ESPN's Robert Lee Switch Controversy

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Overview

ESPN's Robert Lee Switch Controversy refers to the online backlash toward the sports television channel ESPN for switching sports announcer Robert Lee from a University of Virginia football game due to the similarity between his name and Confederate general Robert E. Lee.

Background

On August 22nd, 2017, ESPN released a statement announcing that the company had moved Robert Lee from announcing a University of Virginia football game "simply because of the coincidence of his name" following the violent Unite the Right rally held earlier that month.^[9]

Developments

Online Reaction

On August 23rd, 2017, Redditor BBQCopter submitted a post about the controversy to /r/KotakuInAction.^[5] That day, the hashtag #RobertLee began trending on Twitter, while posts erroneously claiming Lee had been "fired" for his name began appearing on Facebook.^[7] That day, Snopes^[8] published an article refuting the social media posts.

neontaster @neontaster ESPN claims the #RobertLee thing was about memes, but by pulling him, they created a cat-5 meme hurricane. Smart move, idiots

1 hr ESPN just fired an Asian guy named Robert Lee because his name might offend some snowflake liberals. I don't watch ESPN because of this kind of s--- anyway But that tells you how far gone these liberal nut jobs are.

ESPN's Response

On August 22nd, 2017, USA Today^[3] published an article which included a statement from an anonymous ESPN executive, who claimed Lee chose to switch assignments after being given the option by ESPN. The following day, CNN correspondent Brian Stelter tweeted an internal memo written by ESPN President John Skipper regarding the decision to switch Robert Lee (shown below).^[6]

Given the amount of media attention being generated by one of the countless, routine decisions our local production teams make every day, I wanted to make sure you have the facts. There was never any concern - by anyone, at any level -- that Robert Lee's name would offend anyone watching the Charlottesville game Among our Charlotte production staff there was a question as to whether - in these divisive times Robert's assignment might create a distraction, or even worse, expose him to social hectoring and trolling. Since Robert was their primary concern, they consulted with him directly. He expressed some personal trepidation about the assignment and, when offered the chance to do the Youngstown State/Pitt game instead, opted for that game -- in part because he lives in Albany and would be able to get home to his family on Saturday evening. I'm disappointed that the good intentions of our Charlotte colleagues have been intentionally hijacked by someone with a personal agenda, and sincerely appreciate Robert's personal input and professionalism throughout this episode.

News Media Coverage

On August 23rd, the libertarian news site Reason^[4] published an article titled "ESPN's Robert Lee Decision Should Be Wake-Up Call About the Perpetual Outrage Machines."