A notoriously left-wing sports news outlet has been sold by its parent company, laying off all of its employees, just months after it falsely accused a young boy of racism.
Deadspin, a blog that featured news and opinion pieces about sports, was sold on March 11. All staff members subsequently lost their jobs. The change comes after a young boy was accused of wearing blackface while cheering for the Kansas City Chiefs in Nov. 2023.
Although the timing is noted by conservatives who had scrutinized the outlet for its false accusations, it is not clear that the sale is a direct result of the backlash that came from the outlet’s misinformation and refusal to edit its report.
BREAKING: The entire staff at Deadspin has been laid off by its new owners
Carron J. Philips is now unemployed and is simultaneously getting sued for defaming Holden Armenta, a 9-year-old boy
Happy ending aren't just for fairy tales pic.twitter.com/Xosb4l1yU6
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) March 11, 2024
According to reports of the sale, Deadspin was sold by its parent company, G/O Media, to Lineup Publishing, a European business which is not retaining any of the sports site’s 11 staff members. Jim Spanfeller, G/O Media’s CEO, explained that the decision was motivated by the desire to keep investors.
He added that Deadspin employees are being let go due to Lineup Publishing’s intent to establish “a new team” that better fits the “editorial vision for the brand.” The last remaining employees were informed of the move on Monday, marking the third time that staff has been downsized within a year’s time.
Deadspin went under fire late last year when journalist Carron Phillips wrote an opinion piece accusing a nine-year-old Chiefs fan of racism. Within the article, Phillips shared a photo of young Holden Armenta, who attended the Nov. 26, 2023, NFL game between the Chiefs and the Las Vegas Raiders.
Armenta came dressed in a Chief’s jersey, Native American headdress and face paint—half black, half red, reflecting his team’s colors. But Phillips focused on a side image of the boy, which only showed the black paint on his face, and accused him of hating “Black people and Native Americans at the same time.”
The original article was titled, “The NFL needs to speak out against the Kansas City Chiefs fan in Black face, Native headdress.” The subtitle added that “they’re doubling up on the racism.”
Despite intense and immediate backlash, Deadspin refused to retract or apologize for the article. In December, after Armenta’s parents threatened to sue the outlet, the piece was quietly updated with the headline, “The NFL Must Ban Native Headdress and Culturally Insensitive Face Paint in the Stands.” The accusation of racism was also removed from the subtitle.
Additionally, an editor’s note was added to explain that the Chiefs had previously banned the use of headdresses in its home stadium and “appropriations” of Native Americans through face paint. The note claimed that the story was “intended” to call out the NFL for “its failure to extend those rules” rather than attacking the young fan.
