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Robert Lee (Sports Announcer)

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Sportscaster

The Resume

    (1976- )
    Resides in Albany, New York
    Announcer for Siena's Men’s Basketball
    Commentator for announcer for Time Warner and ESPN3
    Gained publicity after being yanked from calling a UVA season opener, after executives determined the similarity of his name to Confederate General Robert E. Lee could potentially offend viewers (Aug. 23, 2017)
    Decision came following the Unite the Right rally and subsequent violent protests, over the removal of the city's Robert E. Lee statue (Aug. 13, 2017)
    Has called games/conferences for the Big South, MAAC, Ohio Valley Conference, ACC, American Athletic Conference and the A-10

Why he might be annoying:

    He was inserted into a heated partisan debate about racism in America, despite not being even remotely political himself.
    Memes circulated claimed that he was fired by ESPN because of his name, when actually he was only reassigned (to the Youngstown State/Pittsburgh University opener).
    The decision resulted in endless jokes about SJWs and 'political correctness run amok.'
    The decision provided a much-needed rebound for Right-wing commentators post-Charlottesville, who seized on the moment to characterize the Left as backwards and obsessed with political correctness.
    His shafting provoked a national outrage, but in their public statement, ESPN executives claimed the decision was 'collective' and a mutual one.
    Lee declined to make any official statement of his own on the matter, leaving people in the dark as to whether or not his reassignment was actually of his own choosing (they could probably read between the lines though).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He is an avid fan of horse racing.
    He is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.
    He received a Bachelors in Broadcast Journalism from S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.
    He began his career as the Assistant Sports Information Director for Siena College.
    He was on the receiving end of reverse discrimination over something he had no control over (his name).
    ESPN cited concerns about 'safety' as factoring into their decision to reassign him.
    The decision backfired and was almost universally condemned across the board, even among those supporting the removal of Confederate statues from American cities.
    A survey carried out by the Today Show revealed that 96% of those surveyed disapproved of the decision, while only 4% supported it.
    He Tweeted a cryptic reaction to his newfound fame: 'So.....I hope my new followers like horse racing! Gearing up for Travers w/ picks for today's feature at #Saratoga.'
    He also Tweeted a message prior to his calling the Youngstown/Pittsburgh game, reading: 'Appreciate the support, dialogue and mutual agreement that brought me to Pittsburgh. Looking forward to a great season!'

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 14 Votes: 71.43% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 7 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 97 Votes: 60.82% Annoying