Digging around in the archives this morning reminded me that while the liberal activism of the global-warming cover of Sports Illustrated is shocking, it's not really new. In 1995, we noticed this contrast in Notable Quotables (scroll to the end):
"Whatever one thinks of Winslow's positions, it's encouraging to see a Stateside athlete -- particularly one who rose from the squalor of East St. Louis, Ill., to earn a law degree -- engaging himself in the world of which sports is only a small part." -- Sports Illustrated's 'Scorecard' feature on Kellen Winslow's Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech supporting affirmative action and racial quotas, August 7, 1995 issue.
vs.
"Champions for Life, a 10-minute-long piece of antiabortion propaganda that first appeared 14 months ago, became the subject of controversy last week when the New York Giants made it to the Super Bowl...No matter how one feels about abortion, it's hard not to be repulsed by the video's inflammatory language....Jimmy Burt, Jr., the nine-year-old son of Jim Burt, a former Giant now with the 49ers, looks into the camera from atop his father's shoulders and says `It's great to be alive.'" -- Sports Illustrated, February 4, 1991.
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Sports casters
March 12, 2007 - 10:16 ET by iveseenitallOlberamann was a "sports" broadcaster and commentator. 'Nuff said.
( BTW, Affirmative Action is a racist policy. Bryant Gumbel is a racist, pure and simple)
NEVER,NEVER trust a liberal
Where has Keefy Boy been late
March 12, 2007 - 10:41 ET by old croWhere has Keefy Boy been lately? I havn't seen many NB post on him since his exchange with Mark Levin a few weeks ago.
"Champions for Life, a 10-minute-long piece of antiabortion propaganda that first appeared 14 months ago,..."
Propaganda? Wow! It seems hard to believe that they have been off the deep end so long now...
One day Yogi came home after a game, and asked his wife "Well, how was your day?".
And she said "Oh, I went to see Dr. Zhivago today".
And Yogi said "Oh, honey, what's wrong?".
from Yogi Berra quotes
SI
March 12, 2007 - 11:19 ET by Tom BlumerRick Reilly on the deaths of Pat Tillman and Todd Bates, in April 2004 (link is to Ed Driscoll; original is behind SI subscription wall; bold is mine):
Athletes are soldiers and soldiers are athletes. Uniformed, fit and trained, they fight for one cause, one team. They take ground and they defend it. Both are carried off on their teammates' shoulders, athletes when they win and soldiers when they die. Pat Tillman and Todd Bates were athletes and soldiers. Tillman wanted to be anonymous and became the face of this war. Bates wanted to be somebody and died faceless to most of the nation. Both did their duty for their country, but I wonder if their country did its duty for them. Tillman died in Afghanistan, a war with no end in sight and not enough troops to finish the job. Bates died in Iraq, a war that began with no just cause and continues with no just reason. Be proud that sports produce men like this. But I, for one, am furious that these wars keep taking them.
Better Link
March 12, 2007 - 12:12 ET by Ed DriscollUnfortunately, Todd's link automatically forwards from my old Blogger-based site to to the homepage of the new site. Here's a better link to the Rick Reilly piece, as well as fellow SI-journalist Paul Zimmerman's similarly nihilistic take.
SI
March 12, 2007 - 15:11 ET by Tom BlumerThanks for catching that, Ed.
Oh, I'm Tom, but no sweat. :-->
Saying "It's great to be
March 12, 2007 - 11:44 ET by rbchaffeSaying "It's great to be alive" is repulsive, inflammatory language? Or is there something else within those ellipses?
I don't follow sports anymore
March 12, 2007 - 11:44 ET by Mr. KafirI don't follow sports anymore, thankfully. But does anyone remember when Kellen Winslow said he doesn't want his college age son to play for a white coach??? Would SI look askance also if a white player said the same thing about his son playing for a black coach??? Methinks not.
The acorn didn't seem to fa
March 12, 2007 - 16:03 ET by JacksonCalhounThe acorn didn't seem to fall too far from the tree in the Winslow family. Angry dad, angry son.
I bet 90% of sports journalists are liberal, just like the regular media. For a break from these mopes, read Steve Czaban's blog, linked under "Editor's Picks". He's a breath of fresh air.
There seems to be a certain d
March 12, 2007 - 12:25 ET by Chris NormanThere seems to be a certain disconnect between professional sports and sports "journalism" - and there's that word again. The people covering sports seem to want to be soooo intellectual about it. This is why they overthink what's going on in sports - always looking for a deeper meaning in something so basic and using flowery analysis to examine it. Not satisfied with mining the topic of basic sports, they're going to add political ore to that mine - whether their readers want it or not...
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
Here, Here, Chris. I find tha
March 12, 2007 - 12:43 ET by dvdaughtryHere, Here, Chris. I find that sports writers are so angry they have to write about playing, instead of playing.
It seems they try to find something more noble than their not-so-important profession that writes about million dollar athletes.
The fuzzy feel goods stories are nice, but the problem is, nobody reads sports columns to find morality, noblity, conscience.
I find I can't listen to any
March 12, 2007 - 13:15 ET by Chris NormanI find I can't listen to any sport talk shows anymore - outside of Jim Rome's. The national shows are full of these "sports intellectuals" and their local counterparts are just cheap imitations. I can't even watch the ESPN shows - full of all that pompous analysis. Sports is sports - if these writers and broadcasters want to air their political beliefs, let them go into regular journalism - where their liberal political and social bias definitely has a place... :)
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
I'm with you on the sports
March 12, 2007 - 13:40 ET by balboaI'm with you on the sports talk shows. I used to like Sports Reporters, but it's Windbag City. Around the Horn is obnoxious. The only one I really like is PTI because I think those guys are funny together.
Jay Mariotti and Mike Lupica make me want to throw up. Deadspin.com is great for knocking on those guys.
It's Dan Patrick that makes m
March 12, 2007 - 13:47 ET by Chris NormanIt's Dan Patrick that makes me punch my radio's buttons a little too hard...
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
I can remember when Patrick a
March 12, 2007 - 14:01 ET by dvdaughtryI can remember when Patrick and Olberman did the 10pm (CDT) Sportscenter. I loved "the Bigshow".
Really? I like Dan Patrick. H
March 12, 2007 - 20:47 ET by balboaReally? I like Dan Patrick. He's one of the few I don't think is obnoxious. Plus, he has Reggie Miller on, which is lots of fun.
HA! I think Jim Rome is the s
March 12, 2007 - 13:44 ET by dvdaughtryHA! I think Jim Rome is the sports equivalent to Jerry Springer!
But we do agree about the four letter network.
My favorite place to get sports analysis is the home town favorites that played.
Granted they can be annoying too.
Really? I get a kick out of
March 12, 2007 - 14:00 ET by Chris NormanReally? I get a kick out of Rome's show. The only thing thing I blame him for is some of the local sports talk show hosts' imitations of his speaking style: the pauses between sentences and the repetition of statements, two or three times - sort of like Paul Harvey with an edge. It was his unique style and it fits him, while I suspect the locals use it to pad out the time and that's just plain old annoying...
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
I haven't cared for him much
March 12, 2007 - 14:21 ET by dvdaughtryI haven't cared for him much since the Up Close fiasco.
Rome is as egotistical as they come.
Admittedly, that wasn't one o
March 12, 2007 - 16:16 ET by Chris NormanAdmittedly, that wasn't one of the high points in his career, but he does make his shows entertaining - I like the comments from the "clones". I like his monologues, but his interviews are just standard - "What do you have to do to win?" "Score more points." - fare.
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
Here, Here, Chris. I find tha
March 12, 2007 - 12:43 ET by dvdaughtrySorry!