President Donald Trump weighed in on ESPNs decision to suspend anchor Jemele Hill , resorting to one of his favorite jabs about television networks when hes unhappy with their coverage: their ratings.
With Jemele Hill at the mike, it is no wonder ESPN ratings have \"tanked,\" in fact, tanked so badly it is the talk of the industry!
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 10, 2017","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"Donald J. Trump","author_url":"https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump","cache_age":86400,"description":"With Jemele Hill at the mike, it is no wonder ESPN ratings have "tanked," in fact, tanked so badly it is the talk of the industry!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 10, 2017\n","provider_name":"Twitter","title":"Donald J. 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Cowboys","slug":"dallas-cowboys","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/dallas-cowboys","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/dallas-cowboys","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/dallas-cowboys"},"section":{"title":"Sports","slug":"sports"},"topic":{"title":"Dallas Cowboys","slug":"dallas-cowboys","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/topic/dallas-cowboys"},{"name":"Jemele Hill","slug":"jemele-hill","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/jemele-hill","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/jemele-hill","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/jemele-hill"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/jemele-hill"},{"name":"national anthem protest","slug":"national-anthem-protest","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/national-anthem-protest","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/national-anthem-protest","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/national-anthem-protest"},"department":{"name":"Latest News","slug":"politics-news"},"section":{"title":"Politics","slug":"politics"},"topic":{"title":"Taking A Knee","slug":"taking-a-knee","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/news/topic/taking-a-knee"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["\r\n\r\n","\r\n\r\n","\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0},"isCollectionEmbed":false,"enhancements":{}}">With Jemele Hill at the mike, it is no wonder ESPN ratings have "tanked," in fact, tanked so badly it is the talk of the industry!
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 10, 2017
Hill was suspended for two weeks for twice violating the sports networks social media guidelines , according to a company statement. The first infraction was when she called Trump a white supremacist on Twitter. The second came when she suggested a boycott of advertisers associated with the Dallas Cowboys after team owner Jerry Jones told players he would bench them if they refused to stand during the national anthem.
Jerry Jones also has created a problem for his players, specifically the black ones. If they dont kneel, some will see them as sellouts, Hill tweeted on Sunday. She later added, Change happens when advertisers are impacted ... If you strongly reject what Jerry Jones said, the key is his advertisers.
Advocates have since denounced the networks suspension of Hill. ESPNs decision to suspend Jemele Hill is a flagrant suppression of Black voices in sports, Rashad Robinson, executive director of Color Of Change, said in a statement. The companys new social media guidelines were not created until Black employees and athletes began to prominently speak out against our countrys racial injustices. By choosing to ban its reporters opinions, ESPN is making an explicitly political decision to side with the Trump administration on the wrong side of history.
Players like former San Francisco 49er Colin Kaepernick have said they are kneeling to protest racism and police violence against African-Americans.
Vice President Mike Pence waded into the controversy on Sunday by walking out of a football game after several players knelt during the national anthem. Pences move, which some believe was pre-planned, may have cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars.
Trump also saluted Jones on Twitter Monday night for the ultimatum he gave his players.
A big salute to Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, who will BENCH players who disrespect our Flag.\"Stand for Anthem or sit for game!\"
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 10, 2017","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"Donald J. Trump","author_url":"https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump","cache_age":86400,"description":"A big salute to Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, who will BENCH players who disrespect our Flag."Stand for Anthem or sit for game!"— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 10, 2017\n","provider_name":"Twitter","title":"Donald J. 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Cowboys","slug":"dallas-cowboys","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/dallas-cowboys","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/dallas-cowboys","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/dallas-cowboys"},"section":{"title":"Sports","slug":"sports"},"topic":{"title":"Dallas Cowboys","slug":"dallas-cowboys","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/topic/dallas-cowboys"},{"name":"Jemele Hill","slug":"jemele-hill","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/jemele-hill","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/jemele-hill","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/jemele-hill"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/jemele-hill"},{"name":"national anthem protest","slug":"national-anthem-protest","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/national-anthem-protest","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/national-anthem-protest","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/national-anthem-protest"},"department":{"name":"Latest News","slug":"politics-news"},"section":{"title":"Politics","slug":"politics"},"topic":{"title":"Taking A Knee","slug":"taking-a-knee","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/news/topic/taking-a-knee"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["\r\n\r\n","\r\n\r\n","\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0},"isCollectionEmbed":false,"enhancements":{}}">A big salute to Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, who will BENCH players who disrespect our Flag."Stand for Anthem or sit for game!"
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 10, 2017
Meanwhile, ESPN seems unconvinced that politics are substantially affecting its ratings, citing a study by an outside research firm in June that found its the highest-rated full-time cable network among Men and Adults aged 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54. Last week, ratings for ESPNs Monday Night Football were up again , and it was the nights top-rated show for the fourth straight week.
This story has been updated with a statement from Rashad Robinson.
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