Sage Steele condemned ESPN for skipping the national anthem during the Sugar Bowl, following a tragic attack in New Orleans that left many affected
New Orleans: Sage Steele, a former ESPN host, was pretty upset about the network’s choice to skip the national anthem during the Sugar Bowl. This happened just a day after a tragic attack in the city.
People were really angry that ESPN didn’t air the anthem before the Notre Dame-Georgia game on January 2. This was right after a horrific incident where 14 people lost their lives and many others were hurt.
It all went down when a military veteran drove through a crowd on Bourbon Street, causing chaos before being shot by police. Before the game, local leaders held a moment of silence for the victims, but ESPN didn’t show it.
Sage Steele called the decision “egregious” during a chat on Outkick’s “Outkick The Morning.” She pointed out how close the game was to where the tragedy happened and felt it was wrong to ignore such a serious situation.
She said, “They were crushed. They were crushed, and deservedly so, for not doing it.” ESPN didn’t air the moment of silence or the anthem, which made a lot of people upset online.
After an interview, ESPN went to a commercial break and missed the moment of silence, only coming back in the middle of the anthem, which felt awkward.
Steele, who left ESPN in 2023 after 16 years, felt the decision was intentional. She’s moved on but still cares about how her former employer handled this situation.
She had previously sued ESPN over how she was treated after making comments about the vaccine mandate and former President Obama, but that lawsuit was settled before she left.
