Apex Legends tournament pulled from ESPN in wake of mass shootings

According to a report from esports insider Rod "Slasher" Breslau, ESPN made the decision to pull the broadcast of the X Games Apex Legends Invitational off ESPN2 after mass shootings recently took place in El Paso, TX and Dayton, OH.

The Apex tournament was set to air on ESPN2 on Sunday, August 11 at 4 PM ET but has since been replaced by an episode of E:60 following the tragic events that took place August 3. ESPN says this decision was made out of respect to the victims and everyone who has been affected by the two mass shootings.

EA/Respawn An Apex Legends broadcast will no longer appear on television.

"Out of respect for the victims and all those impacted by the recent shootings, ABC will no longer air "EXP Invitational APEX Legends at X Game" on Sunday, August 11, 2019 in the 4:00 - 5:00 PM / 3:00 - 4:00 PM PT time period," reads a screenshot posted by esports insider Rod 'Slasher' Breslau. The email is dated for August 6, meaning the decision to pull the broadcast was made three days after the shootings.

ESPN and ABC has made the decision not to air the TV broadcast of the XGames Apex Legends EXP Invitational that was scheduled for this weekend, in response to the recent mass shootings, according to an ABC Affiliate TV station source pic.twitter.com/6BMwdbk93t — Rod Breslau (@Slasher) August 8, 2019

The airing was going to be a rebroadcast of the Apex Legends tournament that took place at X Games Minneapolis on August 2 and 3. It was meant to be a condensed highlight show of the best moments and top plays from the competition, although those interested can still watch it via ESPN3. If you want to catch it on TV still, ESPN confirmed they will be airing the tournament at the following times:

Sunday, October 6 at 5p ET on ESPN2

Tuesday, October 15 at 11p ET on ESPN2

Sunday, October 27 at 4 ET on ESPN2

the hour long recap that was set for this Saturday at 10 PM on ESPN2 is no longer in the programming schedule, but can still be watched on ESPN3. the broadcast will still be shown on TV at a later date, according to an event source — Rod Breslau (@Slasher) August 8, 2019

This decision to remove the broadcast comes on the heels of ESPN pulling ads for 'The Hunt', which is a film from Blumhouse where a group of people hunt down "deplorables."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, an ESPN source confirmed no ad spots will appear for the film on their network in the coming weeks. This film releases September 27.