Sage Steele was pulled from SportsCenter after controversial comments about Barack Obama on a podcast. Her circumstances worsened when she tested positive for COVID around the time that ESPN held her accountable for her statements.
In an episode of “Uncut With Jay Cutler,” Sage spoke about the ordinary things people discuss these days, namely vaccine mandates and workplace misogyny. She asserted that women bear some responsibility for men not treating them as objects.
Sage also parted her lips to explain why she did not understand why President Obama self-identified as Black on the census.
“I’m like, ‘Well, congratulations to the president.’ That’s his thing. I think that’s fascinating considering his Black dad was nowhere to be found, but his white mom and grandma raised him, but hey, you do you. I’m going to do me,” Sage said.
She also called vaccine mandates “sick and scary,” while her place of employment has a vaccine mandate.
That’s a lot of hubris for someone who hasn’t proven they can do anything else but run their mouth. She was, however, humble enough to admit that she needed her job.
Sage must have forgotten that on that podcast, she wasn’t just talking into a microphone. Her bosses got wind of her comments and swiftly reminded her that she does indeed need her job.
“At ESPN, we embrace different points of view — dialogue and discussion makes this place great,” the company said in a statement. “That said, we expect that those points of view be expressed respectfully, in a manner consistent with our values, and in line with our internal policies.”
They pulled her off of SportsCenter as an anchor, and now, she will not be hosting the annual espnW Women + Sports Summit later this month. She was supposed to be leading the keynote discussion with a fellow biracial, Halle Berry, but that’s over.
To add to her terrible, horrible, no good, dreadful week, Sage joined the ranks of people with microphones in front of their faces who criticized vaccines and mandates and tested positive for COVID.
On October 5, Sage issued an apology because what else was she going to do?
“I know my recent comments created controversy for the company, and I apologize,” Sage said. “We are in the midst of an extremely challenging time that impacts all of us, and it’s more critical than ever that we communicate constructively and thoughtfully.”
Maybe while on hiatus, Sage’s two daughters can explain to her why women wearing tight clothes does not excuse men’s bad behavior.
