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ESPN host injects Abraham Lincoln and race into the Super Bowl

February 13, 2023 | | Print Article

After a close contest on the field at Super Bowl LVII Sunday, one broadcaster’s woke proclivity generated a buzz unto itself with a racially charged game recap invoking the name of President Abraham Lincoln.

(Video: ESPN)

The NFL season concluded Sunday night with the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs holding off the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles in a back-and-forth game that was decided by a difference of one field goal with the Chiefs on top 38 to 35. While the head-to-head already carried an American Civil War theme with the brother-against-brother rivalry between Philadelphia’s Jason Kelce and Kansas City’s Travis Kelce, ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman took it over the top.

Whether of his own accord or at the behest of his production team, the anchor of the ABC-owned network’s coverage couldn’t help but point out how the 57th iteration of the NFL championship game was the first time that both quarterbacks, the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and Eagles’ Jalen Hurts, were black players.

“Also, of course, two African American quarterbacks starting against each other in the Super Bowl for the first time,” Berman said as he lead into the game highlights.

But he didn’t stop there as he also drew attention to the historical significance of the date the matchup was played on Sunday and said, “Fittingly, February 12th is Abe Lincoln’s birthday.”

Berman’s historical tidbit was met with a brief uncomfortable pause and curt laugh before he also added “it was worth the wait.”

Despite his enthusiasm. the history-making nature of the matchup was called out by social media as just another example of divisive coverage that ultimately negates the personal achievements of the athletes with so much focus being placed on their skin color.

Others zeroed in on the cringey callout of Lincoln and the unnecessary callback to emancipation and slavery that has become commonplace for social justice warriors in and around professional sports.

Of course, whether talking about former NFL player Colin Kaepernick’s attention-grabbing kneeling during the performance of the national anthem or the league’s own insistence to include the divisive so-called Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” prior to kickoff along with “The Star-Spangled Banner,” there was little surprise that the broadcast team would return their focus to the progressive agenda.

Berman would go on to talk about the actual highlights of the game which included Mahomes playing with an ankle sprain that had been re-aggravated during the first half of play but didn’t stop him from closing a 10-point deficit against the Eagles to ultimately take the lead.

Philadelphia was able to tie the game with just over five minutes left on the clock but the Chiefs were able to drive the ball to the field-goal range to secure a victory by a difference of three points.

Kevin Haggerty
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