days” documentary franchise after creating “SportsNation” and “First Take.”
A DAZN spokesman said Skipper was not available for comment.
Q&A: Jemele Hill Opens Up on Bubba Wallace, NFL Protests, and ESPN
BY MICHAEL MCCARTHY / JUNE 26, 2020
Skipper and Le Batard’s new content outfit faces plenty of hurdles. First, they’ll need financing. Their standard of personalities and executive talent won’t come cheap.
Some candidates on their wish list like Jones, host of “The Right Time” podcast, are still under contract with ESPN.
Hill, whom ESPN suspended in 2017 after calling President Donald Trump a “white supremacist,” has formed her own independent media platform after leaving the sports giant.
Her projects include “Stick to Sports,” the Vice TV talk show with Cari Champion, the “Jemele Hill is Unbothered” Spotify podcast, a production company, and a regular column in The Atlantic.
The media veterans are tapping into a culturally, politically progressive avenue at a perfect time. The country is one week removed from the U.S. Capitol riots and one week away from Joe Biden’s inauguration and Democratic control of the Congress.
Jimmy Pitaro, Skipper’s successor as ESPN president, had directed his talent to steer clear of pure politics unless it directly intersects with sports such as player protests over the death of George Floyd.
Le Batard, whose parents are Cuban immigrants, called ESPN “cowardly” in 2019 for not addressing Trump’s racist remarks about four Democratic congresswomen of color at a political rally.
Dan Le Batard Leaving ESPN; Asked Out Of Contract Early
BY MICHAEL MCCARTHY / DECEMBER 3, 2020
“Here, all of a sudden, nobody talks politics on anything unless we can use one of these sports figures as a meat shield in the most cowardly possible way to discuss the subject,” Le Batard had said on his show, adding that Hill’s public battle with Trump made ESPN afraid to tackle racial and social justices issues.
After signing off from ESPN on Jan. 4, Le Batard recently called Travis a “shit-stain” for hosting Trump on his radio show multiple times.
Even if they don’t reach an agreement on her involvement, Hill has “no doubt” Skipper and Le Batard will be successful in their new venture.
“John and Dan could fill a huge hole in the marketplace in terms of more content. Yes, of course, ESPN has a lot of it. But as streaming continues to grow and develop, this is still an untouched area for them,” she said. “So there’s a lot of opportunity out there.”
Travis tweeted he welcomes anyone who wants to start their own media business.
“Yay, capitalism. But this will just make [Outkick] even more successful because it pushes the rest of the sports media industry even farther left. It’s a woke knife fight to see who is the purest.”
If the Skipper/Le Batard startup gets off the ground, it should have its pick of available talent. Thousands of writers, editors, producers, directors, announcers and analysts have been thrown out of work by COVID-19-caused layoffs in the media business.
At the start of 2021, sports media free agents include ex-ESPNers such as Mike Golic Sr., Josina Anderson, Trey Wingo and Michelle Beadle. If Skipper and Le Batard hit it big, one hope is their independent company could one day sell for something close to the $200 million pocketed by ex-ESPN colleague Bill Simmons for The Ringer.
The Miami Herald first reported on Skipper and Le Batard’s plan to partner on a new venture.
SBS- Jemele Hill and Michael Smith
<p>On this episode of South Beach Sessions, Dan talks to Jemele Hill and Michael Smith about their departure from SC6 and the aftermath of Jemele's tweet about Donald Trump, their relationship as people, and how media and sports media has changed in the aftermath of what happened to...
Jemele Hill thought Michael Smith resented her for ending their 'SC6' show on ESPN
It’s now been more than two years since Jemele Hill left ESPN amid controversies over tweets about then-President Donald Trump and concerns that she was bringing more political discourse into her SportsCenter show with Michael Smith. (Smith left the network himself a year later.) Yet Hill and...
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Jemele Hill Launches Podcast Network With Spotify
The Unbothered Network will release podcast series exclusively on Spotify that elevate the voices and stories of Black women.
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