ESPN President John Skipper disputed former network analyst Curt Schilling’s claim that the sports news organization prefers left-leaning viewpoints, and told reporters this week that the company simply has zero tolerance for intolerant points of view.
“No. We have no tolerance for points of view that aren’t inclusive,” the network chief said at a press conference this week, according to Newsday.
“We have a diverse culture. We are very focused on making sure everybody can exist comfortably and succeed in that culture,” he added. “That’s what we have no tolerance for and I don’t care of what the politics of a person who has such an attitude are.”
ESPN and Schilling parted ways in April after the former major league pitcher uploaded a meme to his Facebook page taking issue with the recent controversy surrounding bathroom laws and transgender persons.
The since-deleted post featured a picture of a man wearing a wig and women’s clothing, and included a caption that read, “LET HIM IN! to the restroom with your daughter or else you’re a narrow-minded, judgmental, unloving racist bigot who needs to die.”
This is ESPN’s Curt Schilling’s disgusting view of transgender people #HB2 https://t.co/7DKRXDL4GL pic.twitter.com/hLNhtRf9xe
— Outsports (@outsports) April 19, 2016
Schilling later addressed the reaction to the meme in a blog post titled “The hunt to be offended…”
“This latest brew ha ha is beyond hilarious. I didn’t post that ugly looking picture. I made a comment about the basic functionality of men’s and women’s restrooms, period,” he said of the reaction to his Facebook post.
“You frauds out there ranting and screaming about my ‘opinions’ (even if it isn’t) and comments are screaming for ‘tolerance’ and ‘acceptance’ while you refuse to do and be either,” he added. “YOU’RE the ones making it the issue. I don’t care, if you ask me about any of the topics it’s likely (much to the chagrin of many) I’ll answer with my opinion.”
For the sport news network, which had previously suspended Schilling for comparing Muslims to Nazis, this was the last straw.
“ESPN is an inclusive company,” the company said in a statement on April 20. “Curt Schilling has been advised that his conduct was unacceptable and his employment with ESPN has been terminated.”
The company’s termination of Schilling for his non-inclusive remarks stands in sharp contrast to how the network responded in October 2015 when host Tony Kornheiser compared the Tea Party to the Islamic State.
Kornheiser is still an employee of ESPN.
The sports news group has been struggling recently with recent big-name departures and a precipitous decline in subscription numbers, according to Politico.
“We have said repeatedly, we like our hand. We still think we have a little swagger,” Skipper told reporters Tuesday. “I don’t know if it occurred to us that we would be in the crosshairs, but we will continue to perform.”
