Disney CEO Bob Iger admitted that ESPN has become overly political.
When asked by The Hollywood Reporter in a new interview published Thursday how the sports network has changed over the past year, Iger said that the network is working on reeling in its politics and focusing on sports.
“There’s been a big debate about whether ESPN should be focused more on what happens on the field of sport than what happens in terms of where sports is societally or politically,” Iger said.
Iger then explained that its new president, Jimmy Pitaro, who replaced longtime executive John Skipper in March, is working towards refocusing the network. Skipper shocked the media industry by leaving ESPN last year when a drug dealer attempted to extort him by using his cocaine habit against him. Prior to his sudden exit, Skipper was reguarly accused of making ESPN a left-leaning network.
“Jimmy felt that the pendulum may have swung a little bit too far away from the field. And I happen to believe he was right,” Iger told the magazine. “He has brought back some balance.”
Under Skipper, the network was accused of various examples of bias, such as spending too much time covering Colin Kaepernick’s protests and awarding the Arthur Ashe Courage Award to Caitlyn Jenner.
Far-left voices such as Jemele Hill were rewarded with high-profile gigs, while conservative…
