Sage Steele, seen here with Baltimore Ravens tight end Benjamin Watson at the “Under Our Skin” forum, has alienated the Black community by blaming it for most societal issues. (Screenshot via The Christian Post)
Television host Sage Steele believes Black people are mostly to blame for the racism hurled her way.
Steele made the claim during a discussion on race for the “Under Our Skin” forum Thursday, Feb. 16. Held in Tampa, Fla., at The Crossing Church, the ESPN anchor (born to a white mother and Black father) explained that her Army colonel dad instilled accountability in his family.
The “NBA Countdown” host said most Black people don’t have that same value, leading them to point fingers at other races.
“There are times that I believe that we, as African-Americans, can be hypocritical,” she said on the panel, which included other sports figures like Baltimore Ravens tight end Benjamin Watson and former Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy. “And that is to not look ourselves in the mirror when we are saying certain things and blaming other groups for one thing when we are doing the exact same thing.”
Steele, who is married to Jonathan Bailey, a white personal trainer, seemed to use the hypocrisy idea to point to Black people as the main perpetrators of racism toward her.
“The worst racism that I have received, [as a biracial woman married to white man] and I mean thousands and thousands over the years, is from Black people, who in my mind thought would be the most accepting because there has been that experience,” she said at the Christianity-based event. “But, even as recent as the last couple of weeks, the words that I have had thrown at me I can’t repeat here and it’s 99 percent from people with my skin color. But if a white person said those words to me, what would happen?”
The host of “SportsCenter on the Road” likely referenced a Jan. 30 social media backlash when Steele said people protesting Donald Trump’s temporary immigration ban were causing airport delays for travelers and immigrants.
Many mocked Steele for her latest controversial statement against the Black community. It followed her blaming African-Americans’ supposed lack of unity for the outrage over her anti-NFL boycott stance in November.
@sagesteele is pathetic for thinking black folks are racist towards her… clearly being around THEM have caused you to forget who you are..
— Verified (@PGSuccess87) February 22, 2017
@TheRoot @sagesteele , sage, sage, sage, research the definition of “racist”…………difficult for a Black person to fit
— Carolyn Hopkins (@MsRydadye) February 22, 2017
https://twitter.com/stereowilliams/status/834085196467171328
@TheRoot Where’s the violin?
— Shell-Bell (@ShellyBS429) February 22, 2017
#SageSteele You always make disparaging comments towards black people. You are racist towards black people. #racist #espn #sportscenter #blm
— Truuuth (@FearlessTalk) February 22, 2017
#SageSteele its funny you cover sports that are mostly black. Now viewers see why the athletes don't like you you see them as racist. #espn
— Truuuth (@FearlessTalk) February 22, 2017
