ESPN says it won’t change its approach for President Trump’s appearance at Sunday’s US Open men’s final, despite pressure from tournament organizers to avoid showing crowd reactions.
According to Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports, ESPN plans to broadcast the final “how it normally would — will acknowledge President Trump is there but focus on the match.”
The network’s stance comes as the US Tennis Association has specifically requested that broadcasters censor any crowd reactions to Trump’s presence.
Now, with Trump set to attend Sunday’s US Open final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz as a guest of Rolex, ESPN apparently plans to treat his presence like any other celebrity sighting. Acknowledge he’s there, maybe show him in his suite, then get back to tennis.
The US Tennis Association sent an email to broadcasters asking them to “refrain from showcasing any disruptions or reactions in response to the President’s attendance,” according to tennis reporter Ben Rothenberg. The USTA specifically asked broadcasters not to show crowd reactions, protests, or boos directed at Trump.
Trump was booed when he attended the US Open in 2015. Hence, the concern isn’t theoretical, especially considering his unpopularity in New York, the current political climate, and his historically low approval ratings. The tournament organizers clearly don’t want a repeat of that on their broadcast.
ESPN already showed its willingness to give Trump a platform back in January.
During halftime of the National Championship game, ESPN aired a nearly two-minute pre-taped political message from Trump that touched on everything from wars to making America great again. The network defended that decision by saying it’s “a practice that occurs regularly during major sporting events,” pointing to a message from then-President Biden before the Sugar Bowl. But the Biden message came after a terrorist attack in New Orleans.
It also raised eyebrows, given Disney’s recent $15 million settlement with Trump over comments made by ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos. Whether that influenced ESPN’s decision to air the message is something only Disney executives know for sure.
The US Open situation will be a test of ESPN’s stated approach. If Trump gets booed during player introductions or the anthem, will ESPN’s cameras avoid showing crowd reactions as the USTA requested? Or will they cover it like any other newsworthy moment during a live sporting event?
ESPN’s source told the Daily Beast the network plans to cover the final normally. That sounds reasonable in theory, but normal coverage would include showing crowd reactions to notable attendees. The USTA is specifically asking broadcasters not to do that.
Sunday’s broadcast will show whether ESPN sticks to its “normal coverage” promise or bends to the tournament organizer’s preferences.
The US Open men’s final begins at 2 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.