Albert Breer Screen cap of Albert Breer
By Ben Axelrod on

Like many, Albert Breer took to social media on Sunday to weigh in on Taylor Swift attending the Kansas City Chief’s win over the Chicago Bears.

But rather than focus on Swift’s rumored romance with Chiefs star Travis Kelce or the presence of Travis’ mother, Donna, in the suite, the senior reporter for Sports Illustrated‘s The MMQB opted to ask about the man sitting on the other side of the “Shake It Off” singer.

“Is that Dennis Rodman sitting next to Taylor Swift?” Breer posted on the social media platform X, along with a trio of monocle emojis and a video showing Swift celebrating a Kelce touchdown catch in the suite.

https://twitter.com/albertbreer/status/1706072604463747347?s=46&t=Rh2CAd6-hSo0kHxsnr-b9Q

The only problem? The man sitting next to Swift decidedly wasn’t Rodman. And he was clearly significantly younger and shorter than the 62-year-old former power forward.

At best, Breer might have legitimately thought the man sitting next to Swift might was Rodman — although the fact that he posed his post as a question probably tells you that wasn’t the case. Even Breer thought the man in question might have been Rodman, he probably shouldn’t have posted about it unless he was 100 percent sure, as it played into the trope that all minorities — in this case, Black people — look alike.

At worst, Breer was making a poor attempt at humor that was, intentionally or not, rooted in that very trope. While some studies have shown that people of one race have a more difficult time differentiating people of another race, it’s hard to give Breer that benefit of the doubt considering how clearly the man in question so clearly wasn’t Rodman.

Breer’s followers on social media were quick to react to his post, which as of Monday morning, hasn’t been deleted.

https://twitter.com/newsychatter/status/1706106319697018912

This isn’t the first time Breer has stepped in it on social media. In 2016, he lamented the Harvard men’s soccer team having its season cancelled after an investigation revealed a long running system to objectify women, calling it “an inside joke.” A year later he asked for evidence that Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones was subjected to racist taunts at Fenway Park — beyond Jones’ own firsthand account.

As for his latest run-in, to be clear, we don’t know who the man sitting next to Swift was. We just know he clearly wasn’t Dennis Rodman, and it’s hard to imagine Breer didn’t know that too.

[Albert Breer on X]

About Ben Axelrod

Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.

View all posts by Ben Axelrod