ESPN Delays Video-Game Telecast After U.S. Mass Shootings
- Apex Legends competition will air instead in October
- Politicians, including Trump, have linked games to shooting
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Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN has chosen not to broadcast a recent video-game competition -- one that features gun violence -- in the wake of last weekend’s mass shootings in Texas and Ohio, according to a person familiar with the plans.
ESPN is delaying its planned Aug. 10 broadcast of a recent tournament for Apex Legends, a popular battle royale game made by publisher Electronic Arts Inc., the person said, asking not to be identified as the matter is internal. The decision comes in the wake of the two shootings that prompted politicians, including President Donald Trump, to say video games that glorify violence could be contributing to the country’s shooting epidemic.