In his closing remarks on "The Big Show," MSNBC's Keith
Olbermann addressed the fact that ESPN declined to divulge
its minority-hiring numbers during its "Race & Sports"
special. Olbermann: "I didn't want to address this story
because I know my view may seem a little skewed, but
something has undermined my reluctance." Noting Thursday's
USA Today where ESPN declined to reveal its minority-hiring
numbers after MLB cited in-house statistics disputing the
network's figures, Olbermann said, "There's something wrong
with that. At this time when sports grapples with this
issue, when the entire television industry grapples with it
... when the country as a whole tries to find the right way,
you just can't hold back. ESPN deserves more credit perhaps
for consistently tackling racism in sports than for anything
else it has ever done. But in my years there it did not
address this same problem within its own walls. It is 10
months since I left there, but as of last June the simple
facts were these: There were 63 producers and coordinating
producers running the studio shows in Connecticut. ...
Fifty-eight of those were white men." He added that his
numbers may "not have been statistically precise" and that
"there may have been significant steps taken since I left --
I don't know." Olbermann: "But I do know that in this very
sensitive area to everyone, if you devote two hours of
television to decry how poorly sports leagues handle the
questions of minority hiring, saying that you decline to
divulge your own statistics just is not fair" (MSNBC, 4/16).
RESPONSE: ESPN VP/Commun. Chris LaPlaca responded to
Olbermann's comments, telling THE DAILY: "This was a look at
sports, not the sports media. We would dispute Keith's
math. We are progressive on-air which has a positive
societal impact and we continue to work toward cultivating
diversity with several major initiatives" (THE DAILY).
