'Long Gone Summer': Sammy Sosa mocked for bleaching face in ESPN documentary as fans ask 'Who dis white man?'
ESPN's 'Long Gone Summer' may have been all about that 1998 baseball season that essentially saw Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa "save the game". However, for fans, Sammy's makeup was the topic of discussion soon after the player appeared on the show dressed immaculately in a dark blue suit.
"Did he change race?" a fan asked. "When did he become a gay flamenco dancer?" asked another. "The hell going on? Who dis white man?" wrote another fan. And the controversial pot of comments continued to be stirred. "Ummmmm dude is white now," exclaimed a fan. "I wish he woulda loved his skin," a fan wrote. "He had a skin lightening procedure done," a tweet read. "White supremacy has been internalized and in fashion for generations. This particular version is called 'trying to pass for white'," a fan noted.
"Fashion game? White shirt, navy blazer. Am I missing something? Lol wtf," another said. He did find some support in this fan though — "Sammy Sosa been white for years, to those throwing Michael Jackson under the bus. It was well documented that he had a skin pigment disease & system immune disease and he used makeup when out in the public to blend the patches in." It was a pity that Michael Jackson was roped into this. "homie pulled a Michael Jackson lmao," a fan wrote.
"Lmao MLB in second no one gives a shit about baseball," a fan wrote. "Ain't he the one who wanna be white? So he started bleaching his skin," a fan remarked. "ESPN knew exactly what it was doing with this post," a fan tweet read. "He looks like an old Doo-wop singer who’s trying to get on white TV and radio," a fan remarked.
As far as the series goes, The 1998 baseball season, or better called the greatest home run chase is forever etched in the memories of baseball fans. The Mark McGwire-Sammy Sosa competition blew everyone else out of the water. That season was a constant topic of discussion. So much so that it made headlines across various media platforms.
It was the talk of that summer, and maybe even after. Now, 22 years later, sports fans get a chance to relive that summer in the documentary. 'Long Gone Summer' is streaming now on ESPN+.