Jason Whitlock's letter to Barack Obama

This is hardly the first time a sports columnist wrote about something other than sports. His Imus columns had nothing to do with sports, the NBA/Vegas columns had nothing to do with sports. Most readers have the intelligence to understand that a columnist sometimes strays from the usual content.

This is an overblown debate that wouldn't be happening if whitlock wasn't in SJ exile.

 

Well said... There are a lot of people out there who are unwilling to listen to anything but superlatives about Obama's speech.

Having listened to about 20 minutes of Reverend Wright's sermon on the radio the other day, I was both angered and offended by much of what he had to say. It also bothers me to no end that the possible, perhaps likely, next president would support such a man.

Keep in mind that Wright married Obama and baptized his children. This is a 20-year relationship.

But if you dare challenge Obama's words, you will be taken to task. Whether you want to accept it or now, Whitlock is one of the highest-profile African-American journalists in this country. The fact that he's a sports columnist doesn't matter. The Rutgers incident turned JW into a media superstar and he has been on the most prominent talk show in this country as a panelist on race.

The fact that he was not impressed by Obama's speech is incredibly interesting and made for a very interesting read.

 

You think that column was "mailed in"

Agree with it or not, it is very clear that a lot of thought was put into it...

 

That is also a very fair point...

 

Plenty of sports columnists have written columns that don't run in sports...

Albom's sunday column, which I don't think he has anymore. Same with Kornheiser, and I don't think he has one anymore. Mike Littwin is another who went from sports to the op-ed page.

 

That's not what I said. I asked when does it become a matter of Whitlock stretching himself too thin with responsibilities (upfront or op-ed?; Fox Sports, TV and Radio) that his KC Star sports columns suffer.

 

I have no problem with a sports writer writing a non-sports story. I was simply asking someone to confirm in which section the story ran. And I also think it was a mistake to run it in sports, if it did.

 

First of all, Lupica isn't "stretched too thin" he's a lazy piece of shit... There is a difference...

I don't think Whitlock's KC columns have suffered... I still find him one of the most interesting reads around and I don't usually read his Fox Sports stuff unless it's linked to from here or another site...

 

Whitlock is one of the few big time columnists who still winds up at most of the big events. The guy works his ass off.

Wilbon has always been the same way...

 

Must resist the easy joke.

 

Doc and IJAG are right on. I have no problem with Whitlock writing about race. He usually has a strong opinion and he's got a perspective many don't have. But there's no way this should have ran in the sports section. Anything else he's written (Vegas/NBA, etc.) has at least had a base in sports. This should have been a guest column on the op-ed page, and I would have been fine with it.
I mean, how would you feel if there was something on the op-ed page previewing the MLB season? Kind of stupid, right?

 

I don't think anyone has established where the column ran...