People hug at the makeshift memorial for victims of the shooting that left 22 people dead at a Walmart, in El Paso, Texas.
Mark Ralston/Getty Images
ESPN and sister network ABC Sports have reportedly decided to cancel a planned broadcast this weekend of X Games Apex Legends EXP Invitational in the wake of a pair of deadly mass shootings last weekend. ESPN said in a note to affiliates that the decision was made out of respect for the shooting victims and all those affected by tragedy, according to a note tweeted out by esports figure Rod Breslau.
The last-player-standing, battle royale shooter tournament was held last Friday and Saturday but wasn’t scheduled to be broadcast until Sunday on ESPN News. Instead, the Disney-owned network plans to broadcast a rerun of E:60: Forever Broncos, according to the note.
ESPN and ABC has made the decision not to air the TV broadcast of the XGames Apex Legends EXP Invitational that was scheduled for this weekend, in response to the recent mass shootings, according to an ABC Affiliate TV station source pic.twitter.com/6BMwdbk93t
— Rod Breslau (@Slasher) August 8, 2019
The date on the posted note, Aug. 6, suggests that the network made its programming decision roughly three days after a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, claimed 22 lives and injured more than two dozen people. Another shooting a few hours later in Dayton, Ohio, killed nine people and wounded 27 others.
In August 2018, EA canceled the remaining qualifying events in its Madden Classic competition after a shooting at a video game tournament that left three dead and injured 11.
ESPN didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
