‘The Height of Privilege’: ESPN’s Dan LeBatard Rips Colleague Sage Steele’s Anti-Protest Instagram Post

Earlier Monday, we posted about ESPN anchor Sage Steele receiving some online backlash after an Instagram post in which she lamented her missed flight from Los Angeles to Houston due to protests at Los Angeles International Airport.

The criticism was not limited to those on social media. ESPN colleague Dan Le Batard ripped Steele for a complaint that he deemed to be “the height of privilege.”

Speaking on The Dan Le Batard Show Monday, Le Batard referenced the fact that his parents were Cuban exiles and blasted Steele for voicing displeasure over a trivial inconvenience.

“I, as the son of exiles, look at this and I’m like ‘what the hell are you talking about, your travel plans were affected? What are you talking about? It’s the height of privilege’ ” Le Batard said.

The host began his monologue by mentioning that he received a memo from unnamed ESPN management. He did not make specific contents of the memo known, but made clear that the gist, essentially, was that Le Batard was being told not to offer political opnions.

Le Batard said he understood where the company was coming from, not wanting its personalities to get into political arguments with each other, but ultimately thought he deserved the ability to respond to Steele’s remarks.

(O)nce you start opening that portal, you get ESPN on ESPN crime. You get all this stuff that ESPN doesn’t want to have as people think of ESPN as liberal leaning.But you can’t give this a voice and then muzzle the rest of us. You can’t give Sage Steele this voice, and then muzzle the son of exiles.

Le Batard went on to criticize ESPN for its “weak” handling of political issues — such as President Donald Trump’s controversial ban on immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries. ESPN personalities, according to the host, are being told to talk about such issues “through the prism of sports,” such as when a prominent coach speaks out on the topic.

“It’s such a weak way to address all this stuff, man,” Le Batard said. “Either talk about it, or don’t.”

Watch above, via ESPNU.

[image via screengrab]

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