ESPN is facing backlash over a social media post that addressed the death of former MLB reliever Bobby Jenks.
Jenks died at the age of 44 on Friday following a battle with stomach cancer. He had revealed earlier this year that he was suffering from Stage 4 adenocarcinoma and was undergoing treatment in Portugal, where he moved to be closer to his wife’s family.
ESPN was one of several news outlets that wrote about Jenks after the Chicago White Sox shared the news of the two-time All-Star’s death. Many people took issue with the way ESPN described Jenks in a post on the network’s official X account.
The post read as follows: “Bobby Jenks, a two-time All-Star pitcher for the Chicago White Sox, who was on the roster when the franchise won the 2005 World Series, died on Friday in Sintra, Portugal, the team announced.”
Bobby Jenks, a two-time All-Star pitcher for the Chicago White Sox, who was on the roster when the franchise won the 2005 World Series, died on Friday in Sintra, Portugal, the team announced. https://t.co/S2jqBZM3WR
— ESPN (@espn) July 5, 2025
Jenks was a rookie on the 2005 White Sox, and he played a huge role during the postseason. You could easily make the argument that Chicago would not have won the World Series without him. After compiling a 2.75 ERA across 32 regular-season appearances, Jenks had a 2.25 ERA and 4 saves in six playoff appearances.
ESPN was widely criticized for describing Jenks as merely being “on the roster” when the White Sox won the World Series. Former MLB first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz was among those who trashed ESPN.
“ESPN should be ashamed and embarrassed for writing something like this! ‘Was on the roster’? He was THE CLOSER on a championship winning team. Do some research before you release something. Have some respect! RIP Bobby Jenks condolences to his family and teammates,” Mientkiewicz wrote.
ESPN should be ashamed and embarrassed for writing something like this! “Was on the roster”? He was THE CLOSER on a championship winning team. Do some research before you release something. Have some respect! RIP Bobby Jenks condolences to his family and teammates https://t.co/fiaBJXK4Yi
— Doug Mientkiewicz (@DMEASrecruiting) July 6, 2025
Countless fans also took aim at ESPN over the wording:
"On the roster" pathetic! He was elite for them!
— Steve Ascher (@StevenAscher) July 6, 2025
On the roster? He was the closer.
— The Giant Insider Podcast and Newspaper (@GiantInsider) July 6, 2025
White Sox don't win the world series without Bobby Jenks.
— QENNY | THE SPOOKY LAWYER ON YOUTUBE (@AKBrews) July 6, 2025
'on the roster' is laughable
— banksy (@cepbanks) July 6, 2025
No way you wrote "who was on the roster" 😑 ESPN is so cooked
— Thechek182 (@thechek182) July 6, 2025
It is unclear if an actual human wrote the X post or if it was AI-generated. Assuming it was the former, there was likely no disrespect intended. Perhaps more credit should have been given to Jenks, however.
Jenks pitched in all four games of the White Sox’s World Series sweep over the Houston Astros, including their 1-0 win in Game 4. With the exception of a blown save in Game 2, he was outstanding for most of the playoffs.
Jenks saved 40-plus games for the White Sox in 2006 and 2007 and was named an All-Star both years. The person who wrote the ESPN post was probably more focused on those campaigns and failed to convey how big of an impact Jenks had in 2005.
