Welcome to FTW Explains: a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world.
By now, you may be familiar with what’s going on with actress Gina Carano, who was fired from the Disney+ hit The Mandalorian last week due to an offensive post on Instagram that compared conservatives in the United States to how Jews were treated in the Holocaust.
But now, there are journalists, the UFC and ESPN wrapped up in the controversy. And if you’re wondering why the heck that would be the case, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s break it down:
What’s this now about Carano?
Our Hemal Jhaveri looked at not just that post, but many others from Carano that are so awful. This wasn’t just an isolated incident.
So why is the UFC getting involved?
Because Carano used to be an MMA fighter.
Wait, she was?
Yeah! You may have forgotten that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOAs68YcTzs
What did Dana White have to say?
Per MMA Junkie, from Friday:
“Leave Gina alone,” White said. “Listen, we make mistakes. We all make mistakes. For everybody to go in on her – I love how Ariel Helwani made it all about him. It was all about him. Such a douche.”
Hold on, what’s this about Ariel Helwani?
Helwani is a journalist for ESPN who covers MMA. And this isn’t the first time we’ve seen White call him out — in 2016, Helwani said he was banned for life from covering UFC events, which the reporter said was due to being “too negative” with his coverage. The UFC eventually lifted the ban.
What’s also important here is that Helwani is Jewish. He addressed Carano’s statements on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CLK0DucBM7G/?utm_source=ig_embed
“As a Jewish person, and as a human being, it doesn’t sit well. And I wish she would have never posted that, and quite frankly I wish someone would have talked to her about her social media posts over the past year, some of them not even political. Just in general, they felt off to me. And I am sorry she has gone down this path.”
Did anyone at ESPN back him up?
Yes:
A number of @arielhelwani’s ESPN colleagues are defending him publicly. pic.twitter.com/batoeidLfk
— Ryan Glasspiegel (@sportsrapport) February 14, 2021
If @ESPN is interested in journalism, it can ask some questions here of bully and corporate partner @danawhite. There is certainly a douche here. But it ain’t the journalist @arielhelwani. Pick a side, ESPN. Quiet is complicit. — Dan https://t.co/hPLzHI8v1K
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) February 14, 2021
ESPN later did release a statement (via MMA Junkie):
“Ariel is a valued colleague and an exceptional MMA reporter. His record speaks for itself.”
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