ESPN’s Mike Lupica Tells His Readers To “Aim Their Wrath” At President Obama

by Dan Fogarty | 12:31 pm, October 15th, 2011

ESPN doesn’t like it when its employees express controversial political views — just ask Hank Williams Jr., who was fired from doing his Monday Night Football intro after a bizarre Obama-hatin’ Fox News appearance. The company took surprisingly swift action after that little episode, quickly “parting ways” with a guy who had been twanging his way across America’s TV screens for couple of decades.

So it’ll be interesting to see what they do about Mike Lupica.

Lupica, who has an ESPN Radio show in New York and has been a talking head on the network’s Sports Reporters program for forever, wrote a provocative column in Friday’s Daily News. The headline? “Occupy Wall Street protesters should aim their wrath at Fundraiser-in-Chief Obama.”

It isn’t “Obama the Nazi”-level stuff, but it’s already raised a few eyebrows. Mostly due to this portion, in which Lupica imagines an occupation of Pennsylvania Avenue.

It’s why you wonder if there will come a day when the house that Occupy Wall Street is standing in front of isn’t Jamie Dimon’s on Park Ave., it is the White House.

And this portion, in which he says the President is doing kind of a terrible job.

Say this about the state of the country nearly three years into the Obama administration: If this President didn’t create this economic mess, he hasn’t done very much to get us out of it.

ESPN tries very hard to be politically neutral, and has a history of becoming really, really uncomfortable when their talent diverges from that track: the Williams incident was splashy and recent, but they’ve cracked the whip before when their sports pundits become political pundits.

Will Lupica be disciplined in some way? It’s possible — you can’t get any less politically neutral than calling Obama’s re-election campaign a “corporation” that deserves to be protested. But while Hank Jr’s Fox News appearance was flat-out crazy, and subsequently publicized due to its craziness, Lupica’s criticism was a little more subtle. Plus, it appeared in a newspaper, and no one reads those.

Then again… ESPN has previously disciplined talent because of politically-charged tweets. As you can see, we’re gonna need some clarification on this. ESPN has been contacted. We’ll update you when we hear back.

Update: We heard back. No disciplinary action for Lupie.

Follow Dan Fogarty on Twitter.

http://twitter.com/MissConservaGal MissConservaGal

*golf clap*

What solid reporting you’ve done for this piece!

I like this line best — “ESPN tries very hard to be politically neutral”

Like when they giggled over Mike Tyson’s RAPE jokes over a conservative politician. And that, while egregious, is just the latest of their brazenly hostile attitude towards conservatives over ESPN’s long history.
Anonymous

*slower golf clap*

What a solid comment you’ve left here!

I like this line best — “Like when they giggled over Mike Tyson’s RAPE jokes…”

The last time I checked, Mike Tyson is not an ESPN employee.
http://twitter.com/MissConservaGal MissConservaGal

No just a convicted rapist that ESPN booked to come waste air time on their programming.

“Hey speaking of black guys & cocaine did you see this Glenn Rice Story” THEY say. the prompted this. And this they laugh raucously when he makes the crude comment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqCtasCyVRs&feature=player_embedded#at=24

And you defend this? Of course you do. Because you’re one that thinks ESPN is ‘neutral’.

How embarrassing for you.
Anonymous

I’m sorry, but you’re on another planet right now. Have a good one.
http://twitter.com/MissConservaGal MissConservaGal

Yeah I notice you never addressed my underlying point. So I take from it that you find rape jokes on ESPN A-OK as long as they’re said about conservative women. How putrid.

You stay classy there, D-list “reporter”.

You should be thanking me. Apparently I’m the only person giving your article any traffic.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_3GKFVYE4ERPTIPL3NJ3S7COQGY Doc P

Will you just STFU already? None of what you have to say has ANYTHING to do with what the article is about. Just victim stancing to the nth degree.
Missy

Thank you for bringing this to light.
http://twitter.com/MissConservaGal MissConservaGal

He said ESPN tried its darndest to be politically neutral. I asked him to explain why they would bring a CONVICTED RAPIST on the radio and then proceed to ask questions about a conservative female politician if they were neutral. What does Sarah Palin have to do with ESPN?

You can’t counter my point either – which is why I suppose you throw out the old tired ‘STFU’.

How very creative.

Two things with this point –

1. Either liberal men listened to the audio and laughed right along with these jerks -or-
2. None of you can defend their behavior so you dodge and deflect the point altogether.

In sum, you’re either stupid, ignorant, or misogynistic, a lousy man, or all of the above. Which one are you?
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_QRVCAIWZGE6F22SWWY5JMQREKE J S

Wow , you just got wumped – good.
The other guy was good to cut his losses a while back.
Airrjw

LUPICA, IS OBVIOUSLY A REPUBLICAN. BUT WHY DON’T OCCUPIERSGO TO THE COKE BROTHERS OFFICE AND PROTEST BECAUSE THEY BANKROLL ALL THE REPUBLICANS? BY THE WAY IT WAS THE CONSERVATIVE SUPREME COURT THAT VOTED THAT CORPORATIONS ARE PEOPLE.
Anonymous

So now even mild criticism of President Obama is considered controversial and possible grounds to be fired?

I like reading this blog because of its sports related coverage but it is really starting to push a left wing political bias. Just stick to reporting sports, guys.
Timothy Burke

It would be against ESPN company policy to criticize OR support President Obama. We’ve written about this before extensively.
Colinjgilbert

Who goes to bat with a watch on. The ring is forgivable, but a watch????