Former 'SportsCenter' Anchor Rips ESPN Over National Anthem Controversy
01/04/2025 12:30 PM
On Thursday afternoon, New Orleans native Samyra performed the national anthem before kickoff for the Sugar Bowl. It was a beautiful moment that unfortunately wasn't shown on ESPN.
Viewers were hoping ESPN would show Samyra's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" this Thursday, especially after the events that transpired in New Orleans. Earlier this week, Shamsud-Din Jabbar killed 14 people in a terrorist attack on Bourbon Street. He intentionally drove a pickup truck into a crowd of people in the French Quarter before engaging in a shootout with the police. It was a horrifying attack that actually led to the Sugar Bowl getting postponed by nearly 24 hours.
While hearing the crowd at the Caesars Superdome sing the national anthem would've been a unifying moment for everyone at home, ESPN was reportedly unable to show it due to a "timing issue."
Let's just say former "SportsCenter" anchor Sage Steele isn't buying that excuse from ESPN.
"I've tried to ignore countless decisions my former employer has made, but this one is inexcusable. And further proof of how far this once great network has fallen. Crazy that even after all the cord cutting, the decreased ratings & the multiple PR debacles, the brass at ESPN and Disney still refuses to just do what's right from both a business perspective & a human perspective," Steele wrote on X. "So sad."
Steele was employed by ESPN for 15 years, becoming a household name due to her work on "SportsCenter'. She's been critical of the network ever since she left in 2023.
For what it's worth, ESPN did show the national anthem on TV but not until after the game was over. The network showed Samyra's performance on a late-night edition of "SportsCenter."
If ESPN doesn't show the national anthem for the Cotton Bowl or Orange Bowl this upcoming week, fans are going to let the network's decision-makers hear about it.
The College Football Playoff will resume on Jan. 9 with Notre Dame and Penn State.
Related: ESPN Shows Sugar Bowl National Anthem After Facing Backlash On Social Media
