ESPN has fired the editor responsible for a controversial headline that appeared on the company’s website last Saturday, Feb. 18.
After the New Orleans Hornets beat the New York Knicks 89-85, snapping the Knicks’ 7 game win streak, the headline “A Chink In The Armor?” appeared on ESPN’s mobile site, accompanied by a picture of point guard sensation Jeremy Lin, who is Asian-American.
Lin, an undrafted second-year player out of Harvard, was on the verge of being waived when he was inserted into a game against the New Jersey Nets on February 4th. Lin scored 25 points and dished out 7 assists, sparking a seemingly hopeless Knicks team to victory and earning a spot in the starting lineup in the process. Lin became an overnight sensation—the phenomenon dubbed ‘Linsanity—and a hero to Asian-Americans who have few role models in American sports.
Since bursting onto the scene, Lin has led the Knicks to a 8-1 record, and seems to add to his legend every night. He hit the game-winning three at the buzzer against Toronto, scored 38 against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, and led several memorable comebacks, including Sunday’s victory against the defending champion Dallas Mavericks, when he scored 28 points and dished out 14 assists. He has revitalized the Knicks franchise, even boosting the stock of MSG, the company which owns the team.
Though Lin has electrified basketball fans everywhere, there has been a darker side to Linsanity, as Lin has been faced with racism, veiled or outright, from some fans and the media. The most high-profile of these incidents was the ESPN headline.
The headline was greeted by an online firestorm and ESPN removed it within half an hour of its going online at around 2:30 am Saturday. ESPN acted quickly to fire the headline writer, and release a statement apologizing to Lin and to the Asian-American community.
We again apologize, especially to Mr. Lin. His accomplishments are a source of great pride to the Asian-American community, including the Asian-American employees at ESPN. Through self-examination, improved editorial practices and controls, and response to constructive criticism, we will be better in the future.
Anthony Federico, the fired editor, called the headline an “honest mistake” but also said he understood why he was axed. ”ESPN did what they had to do,” he said.
“This had nothing to do with me being cute or punny,” he told the New York Daily News. ”I’m so sorry that I offended people. I’m so sorry if I offended Jeremy.”
ESPN also suspended radio anchor Max Bretos, who used the same phrase during an interview, for 30 days. Bretos has since apologized.
