A good column by Stephen A. Smith on Olympic demonstrations

I skipped over this initially, but I feel compelled to come back to it. ( Because I have work to do right now, and how fun is that?)
You're right, certainly. The problem is, the phrase you point out is the essence of Stephen A.hood, the trick that helped create his celebrity.
Stephen A. NEVER just writes "the sky is blue."
Even more important, he never eschews writing about the color of the sky just because the color of the sky is common knowledge.
Stephen A. might admonish you to "face facts, people -- THE SKY IS BLUE!!!"
He might cast himself as the lonely rebel, the one man with the balls to reveal to you that "Yes, I said it, THE SKY IS BLUE."
He might adopt the pose of the stern sky-color critic. "It's POSITIVELY DISGRACEFUL how blue the sky is today."

But the bottom line never is the information or opinion being imparted, which often is pretty commonplace. The bottom line is that STEPHEN A. IS LETTING YOU IN ON THIS!!! YOU ARE PRIVILEGED TO HAVE BESTOWED UPON YOU THE VIEWPOINT OF ONE WHO IS SO AUDACIOUS, PERSPICACIOUS, AND DARE HE SAY IT, BODACIOUS!!!!!!

OK, now I have to go back to writing a goddamn training camp preview.

 

This criticism shouldn't just include American athletes.

China is a human rights mess. If it's up to one of our guys to point this out in a demonstration, so be it. But, I'd like to see someone from China defy their own government and make a stand. It is their country, after all.

 

Yes, but if a Chinese athlete does that they will be killed. Then their entire family will be killed.

That's a lot to ask of someone.

 

beardpuller, take it easy my man. Let the man tell the story in his own voice. After all, he is a columnist and that's what columnist do. Now if he were a reporter telling an objective story it would be different. In certain circles, "Yeah I said it" is used when someone feels like something needs to be said but too many people are afraid to say it. Nothing wrong with the way he used it.

Yet another example of why we need diversity. Believe it or not, Stephen A.'s style resonates with alot of people. He has a voice, and it's one that needs to be heard. And he makes SURE you can hear him, lol.