Bill Simmons smites Scoop about the head...

Re: Columbia Journalism Review plans Whitlock attack....

I wonder if WFAN has the audio on its site. That would clear up that matter.

 

Re: Columbia Journalism Review plans Whitlock attack....

In addition to the police reports it would be interesting to find out how many people were treated at LV hospitals for gunshot wounds that weekend vs. another random weekend.

 

Re: Columbia Journalism Review plans Whitlock attack....

Agreed that the CJR piece brings up a fair point. I don't particularly care which opinions a columnist holds, so long as he holds them honestly.

That being said, I'm inclined to believe Jason's second column, that Vegas at least "felt" rough this past weekend. Go there for a big fight, especially, and that town just seems badder somehow, on edge... Lots of gangbangers, lots of pimps. Hell, even dental hygienests become whores on a fight weekend.

I can remember in the ten minutes after Tyson-Botha, I was one scared little white dude trying to hustle my laptop from ringside. I had no concrete reason to be that way, but it just felt like some shit was going to go down.

 

Re: Columbia Journalism Review plans Whitlock attack....

And as I pointed out, there are problems with racism in Italy and Spain, but those go far beyond soccer. And the last time I checked, England was part of Europe, so whatever you meant to mean was very badly worded.

 

Re: Columbia Journalism Review plans Whitlock attack....

While it's a generalization to criticize soccer fans (who, like NBA followers, have a reputation whether it's justified or not), let's also point out that soccer is the only pro sport where they play some of the games MINUS the fans because of safety concerns.

 

Re: Columbia Journalism Review plans Whitlock attack....

here's the final piece of reality from the whole thing.

i went to nba all-star weekend with high expectations. i was meeting three of my bestfriends from college and we planned on stomping the yard like it was 1986 all over again. to be bone honest, we were four brothers going to kick it with "our people."

at the time i wrote the star column, i didn't feel comfortable sh*tting on a black event that i carried great expectations to...who wants the burden of writing something that will be seen as portraying a negative black stereotype, especially when you're having trouble sorting fact from rumors at the time. i tried to walk the line in the star column. i wrote about the things we did do to have a good time and also express what limited us from having the normal good time that vegas offers. i soft sold the negativity and tried to put it in kinder terms.

later, when it was clear that many of the rumors were true and after i had an opportunity to talk to many other people who shared our experience, i said "what the hell," i'm going write what i saw and experienced and i'll be the bad guy.

whether we want to accept it or not, the truth is often very fluid.

i'd write the exact same columns again. i'd just insist on an accurate headline on my kc star column. and i'm not throwing my desk under a bus. i make mistakes all the time. those guys and gals write great headlines for me 99 percent of the time.

 

Re: Columbia Journalism Review plans Whitlock attack....

Apparently Whitlock was on with Steve Somers? Or maybe WFAN posted it under the wrong page.
http://www.wfan.com/pages/119305.php

 

Re: Columbia Journalism Review plans Whitlock attack....

Italy has done that because of security concerns within and outside of stadia. UEFA and FIFA have forced teams to play behind closed doors to punish fans who make racist chants. In my view, it's a pretty good deterrent. Act badly, and you don't get to see your team play.

 

Re: Columbia Journalism Review plans Whitlock attack....

I liked Telander's piece; I do have a question on the arrest stats. How are they broken down?

 

Re: Columbia Journalism Review plans Whitlock attack....

You still just validated my point. I'm not saying all soccer fans are hooligans, or that if I go to a game I better bring a weapon to feel safe. But you're acting like it's not a big deal, and by U.S. standards, it IS a big deal.

 

Re: Columbia Journalism Review plans Whitlock attack....

It's a serious matter. And it's being dealt with in a serious way, far more seriously than U.S. sports dealt with in-stadium and arena issues that saw players and coaches get attacked. No beer after the third quarter? That'll fix everything.

The point is that the generalization of all European soccer fans as hooligans is outdated, as is the idea that people show up to games with baseball bats with nails through the end and homemade bombs. Yet it gets busted out round here as though it is still fact because of one recent incident.

It's the Jim Rome school of journalism. This happened, and so this must be happening all over the soccer world.

 

Re: Columbia Journalism Review plans Whitlock attack....

SportsBruh, you're retarded. What does Whitlock's weight have to do with anything?
And shooting up a strip club isn't "a whole race enjoying themselves - lavishly" it was a criminal act that left one paralyzed and others injured.
That's just so dumb.
I wish the Star column had been a little stronger, but I can understand how things change.