Ed Werder Insinuates SI Discriminating Against Men in Tweet to Charlotte Wilder

A job opening for an entry-level breaking news writer at Sports Illustrated led to a major debate among sports media. 

Charlotte Wilder of Sports Illustrated advertised the opening while encouraging women to apply:

Ed Werder, who worked for ESPN for 17 years before being laid off in 2017, took exception to the tweet and had a series of responses:

Wilder is a senior writer and not responsible for the hire, but Werder clearly wants whoever is in charge to not exclude men from contention.

Meanwhile, several others came to Wilder's defense, including ESPN employees Mina Kimes and Bill Barnwell:

According to Dayana Sarkisova of SB Nation, men represent 90 percent of editors in sports media, 83 percent of columnists and 82 percent of reporters.

The job in question is clearly open to everyone, and this seemed to simply be an attempt by Wilder to help more women break into the industry.

Werder eventually clarified his position following the backlash throughout Twitter.

"My intention was to advocate for an inclusive process," he wrote. "I didn't mean to offend anyone. Quite the opposite."