Well, folks, leave it to ESPN’s Andscape to turn the death of one of the most iconic figures in pop culture into a clumsy hit piece. Hours — not days, not weeks — hours after Hulk Hogan died on Thursday, ESPN slapped this gem onto its homepage: “Professional wrestling star’s career is no match for his racism.”
That’s right. Hulk Hogan’s body was barely cold, his family still processing the loss, and Andscape decided to reduce his entire life and legacy to one word he said 18 years ago in a private conversation.
The author, David Dennis Jr., doesn’t mince words either. He writes, “When you are a racist that is your legacy above all else … Hulk Hogan died being known a racist who also became famous as a professional wrestler.” That’s the thesis. Forget decades of wrestling dominance, forget his role in catapulting WWE into the mainstream, forget the fact that Hulk Hogan became a cultural monolith. Nope. Hogan, according to Dennis, is defined by one secretly recorded phone call from nearly two decades ago.
Hulk Hogan admitted that he is a racist. He once told his son he was scared Karma would bring them back as Black men. When you are a racist that is your legacy above all else.
It’s not complicated. This is what I wrote. https://t.co/2gr7p52KgE
— David Dennis Jr. (@DavidDTSS) July 24, 2025
Let’s address this piece by piece. First, Hogan was wrong to say what he said — period. He apologized, he lost sponsorship deals, and WWE booted him for it. No one’s excusing that. But to claim that a private conversation wipes out his entire legacy? That’s intellectually lazy and wildly inconsistent. This is the same author who has argued that we should separate art from the artist when talking about Michael Jackson and rappers with criminal convictions. Hogan didn’t hurt anyone. He didn’t commit a violent act. He said an ugly word. Apparently, in Dennis’ mind, that makes him irredeemable.
Second, the timing is grotesque. There’s no journalistic rule that says you have to drag someone’s lowest moment out for display the day they die. If a documentarian includes it in a full examination of his life, fine. But hammering it out hours after his death? That’s not journalism. That’s pandering. And worse, it reeks of someone looking to score cheap political points while the man’s family is grieving.
“His name is etched into the very fabric of American culture.”
My tribute to Hulk Hogan, a true American icon and the greatest pro wrestler of all time:https://t.co/VoBYZpqaOv
— Bobby Burack (@burackbobby_) July 24, 2025
Third, this is exactly why Andscape has become a punchline. It exists to inject a race angle into every story — whether it belongs or not — because, frankly, its writers seem to have a quota. It’s ESPN’s DEI vanity project, a place where identity always trumps context or nuance. And the editor who greenlit this for the homepage? Fire them yesterday.
Finally, the idea that a single phone call defines Hulk Hogan’s legacy is laughable. Hogan revolutionized professional wrestling. He turned it from a regional curiosity into a national spectacle. He became a larger-than-life superhero for millions of kids growing up in the ’80s and ’90s. You don’t erase that with one headline.
