I wrote a post this morning about the homophobic ESPN ad featuring Shaq and Mike Breen. After the outrage expressed by bloggers and activists, ESPN issued the following apology:
We have dozens of executions of the "NBA on ESPN RV Tour" online campaign and none are intended to be offensive to anyone or any community of people. Our intent is to send a positive message about the camaraderie of sports and to do so as creatively as we can. However, we understand your perspective on this ad and would like to apologize to the members of the gay community. In addition, we have decided to remove the ad from the campaign's online executions.
ESPN has a long-standing tradition of supporting diversity in the workplace and beyond. We are fully committed to continuing a dialogue that welcomes and recognizes diverse perspectives.We appreciate your bringing your concerns to our attention.
- Rob Tobias - Vice President, Media Relations, ESPN
h/t: HRC Bakcstory
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5 Comments
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Sounds to me like it was just thoughtlessness and that as soon as they were informed they responded appropriately. I imagine that the future will see them making this a consideration in their activities. If they have been educated and decide to run things through a bit more of a comprehensive vetting process I am personally satisfied.
Rob Barton | February 3, 2009 8:07 AM
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Michael:
The ground swell from bloggers and many other locations was amazing.
Shaq's ads are very popular and he has been a regular on the RV series.
The context for the homophobic ad is Shaq's displays of affection, such as this one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Qh7ESPZtB0
Brett | February 3, 2009 4:03 PM
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ESPN seems quite sincere about this. Its good to see this kind of communication happening.
bghutchins | February 3, 2009 4:41 PM
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Sounds like a form letter to me.
Boi Polloi | February 3, 2009 5:13 PM
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You took a bold and principled stand Michael. ESPN deserved to be called on the carpet for their show of bigotry. It took guts to go after them they way you did.
But what they did was very, very minor compared to the shenanigans of Democrats.
Why don’t you ask, no, demand that Obama to apologize for "god's in the mix." Those four words, repeated millions of times by Yes on 8 cost us the right to marry in California. Why not insist that Biden apologize for voting for DOMA, or Clinton for DADT. Why not demand that Dean, Kaine and Leah Daughtry at the bigotfest called the Democratic National Committee apologize for using campaign donations to promote and fund bigot cults and their mule headed and dare I say it,bitter opposition to same sex marriage. And why not ask them, Michael, to admit their guilt in the anti-GLBT firing of the former head of the DNCs own Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council, Donald Hitchcock, who's suing them.
Or why don't you ask Joshua Dubois, Obama’s Minister of Pandering and head of his 'faith' bribery scam to apologize for injecting the rancid bigotry of Warren and Donnie McClurkin into the campaign.
Obama, his Minister of Pandering, Barney Frank, the Clintons and the DNC should apologize.
But they won't.
Democrats should demand an apology.
But they can’t seem to do it.
Bill Perdue | February 8, 2009 12:15 AM
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