Le Batard isn’t on ESPN Radio today because he voiced his political opinions on his show.
As a man, Dan Le Batard did the right thing by voicing his opinion about President Donald Trump’s tweets. As an ESPN employee, he asked for trouble by doing it on his radio show.
Le Batard will not host his radio show today. Whether that was his choice or ESPN’s is unclear, but his absence is the result of his comments.
Meeting product-related expectations is critical to any business’s success, and Le Batard hosts a sportstalk show. Listeners expect sports related conversations on the show, and when the talk deviates from that expectation, some listeners will express their displeasure by punching a different button. That’s bad for business.
There is a well-vetted theory in radio that 80% of listeners value a radio station because of what is discussed, and 20% come for the who. Hosts can get it a little twisted because they are only praised by those who listen because of them, but relevance is a big deal in media. You don’t but hammers and nails at a bar, and hardware stores don’t sell vodka tonics.
In these divisive times, alienating a significant percentage of listeners through airing political grievances might be good for the soul, but it’s bad for maintaining listenership.
Le Batard may believe that his opinions regarding Trump are so important they are worth whatever consequence ESPN metes out as a result. That’s his right as a citizen, but as an employee whose voice is heard on a few hundred radio affiliates, Le Batard is accountable for defying the edicts of his bosses and those who manage the affiliates.
We’ve seen this before. Jemele Hill was suspended by ESPN for her politically charged comments about Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’s threat to bench any player who does “anything that is disrespectful to the flag.” She now writes for The Atlantic.
People working in radio own their mouths, but they are paid by their employers for the words that come out of the speakers in listeners’ cars. Le Batard is thoughtful, funny, well-informed, and occasionally wise when discussing sports. It is in that specific realm that ESPN values his contributions. If he veers off course toward politics, those same traits will corrupt ESPN’s brand. And just as the NFL will always protect the shield, ESPN will protect its brand.
Le Batard is a smart guy, and it’s likely he has a great feel for how hard he can push his bosses and in what direction, but allowing principles to guide professional decisions can have a significant cost.
Dan should call Jemele to make sure the fight is worth the potential outcome.
“As a man”…..Dan was wrong and your opening line makes the same mistake. If you want to place personal political options into your sports coverage be prepared to hear the other side.
I’ve never said anything political on any show I’ve hosted.
Could be true but you wrote it here…..Read your first sentence again
Elliott,
Please explain what exactly is the other side of racist chanting?
Harry
The other side is that there was nothing racist about that chant. I doubt the sheep repeating the media narrative around it even know what the definition of the word really is.