NY Times - ESPN Employees Say Racism Endures Behind the Camera

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In meetings and conversations among colleagues, ESPN employees have criticized the career pipeline and diversity of top leadership, eliciting a promise from executives to do better.

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The nationwide conversation over systemic racism and equality has prompted a series of discussions and forums at ESPN, where Black employees, many of them behind the cameras, have begun speaking out about the everyday racism and barriers they face at the sports media giant.

In conference calls and meetings over the last month, they have detailed to their bosses and colleagues what they see as behavior and long-entrenched practices that have led to embarrassing missteps and kept many career Black employees from rising through the ranks at a company that devotes a significant amount of its coverage to Black athletes.

A key producer of some of ESPN’s signature shows said she watched others be promoted so often that she advised some fellow Black employees to leave the company to advance their careers.

ESPN has apologized twice in recent years for on-air segments that were criticized by employees and viewers as racist, including one that looked uncomfortably like an auction of enslaved people.

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And the story of one incident last month has ricocheted around ESPN, with several Black employees calling it emblematic of their experience at the company.

On a conference call of more than 200 people to discuss college football coverage, Black employees began sharing their personal experiences with discrimination. As Maria Taylor, a fast-rising star who has hosted several shows, spoke about her treatment at ESPN, she was interrupted by a white male play-by-play announcer who apparently did not realize that his microphone was not muted.

The announcer, Dave LaMont, could be heard complaining to someone that the call was just a griping session for Black employees. He declined to comment, and ESPN said it had “addressed it appropriately,” without elaborating.

“It was such a slap in the face,” Taylor said in an interview. “When I was in it, that was horrible. But now, looking back, it was an awakening moment. This is part of our culture. There are people that feel this way.”

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