OutKick host Dan Dakich is sarcastically rooting for ESPN+ exclusive documentary Skin in the Game with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi.
Dakich on Don’t @ Me on Thursday checked out the latest episode recap of the series put out by his OutKick colleague Dan Zaksheske. Zaksheske had written recaps of the three previous episodes in the documentary this week.
“This is ESPN’s race-baiting deal,” Dakich said of the series. It debuted on ESPN+ on September 20. “This is ESPN turning down the temperature on race and politics on ESPN. This is a complete crap show.”
L.A. Dodgers second baseman Miguel Vargas was featured in episode 4, which talks about racism in baseball. Vargas, a 23-year-old from Cuba, detailed the difficulties in getting over the language barrier when he first started playing minor league ball in Michigan and Utah.
Dakich understood the challenge involved with going to a foreign country where you don’t speak the native language. But he said it’s hard to be sympathetic when you’re a pro athlete being paid handsomely.
“Well, I got to tell you, I don’t know what to tell you,” he said. “You come over to the United States, you’re playing a sport. All right. What are you supposed to do? Is the entire sport supposed to change because of you?”
It’s unclear whether there will be additional episodes of the series made or released in the future, but Dakich said he felt like even if it turns out that the viewership of the series isn’t where ESPN wants it to be, the network wouldn’t end it after just five episodes for fear of being subjected to backlash.
“They don’t want to cancel it because somehow, some way they’ll be afraid of X Ibram or Ibram X calling them racist, or Bomani Jones saying they’re racist, or this bigot on TV right now named Martin calling them racist,” he said. “Or Damien Woody, and his up and down wage swings, calling them racist.”
