Sage Steele Urges Pro Sports Leagues to Honor Charlie Kirk as They Did George Floyd

Former ESPN analyst Sage Steele on Thursday publicly called on major professional sports leagues to issue statements and offer condolences after Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while speaking at an event Wednesday, drawing sharp comparison to the widespread league responses following George Floyd’s death.

Kirk, 31, was fatally shot as he spoke from under a white pop-up tent during an appearance in Utah, video from the scene showed. President Donald Trump announced Kirk’s death Wednesday afternoon. "The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead," Trump wrote on social media, offering sympathies to Kirk’s wife and family.

Steele tagged the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB and NHL in her post and wrote, "Looking forward to seeing you release statements & send condolences to Charlie Kirk’s family after he was murdered for his political beliefs. You know — kinda like you did when career criminal George Floyd died." Fox News Digital reached out to the leagues named in Steele’s post for comment.

The call from Steele came as numerous figures in and around sports offered condolences and reacted to the shooting. Among those who weighed in were boxer-turned-influencer Jake Paul; former NFL receiver Julian Edelman; college quarterback Jaxson Dart; NFL great Brett Favre; former Pittsburgh Steelers players Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell; former NFL receiver Golden Tate; Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow; former New York Yankees champion Mark Teixeira; Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker; boxer Ryan Garcia; Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl; former MLB pitcher John Rocker; broadcaster Michelle Tafoya; and Sports Illustrated journalist Albert Breer.

Kirk had been scheduled to speak at Utah Valley University as part of his "American Comeback Tour" and was set to appear at Utah State University later this month. Video posted from the event appeared to show the shooting occur while Kirk addressed the crowd.

Steele praised the New York Yankees for holding a moment of silence for Kirk. Her post also referenced the leagues' high-profile statements and gestures after the 2020 killing of George Floyd, when professional sports organizations issued messages and, in many cases, staged leaguewide moments of silence or other forms of public acknowledgment.

Local teams in Minnesota previously issued statements and expressed condolences after two Democratic lawmakers were killed earlier this year, an example Steele cited in drawing a contrast to what she described as the leagues' current silence on Kirk's death.

News organizations and sports entities have increasingly been drawn into political and social debates over the past decade, and league responses to off-field incidents have varied depending on circumstances and internal policies. Fox News Digital noted that several sports figures who reacted to Kirk's death are public supporters of conservative causes, while others framed their comments as expressions of sympathy for the victim and his family.

Authorities have not publicly released extensive investigative details. News organizations reported that video of the shooting circulated online, and public statements from law enforcement were limited in the immediate aftermath. Kirk’s death prompted an outpouring of reactions from political figures and media personalities in addition to those in the sports world.

Steele, who left ESPN in 2023, has spoken publicly on cultural and political topics since her departure from the network. Her post insisting that leagues respond in a manner similar to their reactions to Floyd's death is the latest example of public pressure on sports organizations to address national events and societal issues.

Fox News Digital reporters Jackson Thompson and Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report. The major leagues named by Steele were contacted for comment.