November 7, 2020 Issue, Page 7 of 10

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Sports November 7, 2020 OSU Basketball: How athletes have forced ESPN Cade Cunningham’s and other networks to change their Cowboy debut tocome game plan on mixing politics and sports in hometown By Stephen Battaglio, Los perhaps a new era of athletes’ Angeles Times self-determination." Bither you were going to fol- video demanding racial justice low what they were saying and and the next day the commis- LOS ANGELES — In early In response to the growing what was important to them, sioner follows suit with a video Scott Wright, The Oklahoman, OSU is 11-1 all-time against 2018, Fox News host Laura intensity of the Black Lives or you were going to ignore of his own responding directly STILLWATER — Cade Cun- UTA, and the Cowboys are 3-1 Ingraham delivered a dia- Matters movement over the what some of the most promi- to the things the players said. ningham’s Oklahoma State de- in road games in the series. tribe against NBA star LeBron summer, the ViacomCBS- nent athletes in the country That's a big news story, and but will come in his hometown James over remarks to a TV owned premium cable network have to say." that clearly is a sea change of Arlington, Texas. ‘The game will be televised by interviewer that were critical has taken unused footage shot The video of Floyd's death from how the league has pre- The Oklahoma State men’s the ESPN family of networks, of President Trump. She told for the series to make new and other incidents such as sented in the conversation. basketball team will open its though the specific network viewers big-money athletes short-form vignettes under the vigilante shooting of Ah- ESPN's policy prohibiting season at UT Arlington on Nov. and tipoff time have not been should steer clear of speaking the "Shut Up and Dribble" ban- maud Arbery in February — on-air talent from making 25, the Cowboys announced out on politics and advised ner. penetrated the psyches of the purely political statements announced, Wednesday. James to "shut up and dribble." ESPN was targeted by right- nation and the sports world in has not changed. Veteran host Cunningham, the nation’s UTA officials are planning to ‘The widely condemned com- wing commentators when po- a way that went well beyond Keith Olbermann recently top recruit in the 2020 class, allow approximately 500 fans ments may have inspired a litical discussions seeped into Kaepernick's protest. asked to be released from his is originally from Bowie High at each home basketball game surfeit of programming that programming three years ago "We have known that police ESPN contract early because he School in Arlington, though this season, though protocol has given sports stars a bigger and took a stronger hand in brutality and the brutalization wanted to resume doing politi- he finished his prep career at platform to discuss their views, enforcing limits on what its of Black bodies is as much of cal commentaries on YouTube. Montverde Academy in Flori- details are still being finalized even on networks that viewers on-air talent could express on American history as celebrat- ‘There have been no other re- da. by the athletic department and look to as an escape. social media. Bob Iger, then ing the Fourth of July," Hill cent public flare-ups with tal- This is a change to the sched- the Sun Belt Conference. As racism and social jus- Disney CEO, said in 2017 that said. "I mean there were cer- ent over politics. ule, based on previous reports Information regarding ticket tice became central issues in he preferred that the network's There are more programs in tainly individual journalists that Oklahoma State would the 2020 presidential elec- anchors avoid politics, as did who have always been willing the pipeline that look at the open the season in a multi- sales and attendance proce- tion, professional athletes are ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro, to talk about this. But they extraordinary period sports team event at Nebraska on dures for the game will be re- speaking out more often and who took over the reins of the have just never had the full are experiencing. HBO Sports Nov. 25. leased in the coming weeks. forcefully on sports TV, their network the following year. support of the outlets where recently ordered a documen- biggest platform. But as both players in the they work." tary that will explore how the ‘Their response to the killings NBA and Major League Base- Hill took to Twitter in 2017 sports world was put on hold of George Floyd and Breonna ball protested against police to call President Trump a white this year during the pandem- Taylor by law enforcement and shootings — in the case of the supremacist and was later sus- ic and the role that athletes OU football: the police shooting of Jacob Blake shooting in August, a pended when she suggested a played in raising awareness of Blake have pushed ESPN and boycott that postponed games boycott of the Dallas Cowboys racial injustice when play re- other networks to carry pro- in both leagues — the network ‘over team owner Jerry Jones’ sumed. Oklahoma City Thun- grams where on-air commen- has also gone in-depth on the stance on players kneeling dur- der star Chris Paul will be the Ronnie Perkins tators, hosts and players are issues that dominated the ing the national anthem. discussing the topics as thor- headlines throughout the sum- executive producer and narra- She narrated "Shut Up and tor. oughly as any news program. mer. Dribble" and now has a talk ESPN is also planning in- made an immediate "I think you had to acknowl- edge it and embrace it, and Along with ongoing break- show on Vice TV with Champi- ing coverage, ESPN unveiled on called "Cari & Jemele: Stick depth looks at life in the iso- lation zone known as "the that's what we tried to do," "The Stop: Living, Driving and to Sports." They hold court and strong impact said Jeff Zucker, chairman of Dying While Black," a special weekly on a wide range of is- news and sports for Warner- produced by the Undefeated, sues, including politics. bubble" at Walt Disney World, where the NBA players com- pleted their seasons. Media. "Sure, people want to ESPN's unit devoted to the in- ‘The title of Hill's new show is Showtime has recently start- on Sooners’ defense see the game and they want tersection of sports, race and a jab at ESPN, where last year to root for their team. But at culture. The program was a raw Pitaro said data showed that ed airing a weekly compilation of segments from its video the same time, the players and hour-long look at the relation- fans "do not want us to cover podcast series "All the Smoke" Ryan Aber, The Oklahoman ch said. "The idea now is we our announcers live inAmerica ship between the Black com- politics," a stance that made and you can't just completely munity and law enforcement some of its hosts unhappy. with highly opinionated for- NORMAN — Ronnie Perkins progress from there." mer NBA stars Matt Barnes bounced around nervously in separate yourselves from those that included first-person ac- But Rob King, senior vice Perkins said he wasn't com- things." counts from athletes. and Stephen Jackson. president and editor at large at the end zone at Jones AT&T pletely pleased with his play in Throughout the NBA play- ESPN has also begun work ESPN, said the network's cur- "They wanted to do a brutally Stadium last Saturday night. The OU defensive end had his first game back, but that it offs carried by WarnerMedia's on a documentary on former rent wave of programming and candid examination of all kinds just finished doing some extra was a good starting point. TNT, the network aired a series San Francisco 49ers quarter- coverage related to racial injus- of issues within sports on the floor, in the locker room, in the work with strength and con- "Lleft some plays out on the of specials called "The Arena’ in back Colin Kaepernick, who tice is less about politics and front offices, and then carrying ditioning coach Bennie Wylie. field," Perkins said. "So, still got which its basketball commen- sacrificed his career and pulled more about a societal move- over into racism and politics," Now, nearly 11 months after a little rust to knock off. But tator Charles Barkley, NBA sports into the dialogue on ra- ment now sweeping the coun- Espinoza said. "It's come up big he last played a game, all there stars Dwyane Wade and Dray- cial injustice and police brutal- try, and recent research shows was left for Perkins to do was that's why we practice, so I'm mond Green and former ESPN ity when he took a knee dur- the sports audience is more for us." prove himself on the field. just ready to keep working." host Cari Champion led discus- ing the playing of the national willing to listen. Espinoza believes the will- ingness of Black athletes to tell Five plays into the game, Perkins didn't want to talk sions and presented segments anthem in 2016. The project "I think we all understand he got his chance, and the much about the experience on the coronavirus pandemic, is part of an overall produc- we're having a national con- their stories about their en- play went about as well as it of being suspended, which the Black Lives Matters move- tion deal Kaepernick has with versation," King said, "It has an justice counters with racism, social in- could've gone for Perkins and ment and racial injustice. Disney. There are also more urgency to it that it hasn't for and the disproportion- the Sooners. sources have said was due to In fall 2018, Showtime un- projects about racial progress decades, and so (fans) do rec- ate impact of the pandemic on Sure, Red Raiders running a positive test for marijuana, veiled a three-part documen- being planned by ESPN Films. ognize why it matters." their communities is making back SaRodorick Thompson but said the frustrations of tary series called "Shut Up and Jemele Hill, the former King said ESPN has always sports and news inextricable. ran for 28 yards on Perkins’ that situation slipped away in Dribble" that chronicled the ESPN host who negotiated an covered the intersection of He does not see that circum- first play on the field, but the recent weeks as his return be- history of social activism and exit from the network in 2018 sports and social issues. The stance changing soon. "Today's athlete is much way the play played out an- race in the NBA. ‘he series after she ran afoul of its policy difference now is that "we seem swered any questions Perkins came closer. originally was conceived as a against political messages on to be crossing that intersection more willing to engage in po- —or anyone else — had on his "It's was easy to get our look at the NBA's influence social media, has noticed how every block and a half." litical activism, in social justice readiness to not only return heads scrambled," Perkins said. on popular culture. But Ingra- sports media has increasingly ‘The leagues’ professed sup- and political advocacy than at but make a difference for the “But really just trusted the pro- ham's rant gave the project, embraced topical discussions. port for the Black Lives Matter any point in modern history," Sooners. produced by James and direct- She believes athletes such as movement — in contrast to Espinoza said. "That's not to cess, trusted Coach (Lincoln) ed by Gotham Chopra, a new James are driving it. the NFL's resistance to Kaeper- say the athletes didn't do it Perkins worked his was around a block by tackle Ethan Riley, trusted my team and the focus and its provocative title. "I'm pleased with the prog- nick's actions in 2016 — is also previously, as we've document- Carde, but by the time he did coaches were helping me stay "It really was the perfect ress that has been made, but a factor. ed in ‘Shut Up and Dribble.’ that, Thompson was about sev- locked in and I was trusting documentary at the perfect we have to be careful with how “The reality is we would be ‘There's a long history of ath- en yards down the field. God. time," said Stephen Espinoza, much credit we're giving out," covering any sea change in the letes using their platform to Perkins pivoted and took off. president of Showtime Sports. Hill said. "A lot of it has to do way in which the leagues de- advance social justice. I think "Whenever I was going to get Thompson is one of the top my opportunity, I was going to "None of us knew that any- with the fact the athletes were cide they're going to address those who are attempting to backs in the Big 12, but Perkins be ready for it." thing that we've seen in 2020 no longer giving media compa- this," King said. "It is no small completely ignore these issues, chased him down, pushing the would happen, but certainly it nies room to wiggle out of it thing when NEL players come if it's even possible, are simply back out of bounds at the 5. Perkins’ return gives Grinch felt like we were on the edge of and forced the conversation. out and do a very thoughtful delaying the inevitable." Tech scored a play later, but and defensive line coaches Perkins’ first play showed he Calvin Thibodeaux and Jamar was ready to help the Sooners’ Cain some flexibility on how Subscribers Like OU defense in a big way. they use Thomas in particular. "That got some of the cob- webs out," Perkins said. "I also But it's even more clear after noticed like, ‘Dang, I'm out- Saturday's game that Perkins Make the Di side, easy,’ so I knew I wasn't — as long as he's healthy and out of shape. “It kind of felt good to knock those cobwebs out quick.” eligible — is not only going to bea major piece in the Sooners’ r ence $50 $75 OU's defensive line has been defense but might be OU's best strong this season — especially defender. in Perkins’ defensive end spot "Regardless of how much as Isaiah Thomas was perhaps football that you played, if the Sooners’ best defender in you've played 1,000 snaps in the early part of the season — your career or 2,000 snaps in but it was clear from the start that Perkins adds another ele- your career or whatever it is, ment. game one is game one, even He was OU's best pass rush- er a year ago and looked the part in his return, with three if it's at the end of October," Grinch said. "still think his best football —= * 109 W. Broadway, Elk City tackles — two for loss — anda 580-225- 3000 “ElkCituNews wwe Ikcitynews.com.com quarterback hurry. this year was not played this “He was ready," Sooners de- past Saturday although you fensive coordinator Alex Grin- saw the impact."