The Changeup: Liberals Now Say ESPN’s Liberal Bias a Good Thing – Breitbart News

Until now, ESPN and its hosts have repeatedly denied that it has a liberal bias problem. Last year ESPN ombudsman Jim Brady published an investigation into the claim of liberal bias that ran thousands of words only to reach the conclusion that there was no liberal bias.

But that wasnt all; the question so vexed the network that it hired a polling firm to find out if there is any liberal bias and, if so, has it hurt the networks ratings. Unsurprisingly, the survey bought and paid for by ESPN miraculously showed that there was no liberal bias at the network.

ESPNs survey, though, flies in the face of three other surveys that did find that the network has a liberal bias problemand that the constant left-wing content is driving viewers away.

Many liberal members of the sports media, such as Awful Announcings Andrew Bucholtz, joined ESPN to pish-tosh any notion that the network has a liberal bias problem.

But there seems to be a changeup in the discussionas at least one liberal sportsman is now saying ESPNs dive into liberalism is a good thing for the network that is losing 10,000 subscribers a month.

According to Ty Duffy of Awful Announcing, ESPNs liberal bias is a good thing because it will bring in young, liberal fans.

There is truth in the liberal claim. ESPN has tilted leftward under John Skipper, Duffy initially observed.

Despite that admission, Duffy goes on to claim there is no proof that conservative fans have abandoned ESPN over its constant left-wing content. Naturally Duffy ignoredthe three surveys that serve as proof of conservative discontent and relied only on ESPNs bought and paid for survey to prove his contention.

But even as he offers no statistical proof to buttress his own claim, Duffy insists that ESPNs drive leftward is a shrewd move because it will bring young, woke viewers to replace the fleeing conservative audience.

Major brands, such as ESPN, are now expected to exhibit a political and social consciousness. They pay a cost when they are tone deaf. If there are now two Americas, ESPN (and sports leagues) will move with the one advertisers want to reach: young people, people with disposable income, and growing minority populations.

Of course, Duffy indulges gross generalizations. Only far left-wing liberals expect major brands to exhibit a political and social consciousness. Even if that is the case, he also seems to simply assume that even liberals dont want a place to escape politics and instead want politics to invade and conquer the sports world.

Time will tell, of course, but it is interesting to see how this argument is morphing from staunch proclamations that ESPN isnt liberal to the admission that, yes, some hosts are liberal, and finally to the obdurate notion thatyeah, were liberal. What of it?

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.

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The Changeup: Liberals Now Say ESPN's Liberal Bias a Good Thing - Breitbart News