{"id":2388758,"date":"2025-01-10T09:51:01","date_gmt":"2025-01-10T14:51:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nd-coach-shuts-down-espn-for-making-victory-about-race\/"},"modified":"2025-01-10T09:51:58","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T14:51:58","slug":"nd-coach-shuts-down-espn-for-making-victory-about-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nd-coach-shuts-down-espn-for-making-victory-about-race\/","title":{"rendered":"ND Coach Shuts Down ESPN For Making Victory About Race"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fnd-coach-shuts-down-espn-for-making-victory-about-race%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2388758&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the Notre Dame head football coach, Marcus Freeman, who expressed a desire for the focus to remain \u200con his team&#8217;s accomplishments\u2064 rather\u2063 than on his race.After leading the \u200bfighting Irish to a \u2064thrilling\u200c Orange Bowl victory, securing their place in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/counting-down-the-10-biggest-quarterback-busts-of-all-time\/\" title=\"Counting Down The 10 Biggest Quarterback Busts Of All Time\">college football national championship<\/a>, Freeman was inundated with media inquiries emphasizing his status\u200d as the first Black head coach to reach this milestone. He reiterated that the success of the team should be celebrated collectively, rather than being overshadowed by narratives centered on race. The article criticizes media outlets, particularly ESPN, for prioritizing racial storylines over the game \u200citself, despite Freeman&#8217;s insistence that his position is about the team and their achievements. Various \u2064sports media continued to highlight racial importance in the coaching matchup, which\u2062 Freeman finds distracting from the essence of the sport.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=cPZ57wPp2QU\">ESPN College Football\/YouTube<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/01\/10\/notre-dame-head-coach-shuts-down-espn-for-trying-to-make-his-teams-victory-about-race\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Notre%20Dame%20Head%20Coach%20Shuts%20Down%20ESPN%20For%20Trying%20To%20Make%20His%20Team%E2%80%99s%20Victory%20About%20Race&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/01\/10\/notre-dame-head-coach-shuts-down-espn-for-trying-to-make-his-teams-victory-about-race\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Notre%20Dame%20Head%20Coach%20Shuts%20Down%20ESPN%20For%20Trying%20To%20Make%20His%20Team%E2%80%99s%20Victory%20About%20Race&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/01\/10\/notre-dame-head-coach-shuts-down-espn-for-trying-to-make-his-teams-victory-about-race\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/01\/10\/notre-dame-head-coach-shuts-down-espn-for-trying-to-make-his-teams-victory-about-race\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Notre%20Dame%20Head%20Coach%20Shuts%20Down%20ESPN%20For%20Trying%20To%20Make%20His%20Team%E2%80%99s%20Victory%20About%20Race&amp;body=Freeman%20hinted%20on%20Thursday%20night%20that%20the%20Fighting%20Irish%E2%80%99s%20path%20to%20the%20college%20football%20championship%20was%20not%20easy%20or%20skin-deep.%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/01\/10\/notre-dame-head-coach-shuts-down-espn-for-trying-to-make-his-teams-victory-about-race\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>The University of Notre Dame&rsquo;s head football coach has a message for all of the corporate media outlets trying to make his team&rsquo;s Orange Bowl victory about his race: Winning football games isn&rsquo;t about him or his skin color.<\/p>\n<p>The Fighting Irish won the Orange Bowl on Thursday night 27 to 24 on a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">41-yard field goal kicked<\/a> with mere seconds left in the game. The team&rsquo;s last-minute triumph secured them the first spot in the college football national championship at the end of the month and should have dominated headlines. Instead, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/columnist\/mike-freeman\/2025\/01\/07\/marcus-freeman-james-franklin-national-championship-game\/77485130007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">national<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportingnews.com\/us\/ncaa-football\/news\/black-coaches-college-football-marcus-freeman-james-franklin\/71ee89aa4c7ce96c1a41fed9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sports<\/a> press rooms alike fawned over the fact that, regardless of the Orange Bowl outcome, either Notre Dame or Penn State&rsquo;s head coach would become the first black coach to make it to the ultimate FBS faceoff.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-805891441\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The ESPN reporter tasked with covering the coach&rsquo;s and quarterback&rsquo;s reactions, after spending a little bit of time asking for Freeman&rsquo;s analysis of the game, pressed the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ndinsider.com\/story\/sports\/football\/2022\/09\/15\/notre-dame-football-coach-marcus-freeman-converts-to-catholic-faith-st-pius-x-granger-manti-teo\/69496916007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Catholic convert<\/a> on how much his position as the &ldquo;first black head coach to go to a national championship game in college football&rdquo; meant to him.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve said this before: I don&rsquo;t ever want to take attention away from the team. It is an honor, and I hope all coaches &mdash; minorities, Black, Asian, white, it doesn&rsquo;t matter, great people &mdash; continue to set opportunities to lead young men like this,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But this ain&rsquo;t about me. This is about us. We&rsquo;re going to celebrate what we&rsquo;ve done because it&rsquo;s so special.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>ESPN clearly missed the point of Freeman&rsquo;s speech. In its clip highlighting the coach&rsquo;s post-game reaction and reflection, the outlet made one last attempt to shove the &ldquo;first Black and Asian American head coach&rdquo; narrative down its viewers&rsquo; throats. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <span class=\"1msdqy\"><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&#8220;It is an honor and I hope all coaches, minorities, Black, Asian, white, it doesn&#8217;t matter, great people continue to get opportunities to lead young men like this.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Marcus Freeman on becoming the first Black and Asian American head coach to make the FBS national championship &#128079; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/KHMksJUNdK\">pic.twitter.com\/KHMksJUNdK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; ESPN (@espn) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/espn\/status\/1877580895894290660?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 10, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Even before the game, outlets were focused on skin color over skill. Sports Illustrated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/james-franklin-marcus-freeman-matchup-is-progress-black-coaches\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hailed the matchup<\/a> as &ldquo;progress for black coaches.&rdquo; The Associated Press <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/black-coaches-franklin-freeman-playoff-522b80d7553d3494889f9b0e8da5539a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">claimed<\/a> black coaches finally &ldquo;have shot at college football title a generation after that milestone was hit in hoops.&rdquo; ESPN College GameDay&rsquo;s Desmond Howard not only elevated the race narrative during the pregame but used it to complain that the &ldquo;opportunities&rdquo; for black coaches to win big games are &ldquo;still limited today.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <span class=\"SxC9IzTdP6ry3847V1X5nDlkpZo\"><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&#8220;I remember sitting there with my children and I&#8217;m saying &hellip; &#8216;We&#8217;re going to have a Black coach in the national championship game for the first time ever.'&#8221;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DesmondHoward?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@DesmondHoward<\/a> talks about the importance of James Franklin and Marcus Freeman being on the verge of history. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/yxPIYkkxBq\">pic.twitter.com\/yxPIYkkxBq<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CollegeGameDay\/status\/1877507135975674185?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 10, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>To the race-obsessed press, the Orange Bowl gameplay and its outcome paled in comparison to what the New York Post called the <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/01\/09\/sports\/the-massive-implication-for-black-coaches-in-notre-dame-vs-penn-state\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&ldquo;massive implication for black coaches.&rdquo;<\/a><\/p>\n<p>To reduce Notre Dame&rsquo;s collective hard work and dedication under a humble head coach like Freeman to race, as the press have done, however, is not only an offense to the team but to all college football fans who value the skill and effort that goes into a winning season. <\/p>\n<p>As Freeman hinted on Thursday night, the Fighting Irish&rsquo;s path to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nfl-rookie-ex-alabama-star-shot-multiple-times-in-dc-robbery-attempt\/\" title=\"NFL Rookie, Ex-Alabama Star Shot Multiple Times In DC Robbery Attempt\">college football championship<\/a> was not easy or skin-deep. It could not be attributed to one person or their genetics. Contrary to the corporate media&rsquo;s virtue signaling, Notre Dame&rsquo;s college football championship spot was secured via a hard-fought battle flooded with the talent, competence, and expertise of hundreds of men. Their performance on Jan. 20 will be no different.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Jordan Boyd is a staff writer at The Federalist and producer of The Federalist Radio Hour. Her work has also been featured in The Daily Wire, Fox News, and RealClearPolitics. Jordan graduated from Baylor University where she majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow her on X @jordanboydtx.<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Jordan Boyd<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jordanboydtx\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@jordanboydtx<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/jordandavidson\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/black\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Black<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/college-football\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">college football<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/college-gameday\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">college gameday<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/espn\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">ESPN<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/fbs\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">fbs<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/marcus-freeman\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Marcus Freeman<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/ncaa\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">NCAA<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/notre-dame\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Notre Dame<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/race\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Race<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/university-of-notre-dame\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">University of Notre Dame<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Notre Dame&#8217;s coach emphasizes that the Orange Bowl win isn&#8217;t about race<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":490,"featured_media":2388759,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Freeman-e1736517089633-1024x577.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[6733,5851,48263,5069,37014],"class_list":["post-2388758","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-controversy","tag-espn","tag-nd-coach","tag-race","tag-sports-commentary"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Freeman-e1736517089633-1024x577.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2388758","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/490"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2388758"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2388758\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2388762,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2388758\/revisions\/2388762"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2388759"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2388758"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2388758"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2388758"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}