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">https://twitter.com/CNNPoliti...

I& #39;m primarily referring to high school kids by the way since that& #39;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& #39;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& #39;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.