I am not exaggerating when I say this, I say this completely genuinely:

I covered sports in Maine for three years, and there is no way I encountered any more than a total of 30-40 African American athletes in that time. May have been less. But certain moments stick with me... https://twitter.com/CNNPolitics/status/1322041795669348353

I'm primarily referring to high school kids by the way since that's the main source of coverage.

I will never forget I had an intern one year that referred to an African American player by the n-word in casual conversation, and subsequently after that, "colored."

I was legitimately floored by it. And when I brought it up as a concern to those above me and some of my colleagues, I was told it was just an old way of thinking and they just didn't realize it was not proper terminology anymore. Was never mentioned again.

There was one high school soccer game I covered that featured the most diverse group of players I saw on a team in Maine (some born in the Caribbean I believe) .

I heard the opposing team (all white) making noises mocking the other team's on-field banter in their huddle.

When Kaepernick happened, and subsequently over the next year and a half, I was told by multiple individuals when covering football games that he deserved to be shot (among other things).

Maine was a great place to get my start in the business, and most of the people I encountered were really great. But those who stay in the state live in a bubble, one of the whitest states in the union, exposed to virtually no diversity their entire lives. And it shows.