Maddenation
Jason Whitlock is a racist
Have you read ESPN Page 2 columnist Jason Whitlock’s article about Charlie Weis’s 10-year contract extension? Go do so, and see what you think.
Strange that an ESPN employee can throw about the phrase “Great Weis Hope” like it’s nothing and not get edited, reprimanded, or fired for it. Oh, wait, Jason Whitlock is black. Surely racism only flows in one direction in this country. If we are to understand the allusion, then is Charlie Weis the one and only white coach in the nation who could have beaten unbeatable Ty Willingham? I don’t think so. Please, Mr. Whitlock, spare us all your own racist comments. Study up on your history and wield your pen a bit more responsibly. When you find an allusion that sounds nice, tease out some of its implications to see if you’re being ridiculous.
I understand that ESPN protects itself from the legal implications of its columnists comments, but this is ridiculous. Can you imagine somebody alluding to homosexuality with a cute nickname, or calling Ty Willingham “N-ingham”? Essentially, this is what Whitlock has done.
Patrick • Recommendations • 11/06/05 • 7 comments
Comments
Dad • 11/06/05 • 11:03 PM:I agree! And yes, racism is a one-way street in this country, and the “race card” can only be played by a minority (preferably Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton). I’d like to write more, but I’m late for my secret, white male, world domination strategy meeting.
AJ • 11/07/05 • 7:33 PM:I love the deliberate confusion PR people create when they attempt to manipulate what you think. I mean, c’mon, what the heck could the term “reverse-racism” really mean? Liking peoples who are not of your race? Accidently doing the wrong type of demeaning to the wrong race?
Anyway, there are some pretty good retorts to the article in the “how do you feel about this article section.” Particularly the one by Mike(Kansas City).
Sports talk is bad enough without making it racist sports talk. Gosh.
Dad • 11/07/05 • 10:43 PM:I agree with at least one part of Whitlock’s article; the part about Weis’s contract extension being premature.While I do think Weis is a much better coach than Willingham, and I love what he’s done to the offense, I think he needs a few years under his belt before we create another legend. I’m not upset that ND offered him the extension, only a little surprised they didn’t wait until he’d at least won a bowl game.
What irritates me most about Whitlock’s article and many of the comments is the emphatic statement that “there’s just no way Notre Dame, or any school for that matter, would do the same thing for a black coach.” He says he “knows” this because Willingham was a lot more impressive in his first two months than Weis.
First of all, Whitlock knows nothing of the sort. This is classic flawed reasoning used by people who are too lazy to do the research and thinking necessary to make a case. Whitlock offers no evidence that ND acted in a racist manner, and the fact the Willingham was hired in the first place belies that notion. Saying that there is “no way ND would offer a black coach a contract extension” is baseless nonsense.
Whitlock’s contention that Willingham was more impressive early on than Weis is also nonsense. I was there, carefully watching how ND won those first 8 games under Willingham (with Bob Davies’ players). We were happy about it, sure; but we knew it was luck, and we wondered where the offense was. Fact is, the offense never showed up, even with the same players Weis is using this year. Willingham’s play calling was predictable and ineffective. The offense was tentative and the players seemed to lack confidence. Weis has definitely turned things around, as is obvious to anyone who follows the team.
Maybe Weis’s extension is premature, but it has everything to do with performance and demand for his services and nothing to do with race. And isn’t it nice to see fat people getting a fair shake?
Patrick • 11/07/05 • 11:43 PM:Good call, Dad. Where’s the article demanding that more colleges hire fat people? Or what about current programs hiring coaches who never played college ball? We should have more of those, no?
I am wondering, by the way, how many Div-1 football programs have ever had a black head coach. I am confident that there are many many schools who haven’t. So why are we not writing articles lambasting them? If you look at the racial composition of college and professional sports nowadays, how can you claim any of it is racist? Sports may not be entirely pure, but when you average things out, you find that the best guy gets the starting position (or coaching job). Race is not a factor, unless you mean a foot race.
Patrick • 11/07/05 • 11:52 PM:I found an excellent post by a Michigan fan on this very subject. Everybody should read it, especially Jason Whitlock.
Patrick • 11/07/05 • 11:57 PM:And another article by Chris Russell at the Sporting News.
Dad • 11/08/05 • 4:23 PM:Jason Whitlock, the man we love to hate. He may be an idiot, but he’s generating a lot of responses to his article. That’s money in the bank for ESPN. No wonder he got the job. I’ll bet he’s going to keep playing the race card as long as it works.
While I hate the blatant exploitation of the race issue by black athletes, sportscasters, and politicians, I think they may have a point. After all, time was, no further back than my lifetime, when blacks couldn’t even play major league baseball or big time college basketball. Over the years, we’ve gotten used to black athletes in some positions, then black athletes in most positions, then black athletes at quarterback, then assistant coaches, then head coaches (not many), etc.
It’s fair to say that our society has accepted blacks more readily for their bodies than their minds. If you need any evidence that this is reasonable, look no further than Terrell Owens.
Anyway, I have a dream that someday, people will be respected not for the color of their skin, but for their sports writing ability.
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