Longtime ESPN “SportsCenter” host Sage Steele is being ripped on social media for questioning how Barack Obama could consider himself Black when his Black father wasn’t in his life.
Steele was on former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler’s podcast, “Uncut with Jay Cutler,” when the subject of racial identity was broached. As a biracial woman, Steele told Cutler that said she would fill out “both” boxes on the Census, but her friend informed her that choosing both wasn’t an option. She then mentioned Obama, who is also biracial, and said, “Barack Obama chose Black, and he’s biracial.”
Steele said she responded, “Well, congratulations to the president. That’s his thing. I think that’s fascinating, considering his Black dad was nowhere to be found but his White mom and grandma raised him. But hey, you do you. I’m going to do me.”
She then added: “Listen, I’m pretty sure my White mom was there when I was born. And my White family loves me as much as my Black family.”
ESPN anchor Sage Steele told Jay Cutler it was “fascinating” Obama indicated he was Black on his census form “considering his Black dad was nowhere to be found.” pic.twitter.com/dfrnDydFd8
— Resist Programming 🛰 (@RzstProgramming) October 3, 2021
Steele then charged into another explosive topic, saying that women need to take responsibility for how they dress in the workplace to avoid sexual harassment.
“When you dress like that, I’m not saying you deserve the gross comments, but you know what you’re doing when you put that outfit on too,” Steele said. “We know what we’re doing when we put certain things on.”
An ICE COLD take from ESPN’s Sage Steele.
No woman should be subject to harassment or worse because she decided to wear something she liked. Men should be mature enough to, oh I don’t know, be a decent human being and respect women. https://t.co/BArkfzdOYI
— Josh Shelton (@JoshSheltonLive) October 4, 2021
Many found Steele’s words reprehensible, including her former co-workers at ESPN, Jemele Hill and Cari Champion. Political analyst Roland Martin and former NBA head coach Stan Van Gundy also slammed Steele’s racial and gender perspectives.
So on top of thinking former President Obama shouldn’t identify as black because he didn’t have a relationship with his black father, Sage Steele also thinks female journalists who dress a certain way “know what you’re doing when you’re putting that outfit on.”
Clown behavior. pic.twitter.com/edgTVopQqg
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) October 3, 2021
Le Sigh. My Dad wasn’t around when I was younger. I’m still Black. 🤷🏾♀️
— Cari Champion (@CariChampion) October 3, 2021
https://twitter.com/realStanVG/status/1444996999368085508
This comment by @sagesteele regarding @BarackObama is beyond idiotic. Why is it fascinating? @halleberry was estranged from her dad and still calls herself Black. And Sage, the @uscensusbureau is filled out EVERY year. We did it LAST YEAR. Race has been on it since 1790. 🤷🏾♂️🤦🏾👀 https://t.co/SDSfLlmd46
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) October 3, 2021
https://twitter.com/paddybrendan/status/1445075849481363459
I'll never understand the argument to change women's dress codes. Why is it so hard to normalize telling men, "Hey, don't rape or harass people."
— Ⓢⓗⓔⓡⓦⓘⓝ Ⓣⓗⓞⓜⓐⓢ (@sherwinpthomas) October 4, 2021
