Maria Taylor is a gifted woman of color who is establishing herself as a sportscaster in one of America’s most discriminatory and male-dominated industries. She spent nearly seven years working with ESPN before departing to join NBC Sports in 2021. You might wonder, why? Racism is the root of it all.
The word “racism” is not new to America. Nearly all African Americans in the nation have experienced racism at some point. More so, hate crimes about racism are highly prevalent in the country; some people have even lost their lives as a result of it.
1. Maria Taylor’s Coworker Supposed She Was Hired Because She Is “Black”
Page Contents
- 1 1. Maria Taylor’s Coworker Supposed She Was Hired Because She Is “Black”
- 2 2. After refusing to collaborate with Nichols, she was held accountable for her lack of professionalism.
- 3 3. A radio host criticized her for the clothes she wore.
- 4 4. A Racist Message Was Also Sent to Maria Taylor’s Family
- 5 5. In Addition to Her Coworkers, Taylor Has Experienced Racism From Players
On July 4, 2021, the New York Times published an article detailing how Taylor Maria’s skin tone may have had a role in her hiring. It was none other than Rachel Nichols, her colleague, who made this ridiculous claim. The extraordinarily gifted pundit Maria’s actual worth was called into doubt by her. This rocked the whole ESPN network.
The Jump host Rachel Nichols, a TV host, made offensive remarks about her coworker Maria Taylor. New York Times, as a source
In July 2020, during a video conference with LeBron James’ advisor, Nichols made the declaration. She said the following without realizing the call was being recorded:
“Go for it if you feel under pressure to offer her more work because of your terrible track record on diversity over the years—which, incidentally, I know from the perspective of women. Simply look for it elsewhere.
The Jump’s host asserted that ESPN only hired Taylor as due tonsure to have a more diverse staff. They parted ways with Rachel, who formally apologized for her actions.
Still, expressing regret wasn’t sufficient. Taylor quit her position after seven years, even though the network increased her pay, and began working for NBC Sports.
2. After refusing to collaborate with Nichols, she was held accountable for her lack of professionalism.
In a recently leaked video from MSNBC, Maria was asked to discuss the entire situation with Rachel Nichols. In the brief video, Taylor discusses the regrettable event and how she was accused of being “unprofessional” after quitting ESPN.
It turns out that she was blamed by her own company. They implied that her refusal to collaborate with Nichols was unprofessional and that she overreacted to the entire incident. Taylor was the one at fault, even though the woman’s bigoted remark called into question her morality. What an irony!
In that video from The Culture is Black Women, Joy Reid and other women of color expressed their support for the sportscaster.
3. A radio host criticized her for the clothes she wore.
Sexism is one type of racism that most women of color experience. Presumptively “white” women who dress slightly provocatively receive less criticism than an African-American woman who wears the same outfit. Maria Taylor experienced precisely this in September of 2020.
Chicago radio presenter Dan McNeil was very critical of Taylor. She dressed more “appropriately for an adult film,” in his opinion. Regarding the attire she wore while working the sidelines for a Monday Night Football game, he said this.
This TV host also didn’t remain silent. She retaliated against McNeil. This backfired, though, because an admirer sent her a nasty message right away.
4. A Racist Message Was Also Sent to Maria Taylor’s Family
In October 2020, a year before the Nichols incident, Maria Taylor took to Twitter to share a hateful message her family had received. Along with many other derogatory remarks, the letter called this TV anchor a “trash affirmative action hire” and used extremely foul language. According to reports, the text came from a “fan” of college football.
It was completely unacceptable what transpired. Taylor was furious about the struggles her brother and parents had to endure. She posted on Twitter,
“To be clear, I’m not scared of this hatred, and it won’t stop me from doing my job,” the person wrote in a text to her brother, mother, and father.
Maria Taylor is a brave woman, despite the bigotry and hostility.
5. In Addition to Her Coworkers, Taylor Has Experienced Racism From Players
Kirk Herbstreit’s book, Out of the Pocket: Football, Fatherhood, and College GameDay Saturdays, was released in 2021. It’s his autobiography, which oddly makes a passing reference to Taylor.
The book claims that Taylor encountered bigotry from college football players while working as a sportscaster. Herbstreit knew about the spirited discussion the host was having with numerous football players. He acknowledged not having reviewed the tapes before they were broadcast, despite being invited to do so.
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