ESPN Jeremy Lin Headline: Fired Employee Claims No Racism Was Intended

Jeremy Lin has heard it before.

As an Asian-American basketball player struggling for years to realize his NBA dreams, Lin has dealt with the overt racism of Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Jason Whitlock as well as the coded compliments of those who marvel at how "deceptively athletic" he can be. Having endured racial taunts throughout his life on the court, Lin may have been among those least shocked by the offensive headline that ESPN ran to accompany a story about the New York Knicks' loss to the New Orleans Hornets on Friday.

After that loss, ESPN promoted an article about the game on its mobile platforms by pairing an image of Lin with the headline "Chink In The Armor." The headline lasted less than an hour before being swapped for "All Good Things...," but drew withering and widespread criticism, notably from the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF). On Saturday morning, ESPN apologized for the offensive headline and promised "a complete review of our cross-platform editorial procedures."

“ESPN has apologized,” Lin said after the Knicks' impressive win over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. “I don’t think it was on purpose or whatever. At the same time, they’ve apologized, and so from my end I don’t care anymore. [You] have to learn to forgive. And I don’t even think that was intentional, or hopefully not."

On Sunday, ESPN announced the firing of the editor responsible for publishing the headline. ESPN also revealed that disciplinary action had been taken against an ESPN News anchor who had previously used the same phrase while discussing Lin's meteoric rise with Knicks broadcaster and NBA Hall of Famer Walt Frazier.

The former ESPN employee, Anthony Frederico, responsible for publishing the offensive headline spoke with the Daily News, both to apologize for any harm done but also to claim that he had not used the phrase with any racial motivation.

"This had nothing to do with me being cute or punny," Anthony Federico told the Daily News. "I'm so sorry that I offended people. I'm so sorry if I offended Jeremy."

Frederico claimed to the Daily News that his choice of the oft-used sports cliche was an "honest mistake" and not intended to make light of a racial slur used against Asians.

On Monday, California congresswoman Judy Chu, the first Chinese-American woman elected to Congress, addressed the ESPN headline during an appearance on MSNBC.

"I think that the use of the term is appalling and offensive," Chu said on MSNBC. “The ‘c’ word is for Asian Americans like the ‘n’ word is for African Americans."

Less than 24 hours after ESPN's headline, "Saturday Night Live" addressed Linsanity in its opening sketch, focusing on the overuse of puns as well as the prevalence of racial stereotypes in media commentary about the Knicks' point guard. Aside from calling out various members of the media -- ESPN, the New York Post and MSG -- for offensive references to Lin, the sketch not-so-subtly suggested that there is the sort of double standard at work that congresswoman Chu would later refer to during her appearance on MSNBC.

According to a former Harvard teammate, Lin was previously taunted with the C-word during his Ivy League days and dealt with other racist gibes, such as the time when someone in the stands yelled "sweet-and-sour pork" when the Crimson were taking on Georgetown on the road.

So, whether the headline was intentionally offensive or not, Lin has certainly heard many of these things before. And, sadly, he may very well hear it again.

Comments

[wootnunfs]

02:31 AM on 02/25/2012

floyd mayweather i read in his tweets he was really on to something, because this whole Linsanity is a cinderella story of the little person, who went through being slighted, discriminated_against, getting dropped, released, not having a contract, wasting his talent away sitting on a bench getting paid tens of millions dollars below what's commensurate of his skills and capabilities.

ps. floyd mayweather's a racist_no doubt about it, another black racist_with no family value, but plenty of baby mamas_dramas and violent_crimes. his effort to throw dirt on Jeremy Lin is disconcerting; floyd knows he's ducking pacman, it's sad when floyd's trying to overcompensate to make up for his feeling of cowardance.

[tuco60]

04:57 PM on 02/24/2012

I think it was an unfortunate mistake and that no insult was intended or implied.

[Delphi Omally]

04:20 PM on 02/24/2012

Page 2

This is not even remotely close to being up for debate....it is a matter of historical record. Many "isms" are implements of hate....whether such was the case here or not need not be established. What has already been established long ago is that this "ism" has been the impetus for removing many a soul from its earthly body....prematurely and tragically. As Americans, we have a standard to uphold...a constitutional standard of practiced inclusion, not publicly professed exclusion of those who appear to be "different than us". Difference is sacred...so sanctimonious that our creator has made it much more important to His/Her creation than beauty or intellect...lest creation be as dull and mundane as eggs in an egg crate.

[Delphi Omally]

04:18 PM on 02/24/2012

Page 1

Racism, rather expressed racism as is the case here, is deviant behavior because it deviates from the basic human decency of first recognizing that all homo-sapiens are in fact members of the homo-sapiens family, endowed with special and unique personal characteristics such as sex, race, choice of partners, and gender or gender expression that makes the world a colorful and exciting place.

Racists, as all deviants, can fool most of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time. Innuendo, slights, mannerisms, choice of vocabulary are symptoms of the attitudes and beliefs contained within the body that expresses such. They are often clues as to gender, sexuality, presence or absence of compassion, presence or absence of love or hate, and clues as to a loathing and disparaging perception of persons that appear to be different. Racism is more than poking fun at other human brothers or sisters...it has been the seed within many a despot's mind to justify and rationalize horrific, uncivilized and "animal-kingdom" attempts at mass extermination of other human brothers and sisters.

[TheShrew]

01:33 PM on 02/23/2012

Having been born during the time of Neanderthals, and if memory serves, I know the word "chink" does have two meanings. I think some people are forgetting that during the 1800s, that word was used in a derogatory manner toward the Chinese worker during the building of the railroad. Because of their small stature, Chinese men were used (voluntarily) to enter narrow mine shafts of a cave to place dynamite. Chinese immigrants have been historically noted as playing a major role in the laying of the railroad track.

At the turn of the century, a way to insult the Chinese worker was to refer to him as a Chinaman. I believe that still holds true today.

"Chink" in the armor is a legitimate phrase used to describe an opening in the chain-mail which protected those who entered jousting(?) tournaments centuries ago. You will even hear it used today by those who love to swim among sharks. To make a chain-mail for a diver is quite costly.

[insertcommenthere]

11:31 AM on 02/24/2012

Yes, there is the literal word and then there is the implied meaning. What you described above has no cultural relevance today. Certainly, there is a pun by the way the word was used in the sentence and we get that this phrase referring to the armor has a literal meaning. It's the implied meaning that is offensive. It's the way the pun makes reference that is offensive. It's the fact that the "c" word is a derogatory slur in this context. All the historical background? "Duh, who cares, that is not the issue here." What editor or writer at ESPN would be so blind to NOT consider the offensiveness of this term? And, yes, the writer (despite his quote in the article) WAS trying to be clever and "punny" and cute. Instead, he appears macho and ignorant.

[TheShrew]

12:50 PM on 02/24/2012

In reply to insertcommenthere

"It's the fact that the "c" word is a derogatory slur in this context."

Well, I am confident enough to say that "chink" is not the "c" word.

"And, yes, the writer (despite his quote in the article) WAS trying to be clever and "punny" and cute. Instead, he appears macho and ignorant."

Trying to be "clever, punny and cute" is hardly grounds for dismissal, but I don't know the man well enough to say he meant his comment as an insult. Apparently, ESPN did take it as such so his employment was terminated. He has been judged and is now out of a job. It's all rather moot at this point..

Let me say that I will continue to use the word, chink, as I always have which is a way to describe a "bump in the road," or as an "obstacle". As to the historical application of the word which you found as having no value to the discussion, maybe someone else didn't know the background of the word and its use. No harm - no foul.

Enjoyed the discussion.

[TheFatMolly]

11:54 PM on 02/22/2012

I wished people would refer to me as the "Chink In The Armor"...

[TheShrew]

01:40 PM on 02/23/2012

To me, the guy did not do the research as to the actual definition/meaning of the phrase.

[lightlady17]

08:24 PM on 02/22/2012

In this case, I must take the explanation at face value. This phrase has been used since (and probably before) Shakespeare's time; it was in one of Othello's soliloquies about Iago (methinks). It is used more frequently than most, obviously, remember by sportscasters. Should he have thought it through? Yes. Did he mean to imply any racism? I seriously doubt it. I should truly like to know what Mr. Lin thinks. 'In full disclosure', I admit that as a minority, I tend to 'look for the slur', but found none here except in the 'ears of those waiting to hear one'.

[TheZug]

11:34 AM on 02/23/2012

It was a very bad error on the part of an editor, but I'm inclined to agree that there was no intended bigotry.

The two of us apparently do not possess the mindreading abilities of other commenters, however, who are POSITIVE the editor was a bigot. I suspect many of them also think "niggardly" is a slur.

[Linda Tew]

07:20 PM on 02/22/2012

And to Ms. Chu, stop calling other people Gwai Lo, which means foreign devil, because that is what they call other races. So next time I hear an Asian person say that then to court we go.... oh and they better lose their job.

[Felix Soto]

08:12 PM on 02/22/2012

Now you went and gave gopers another thing to the president.

[Linda Tew]

08:42 PM on 02/22/2012

oh well my bad. But not really think about it, all races can say whatever they like, whether it be racial, political, etc because they have a "right" to feel that way, it's only when the "white" oh wait let me be politically correct, when white other than hispanic descent says something, that is when it becomes an issue and the man in the white (wait can I still call it that?) house uses it for his own political gain. I am really shocked that the name of the white house hasn't been on the chopping block yet.

[Linda Tew]

07:11 PM on 02/22/2012

OMG, in a year or two we will not be allowed to use any kind or type of words we will have to use "letters" instead. wow. No one is allowed to say anything in America anymore. I do not believe that it was intentionally used in a racial way and it seems as if Lin can say "ok you said sorry lets go on with life" then so should everyone else. Man the "C" word is like the "n" word? What is "c" is it can, could, cup, color? what many "c" words and the "n" word is it nice, naughty, numb, what? Just saying. Can't wait to see the comments about what I said. hahaha

[huffnpuff4]

07:57 PM on 02/22/2012

Yes, the "c-word" is akin to the "n-word", and akin to the "h-word" for Caucasians. Maybe it makes more sense to you now? Usually it does after it's reflective if your own background. That's normal.
And the CONTEXT is key. If you were writing an *article about racial slurs* and listed all those offensive terms in the article it would not be racist. But in an obvious attempt at being punny and funny, it was an epic fail.

[thewhitecomet637]

03:19 PM on 02/24/2012

lol do you not understand the context?

[eeksharks]

07:11 PM on 02/22/2012

Crass stupidity is rarely intentional.

[Grimaldi]

07:01 PM on 02/22/2012

The bottom line is if the guy is admitting using "chink" under a picture of Jeremy Lin was an "honest mistake", then he is admitting that he is too stupid to do his job. I would have to fire him, and shake his hand for his honesty. I would give him a recommendation for a lower level job, if one were available.

[huffnpuff4]

07:19 PM on 02/22/2012

Exactly, thank you. To play stupid and say it was an honest coincidence is ridiculous. And if he really didn't connect the dots, he deserves to be fired no question. It really only makes sense if he WAS indeed trying to be "funny or cute" or was just being racist. Personally, I think it was the former and he thought he could get away with it.

[Donald Kinge]

06:58 PM on 02/22/2012

My favorite ironic aspect is that the guy is married to an Asian woman (maybe Asian-American, but I'm honestly not sure).

[huffnpuff4]

07:38 PM on 02/22/2012

To be clear, Max Bretos, the anchor who used the expression on the air is married to an Asian-American. Not the headline writer, Anthony Federico, who was fired. That should be clarified to get the right context in which he wrote it.

[thewhitecomet637]

03:25 PM on 02/24/2012

max bretos kept his job because of his wife lol...

[ginger42]

06:31 PM on 02/22/2012

"And, sadly, he may very well hear it again. " Unfortunately true

[EXTURPI]

05:59 PM on 02/22/2012

It's tragic that the history of the United States is so infused with racial attitudes and racial epithets that some of the most effective idioms in the English Language are now taboo. As far as I know, there is NO other country in the world where this is so. That is a tragedy for interpersonal, inter ethnic relations in our country. How we sap the energy of our own countryfolk by deflating their egos with such regrettable descriptions. Indeed, the rest of the world must deem us a little less civilized; and even the GDP of our country suffers.

Stay well; walk good always.

[RainDownSouth]

06:44 PM on 02/22/2012

"As far as I know, there is NO other country in the world where this is so"

you don't travel much do you?

[Grimaldi]

07:06 PM on 02/22/2012

Your comment sounds as if it makes some sense on the very surface, but upon examination it is drivel.

[TheZug]

05:41 PM on 02/22/2012

The editor did indeed fail at his job, but that does not in and of itself indicate bigotry.

Obviously he should have recognized the problem with using that phrase in association with Lin. However, the word "chink" has meaning entirely divorced from the racial slur:

1. a crack, cleft, or fissure: a chink in a wall.
2. a narrow opening: a chink between two buildings.

"Chink in the armor" in and of itself is no more a racial slur than the world "niggardly." I have heard the same phrase many times before in an entirely non-racial context, and we must remember that clichés are the lifeblood of sports reporting (note how the substituted headline is also a cliché).

With all that said, it was a grave mistake to use the phrase in a headline about an Asian, because the racial slur implications are unavoidable.

So, mistake? Yes. Failure to appreciate context? Absolutely. Grave editing error on the part of an editor? Indeed. But outright bigotry? Based on the available evidence, I would be inclined to say no.

[Grimaldi]

06:51 PM on 02/22/2012

Mistake? If it was an actual mistake, then he is too stupid for the job and needs to be fired anyway. A 12 year old would see that the headline was not appropriate. While I cannot prove overt racism, it is more likely that he thought he was being funny. But again, a 12 year old would know that such humor was inappropriate. Again, I would can him.

[Romans 9 16]

12:44 AM on 02/24/2012

I must be living in a cave then. It is my first time becoming aware of this.