The Atlantic’s Jemele Hill appeared on CBS’ “The Late Show” last night and discussed the intersection of sports and politics. Host Stephen Colbert noted after last year's "Unite The Right" rally in Charlottesville, Hill in a tweet called President Trump a "white supremacist," and Trump tweeted back, "With Jemele Hill at the mic, it's no wonder ESPN ratings have ‘tanked.’" Colbert: "What is your reaction when you see that the President of the United States is tweeting at you?" Hill: “I was super impressed he spelled my name right … but as a journalist you sort of live for that moment.”
Hill said sports and politics have "always been connected," even though there is a "huge bastion of people who believe that sports and politics shouldn’t mix." Hill: "Jackie Robinson integrated Major League Baseball almost 20 years before the Civil Rights Act. You had Muhammad Ali, you had Bill Russell. We've always had these different intersections between sports, race, politics and gender. And usually what I find is the people who object to that intersection, it’s because they don't like the viewpoint or opinion being expressed.”
Hill noted her former ESPN colleague, Tim Tebow, appeared in a pro-life Super Bowl ad: “I gave him a lot of credit for that, because that’s one of the most divisive issues in the country.” Hill: “But you look at somebody like Colin Kaepernick, who’s talking about police brutality and equality, and for me these issues are not necessarily political. ... Some of this is just simply right and wrong. ... Is anybody out there pro-racism?” Colbert: “I'll send you some disturbing tweets.” Hill said she gets "enough of them" (“The Late Show,” CBS, 11/15).
