‘Nice Try’: SportsCenter Anchor Fights Back at Critics Who Accused Him of Misogyny in Viral Clip By Sharing Full Context

SportsCenter host Randy Scott defended himself against critics who accused him of being misogynistic for a comment he made while showing highlights of a women’s basketball game.

Scott appeared on SportsCenter AM and explained to the viewers that both men’s and women’s basketball programs at Michigan State played their first games since the deadly shooting on campus in which three people were killed. The highlight reel began to show the men’s program in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which played their biggest rival, the University of Michigan.

The Michigan Wolverines held a ceremony before the game to honor the Michigan State students who were killed.

“The Spartan’s men’s team was actually in Ann Arbor last night where a normally bitter rivalry was put aside in the name of healing and support,” Scott said. “Both teams observing a moment of silence in an arena bathed in green lights before the Michigan band played Michigan State’s alma mater. Let’s get to the combined situation between these two teams.”

When the clip ended, Scott and the SportsCenter AM crew pivoted and began to show highlights of the Michigan State women’s against Maryland in East Lansing. And this was where he made the comment that went viral.

“Let’s get back to the actual basketball there in Ann Arbor,” Scott said.

Critics who shared the video believed his “actual basketball” comments made it sound like he was referring to the women’s game as not actual basketball. But Scott, in a Sunday tweet, explained the full context.

“We did a VO of the moment of silence in Ann Arbor.

Then the WBB highlight.

Then said ‘let’s get back to the actual basketball in Ann Arbor.’

Then the MBB highlight.

Nice try, though?”

https://twitter.com/RandyScottESPN/status/1627297897841586182?s=20

Still, many observers have continued to attack Scott for his comments.

Watch above via ESPN.