Criticism By Mina Kimes Of Trump DOD Over DEI Is Exactly Why ESPN Needed To Cancel 'Around the Horn'

Earlier this month, ESPN announced that "Around the Horn" would air its final episode in May. The network decided to cancel the show after 23 years on the network.

"Around the Horn" has come to represent the worst of ESPN. The show originally served the valuable purpose of giving local newspaper columnists a voice on television. Over the years, the program evolved into a platform for anyone who had a staunchly progressive opinion to share—as long as they were not a white man, of course.

The show also birthed the careers of some of ESPN's most disastrous hires, from Jemele Hill to Bomani Jones, from Sarah Spain to David Dennis Jr.

Those issues were on full display Wednesday when Mina Kimes went off script to scorn Donald Trump's Department of Defense for removing an article about Jackie Robinson.

"So, look, Jackie Robinson was known for many things; but above all, first and foremost, it was his ongoing courage in the face of racial discrimination. In fact, in addition to crossing the color barrier in baseball, he served in a segregated unit in the army and, in one instance, refused to move to the back of the bus, was arrested, and acquitted. That matters. That history cannot be erased, it cannot be undone, and it must be recognized to fully understand and celebrate his legacy," Kimes began.

"You cannot tell the story of Jackie Robinson--the ballplayer, serviceman, or human--without acknowledging our country's history of racial discrimination," she said to summarize her monologue.

For background, the article in question is headlined "Sports Heroes Who Served: Baseball Great Jackie Robinson Was WWII Soldier." The article was seemingly removed because the word "dei" was added to the URL. The story was then scrubbed as part of a purge to remove all DEI-related content from the DOD site, as per Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's initiative.

While it remains unclear why the word was added to the URL--the article does not mention DEI--the DOD has since restored the article. You can read it here.

By all accounts, the "DEI" label was mistakenly added to the article. And if so, the person responsible for that could be held accountable. 

That is to say, Kimes' claim that the DOD was trying to tell the story of Jackie Robinson "without acknowledging our country's history of racial discrimination" is not accurate. There was no grand plan to erase history or Robinson's influence on the game of baseball. 

She's gaslighting. 

Kimes' representation of the matter was lazy, dishonest, and unnecessary. Moreover, imagine turning on ESPN during March Madness to see someone denounce the Department of Defense as a unit. People turn on ESPN for an escape from stories like that. They turn on ESPN to avoid conversations like those.

Further, we can't help but notice Kimes's co-panelist nodding his head in agreement.

The fact that ESPN still employs J.A. Adande to appear on "Around the Horn" is shameful. Two years ago, Adande appeared on the show to defend the Chinese Communist Party for committing genocide against Muslim Uygurs in the Xinjiang region.

We are not exaggerating. You can watch Adande make that argument here.

Ultimately, Kimes criticizing the U.S. government during the NCAA Tournament with that ugly ghoul on-set next to her is exactly why ESPN should have canceled "Around the Horn" years ago.