Boomer Esiason wants Olympic athletes to shut up and skate, Dan Le Batard Show producer Mike Ryan wants the former NFL MVP to stop being a “p*ssy.”
Earlier this week, Esiason shared he watched Team USA take the gold medal in figure skating instead of the epically long Super Bowl pregame show on Sunday. And while Esiason proudly claimed the figure skating team seems happy to represent the United States of America, he noted other Olympic athletes appear less thrilled.
“Everybody should just pipe down and just do their sport and play for our country and respect the flag and respect everything that’s going on.” – Boomer Esiason on the Olympics pic.twitter.com/LCbbnhCtd9
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 10, 2026
“They seem to be happy to represent America,” Esiason said on WFAN. “Not everybody is. But everybody should just pipe down and just do their sport and play for our country and respect the flag and respect everything that’s going on.”
Esiason’s comment came after freestyle skier Hunter Hess sparked headlines when he was asked about what it means to represent the United States at the Winter Games, and the Olympian admitted he has “mixed emotions” about it. Hess added that he is proud to represent everything he believes to be good about the United States, but his statement of “just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean that I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.” still garnered the biggest response.
Despite everyone seemingly recognizing what Esiason meant when he told Olympic athletes to “pipe down” and “respect the flag,” Ryan went off on the former NFL MVP, accusing him of hiding his true feelings behind a coy statement.
“Say what you mean. Say it with your chest, you chicken s**t,” Ryan ranted on The Dan Le Batard Show after hearing Esiason’s comment. “Because your MAGA-coded bullsh*t that’s been going on for 10 years. The guy [President Donald Trump] is in office for a second time, because his whole platform is how much this country stinks! Yet you [Esiason] sit on the sidelines when Nick Bosa wears a MAGA hat on the postgame, where is the same energy?”
Ryan noted that Trump uses sports to sportswash his image, with the president notably attending the Daytona 500, national championship, and other large events, but conservatives will decry the Olympics where athletes might share some of their concerns about the current state of the country they’re playing for.
“A hell of a lot of people aren’t exactly thrilled with how things are going in this country,” Ryan continued. “[Olympic athletes] are using their one moment, in most cases, to highlight that, because that is universally American. And you want them to shut up? Quit being a p*ssy, Boomer Esiason. Put your name to it. Say what you f*cking mean!”
David Samson countered Ryan by claiming Esiason did say what he meant by telling Olympic athletes to “pipe down” and “respect the flag.” But Ryan seemingly believed the one-liner was a soft jab.
“He just said shut up. He said pipe down. I am so sick of these snowflakes that were telling me I was soft for 10 years. I had to swallow it. You use your platform however you want, but if you’re going to actually attack other people for sharing your feelings, then maybe don’t just code your language. Actually say it because they’re actually being brave,” Ryan ranted.
“I think it is so soft to not want to actually sit down and face the consequences of your decision. You don’t want to even be triggered to have someone say to your face, things aren’t going great. You’d rather ignore that…I have more respect for the people that take to their platform and actually say what they mean with their chest than this sh*t.”
Esiason’s comment on Olympic athletes may have been one-sided or ignorant, but it didn’t require much additional context. Esiason’s comment was as clear as when Laura Ingraham told LeBron James to shut up and dribble, as proved by the strong reaction it elicited.
