UPDATE (Video): ESPN Uses Unbelievably Racist Lin Headline
On Friday, the Knicks lost their first game since ‘Linsanity’ started to engulf the city of New York. Jeremy Lin, the Asian-American sensation, has spawned a winning streak and a craze that transcended basketball, leading to a plethora of ‘Lin’ themed headlines in the big city. So when newspapers such as the New York Post ran a story after the Knicks first loss in eight games, it was no surprise to see phrases such as “Linning Streak Over” and “the clock struck midnight on Linderella”.
What was surprising however, was ESPN’s attempt to make a play on words after the loss:
Chink in the Armor
Who in the holy hell thought this was a good idea in the first place?
From the New York Post:
ESPN used a shockingly racist headline “Chink in the Armor” for the Knicks’ loss Friday night, along with a picture of Jeremy Lin, who is an Asian-American. The headline was eventually removed, and ESPN issued an apology late this morning.
“Last night, ESPN.com’s mobile web site posted an offensive headline referencing Jeremy Lin at 2:30 am ET. The headline was removed at 3:05 am ET. We are conducting a complete review of our cross-platform editorial procedures and are determining appropriate disciplinary action to ensure this does not happen again. We regret and apologize for this mistake.”
UPDATE:
Even more unbelievable than the offensive headline? One of ESPN’s announcers used the same phrase in analyzing Lin’s gameplay:
“He’s handled everything very well as you said, unflappable. But if there’s a chink in the armor where can Lin improve?”
I’m more prone to giving the commentator a pass, as the phrase ‘chink in the armor’ has been used countless times in sports analysis. But the headline seems a bit more pre-meditated.
Your thoughts?
Mental Recession 