Just to give some background, I’m as white as they come. Seriously, I live in the suburbs, root for Peyton Manning and occasionally even use the word “howdy.” Now that we have that covered, I have to get something off my chest:
The media is racist.
That may be hard for some to digest, but if you listen to my reasoning, you just might agree with me.
Take, for example, Terrell Owens. The coverage on this “locker-room cancer” has been downright absurd. Various television stations and newspapers literally camped outside of Owens’ estate this last summer in hopes of catching the receiver saying something he shouldn’t.
Granted, Owens didn’t handle the situation very well, but how would you like it if reporters followed you to your home and continually asked you asinine questions?
Would you ever slip up?
And the Owens case is just one example of the racist white media. There are countless others strewn throughout sports.
Before this year’s draft, all of the self-proclaimed “experts” were salivating over USC quarterback Matt Leinart. Despite being beaten by Texas’ Vince Young in the National Championship game, Leinart was still projected to go before the phenom in the draft. I remember words like “smart” and “not the most athletic, but really hustles” being used to describe Leinart.
Meanwhile, Young received appraisal along the lines of “very agile, can move around in the pocket” and “unorthodox throwing style.”
This isn’t the first time that has happened. Those same words were used to describe Michael Vick, Daunte Culpepper, Steve McNair and Donovan McNabb.
While we’re taking about McNabb, did anyone else notice how much flak the quarterback took when the Eagles lost the Super Bowl a couple years ago? People forget that he threw for more than 350 yards and three touchdowns. The only thing that is remembered is his final drive “meltdown.”
Speaking of “athletic” ball players, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Allen Iverson were all deserving of the MVP award the last couple of years. But who won the coveted trophy? Oh yeah, it was Steve Nash, both years.
Looking purely at the numbers, James scored 13 more points, grabbed three more rebounds and tallied more steals per game than Nash last year. The only category Nash had on James was assists, where the Suns’ point guard led by 3.9 per game.
Hell, maybe it was Nelly Furtado’s “Promiscuous” that pushed him over the top. I can’t think of another reason.
In baseball, when Barry Bonds was getting closer and closer to Babe Ruth’s home run record, sports columnists nationwide were calling for asterisks, Hall of Fame exemption and even expulsion from the game. This coming from the same people who wrote glowing articles about Mark McGwire during his home-run chase. Both used steroids, one was white. Coincidence?
Venus and Serena Williams have absolutely dominated the women’s tennis scene for the better half of a decade now, but whenever I tune in to watch one of their matches, the only thing the announcers talk about is their clothes.
Nowadays, when I turn the television to a basketball game and the announcers are raving about how a player needs to get his head on straight, I don’t even need to be watching the screen to know they’re talking about a black player. On the flip side, if I hear the words “really hustles” or “intelligent,” I automatically know they are talking about a white guy.
The media is racist. I know it and so do you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to write an effusive piece on Colts’ backup quarterback Jim Sorgi. He’s a natural leader who is really smart, even though he’s not the best athlete.
