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The Nation is not exactly a great source to use on this particular topic. It also has virtually nothing to do with the "alt-right" I know a lot of moderate peop

The Nation is not exactly a great source to use on this particular topic. It also has virtually nothing to do with the "alt-right" I know a lot of moderate people that stopped watching ESPN simply because sports is an escape and ESPN has attempted to make it not one. I guess "the alt-right" is now what the left is using on everyone on the right because people associate it with racism. To be fair, the alt-right is entrenched in racism...but that's not the National Review, nor is it conservatism or libertarianism. It's like when people on the "right" call everyone on the left a Communist. Not even remotely true, though some are. Blanket statements and broad categorization of political views is not good for political discourse, it's actually part of the problem, imo.

hackuser 10y ago
> The Nation is not exactly a great source to use on this particular topic Agreed, they have a clear bias. > I know a lot of moderate people that stopped watching ESPN How many? 10? A statistically significant number?
- partiallypro 10y ago
  I grant you it's an anecdote, but I think there are poll numbers to support that people tend to shy away from sports broadcasts that are more political. I believe they did polling on Colin Kaepernick and his effect on NFL ratings. I can't find a direct ESPN study, but I can link you to tons of articles of them being political and generally left leaning.
  - hackuser 10y ago
    > I can link you to tons of articles of them being political and generally left leaning Isn't that falling into the trap of repetition = truth? People repeat falsehood and rumors as much as the truth, and they rarely check the facts. Humans are hardwired to follow social norms not verify facts - e.g., the scientific method didn't arise for thousands of years, and takes great discipline - if everyone is repeating something, that becomes the norm. Propaganda campaigns, some that lead people to far more awful things than criticizing ESPN, rely on it. I can find a ton of articles and far more online posts saying that the science of climate change is inconclusive, but that's not true. (And a related point: For thousands of years humanity had misconceptions about nature; everyone repeated them; but they weren't true.) That's why I'm interested in a factual basis, but not in what people repeat. If they are repeating something factual, then there will be a basis for it. > I think there are poll numbers to support that people tend to shy away from sports broadcasts that are more political That would be valuable. But I'd like to see it (and it depends on the definition of political).
    - partiallypro 10y ago
      No, I mean I can link you to ESPN published articles that are overtly political. I don't mean to say that I can link you to a blog article claiming it's political.

hackuser 10y ago

> The Nation is not exactly a great source to use on this particular topic Agreed, they have a clear bias. > I know a lot of moderate people that stopped watching ESPN How many? 10? A statistically significant number?

partiallypro 10y ago
I grant you it's an anecdote, but I think there are poll numbers to support that people tend to shy away from sports broadcasts that are more political. I believe they did polling on Colin Kaepernick and his effect on NFL ratings. I can't find a direct ESPN study, but I can link you to tons of articles of them being political and generally left leaning.
- hackuser 10y ago
  > I can link you to tons of articles of them being political and generally left leaning Isn't that falling into the trap of repetition = truth? People repeat falsehood and rumors as much as the truth, and they rarely check the facts. Humans are hardwired to follow social norms not verify facts - e.g., the scientific method didn't arise for thousands of years, and takes great discipline - if everyone is repeating something, that becomes the norm. Propaganda campaigns, some that lead people to far more awful things than criticizing ESPN, rely on it. I can find a ton of articles and far more online posts saying that the science of climate change is inconclusive, but that's not true. (And a related point: For thousands of years humanity had misconceptions about nature; everyone repeated them; but they weren't true.) That's why I'm interested in a factual basis, but not in what people repeat. If they are repeating something factual, then there will be a basis for it. > I think there are poll numbers to support that people tend to shy away from sports broadcasts that are more political That would be valuable. But I'd like to see it (and it depends on the definition of political).
  - partiallypro 10y ago
    No, I mean I can link you to ESPN published articles that are overtly political. I don't mean to say that I can link you to a blog article claiming it's political.