Donald Trump’s CFP Message Reignites ESPN Culture War Debate

ESPN’s “MegaCast” offered viewers 11 different ways to watch the national championship between Ohio State and Notre Dame. But to some, the most eye-popping moment came when President Donald J. Trump appeared on their screens to tout a “golden age of America”—while wishing both schools good luck.

Many viewers cringed at ESPN seemingly bending the knee toward the U.S. president who famously ripped the network (as well as former anchor Jemele Hill) during his first term in office from 2017 to 2021.  

“Whyyyy did @espn give Trump airtime during the National Championship Game???  WTF WAS THAT???” wrote one outraged viewer on X/Twitter. Added another: “It’s official. ESPN is an abbreviation for Eagerly Serving Pathological Narcissists. Showing that 90-second ad from Donald Trump was some serious 1984 stuff.” 

After being roundly criticized for not airing the pregame moment of silence and national anthem at the Sugar Bowl following the terror attack in New Orleans, ESPN made sure it did so in Atlanta on Monday night.

My sources tell me Trump recorded the message Monday afternoon, between his inauguration ceremony in the morning and the game’s 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff. In a statement, ESPN defended itself by noting U.S. presidents frequently appear during big sporting events. 

“With Donald Trump’s Inauguration occurring on the day of the CFP National Championship, it makes sense to include a message from the President, a practice that occurs regularly during major sporting events—including earlier this month from President [Joe] Biden before the Sugar Bowl,” an ESPN spokesperson said Monday night.

Trump returns to office at the apex of his political powers. He, his appointees, and elected Republicans control the presidency, the executive branch, Congress, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Given his immediate purge of 1,000 Biden appointees, Trump will not waste time settling old scores and picking new fights.

Legacy sports media giants like ESPN owner Disney, Comcast, Paramount, and Fox don’t want to engage in a culture war with the president. He’s got too much regulatory power over their interests, their mergers, their business futures—and a Roman emperor–like willingness to reward his friends and punish his enemies.

The tech giants don’t want to challenge him either. If you watched Monday’s inauguration ceremony, you saw Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, and Tim Cook of Apple lining up to kiss the ring. On Monday, we saw billionaire Larry Ellison join Trump at the White House. Yes, that’s the same Ellison who bankrolled the deal to flip top recruit Bryce Underwood to Michigan from LSU because his wife, Jolin Zhu, is an alum. These tech oligarchs are rushing headlong into sports, forging deals with the NFL, NBA, MLB, and MLS. They’re eager to get on Trump’s good side, not antagonize him.

Meanwhile, sports personalities are not afraid of being canceled for supporting Trump anymore. Everybody from UFC boss Dana White, Conor McGregor, and Mike Tyson to Jon Jones and Jake and Logan Paul made the scene at his second inauguration Monday. 

Even the mighty NFL is taking a diplomatic approach. Shortly after taking office in 2017, Trump blasted the country’s richest, most powerful sports league for allowing its players to follow the example of Colin Kaepernick by protesting for racial and social justice. “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out!’” declared Trump. “He’s fired. He’s fired!’”

Four years later, the vibe is completely different. Kneeling during the anthem as Kaepernick did rarely happens now, but several NFL players mimicked the “Trump Dance” during games this season. Some thought the league would ban the Trump-inspired shimmy performed by players like Brock Bowers of the Raiders and Calvin Ridley of the Titans.  Instead, the league said it was A-OK. 

“There’s no issue with a celebratory dance,” league spokesman Brian McCarthy [no relation] told FOS. As for whether the NFL’s TV partners should cover the dances, McCarthy said: “It’s up to the networks to cover them as they see fit.”

As Winston Churchill said, “You cannot reason with a tiger when your head is in its mouth.” Look for sports leagues and media companies to mind their own business—and stick to sports—while Trump runs the show.