ESPN's new boss talks about anchors taking political stances: 'We are not a political organization'

14:14 - 27 March 2018

ESPN's new president Jimmy Pitaro discussed the contentious issue of ESPN anchors making political stances on social media in an interview with Variety.

ESPN's new president Jimmy Pitaro discussed the contentious issue of ESPN anchors taking political stances on social media in an interview with Variety.
ESPN set new social-media guidelines for its employees in November, after controversy surrounded political Twitter posts from some of its anchors, including former "SportsCenter" host Jemele Hill.
Pitaro referenced the guidelines in the interview and said of ESPN: "We are not a political organization. We are a sports-media company."

ESPN's new president Jimmy Pitaro gave his first interview since he was hired to the role earlier this month, in a Variety Q&A published Tuesday.

In the interview, Pitaro discussed a handful of topics, including the company's upcoming streaming service, ESPN+, as well as the contentious issue of ESPN anchors taking political stances on social media.

ESPN set new social-media guidelines for its employees in November, after former "SportsCenter" host Jemele Hill was suspended for advocating that advertisers boycott Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who said in November that players who kneeled during the national anthem would not play for his team. Hill had earlier sparked controversy for calling President Trump a "white supremacist" on Twitter.