Columnist opening in Orlando

[Pringle]

What was the deal with the Wyatt Sexton column? I missed that.

 

[outofplace]

jemele gets a job and we get a 7-page tirade.

DING DING DING! We have a winner! To all of you who wonder, "How did she get hired when [insert columnist name here] didn't," here's your answer -- what Jemele Hill does draws a response.

You can argue about how and why and whether it's warranted and whether it signals the death of journalism as we know it. But Hill has developed a unique voice -- whether you agree with it or not -- that jibes well with what Page 2 does. That is, offering different, unique voices on topics that could come from any corner of the sporting (and/or entertainment) world. I would guess that the folks at ESPN looked at the "Riding with..." features and thought, not wrongly, that would be PERFECT with what Page 2 is trying to do. Particularly because Hill is good at getting her subjects to open up, whether it's Clinton Portis (count me as someone who thought Portis' answer was more revealing about him that Hill's question about her) or the bass-fishing guy.

Referencing something else above: it is supremely unfair, for employers or colleagues, to hold one woman sports columnist as reflective of other women in her field, or any other minority sports columnist as reflective of other minorities in her field. And I see people on this board doing it. Let me ask this, fellow pale dudes: would you want your career affected because Jay Mariotti or Mitch Albom is your standard-bearer? Please, someone show me the last time a white guy had the internalized and externalized pressure of, no matter what the qualifications, being a "diversity hire."

I'm not saying that everybody has to agree Jemele Hill is America's Next Great Columnist. What I am saying is that you might not think she's good, but others do. Why is that? And get past the answer of "diversity hire." How is her voice different from others' voices? What stories does she chase? Why would employers find this appealing? How can I may sure my voice is unique and can get noticed? (HINT: screaming like a banshee Mariotti-style is not necessarily the answer.)

Except for the underlying racist and sexist tones, a lot of the debate about Hill sound similar to all the kvetching about Bill Simmons. He's not qualified! He didn't sit in high school press boxes for 10 years! He's an idiot! The only movie he's seen is "The Karate Kid!" But what Simmons does have is a unique voice that resonates with readers -- whether you like it or not.

One more lesson from the Hill hiring. Thanks to the expansion of so many sports web sites, now is a GREAT time to get ahead, even if you presumably don't have qualifications that would impress the members of this here board. I'm living proof.

Obviously, this thread is proof of why Jamele Hill got that job. That doesn't mean some of the complaints aren't legitimate. I'm not sure it's something to be proud of to see somebody get ahead in our field in part because they discussed oral sex on a blog, but I do believe the attention she got for that helped Hill in this case.

Much as I like a lot of what Jason Whitlock has to say when he's not over-playing the race card, I don't see how he deserves a DING! DING! DING! when he does it. That's like getting excited those two times a day your broken clock is right. He does it all the time, so it loses some of its value.

And nobody ever said it was fair to hold Jamele Hill responsible as an example of women and of minorities in sports journalism. But it is the reality of the world we live in. The best way to whittle away at the old white boys network is to have women and minorities do a great job when they do get into high profile positions. And some do. Most actually. But some just have their flaws explosed by the glare of the spotlight.

Yeah, yeah.. I know... I dared say some women and some minorities don't deserve the jobs they have even though sports journalism is still dominated by white men, thus proving myself to be a racist, sexist pig...We've done this shirt so often I think I can carry on both sides of the conversation now.

 

[Lugnuts]

This hire has little to do with talent, no matter how much we (or anyone) think it should. The fact is, it doesn't.

Right...

It's probably not nearly as much about race and gender as SportsJournalists.com thinks.

My guess-- it's likely based on the fact that she's done a great job creating a niche and personality for herself a la Bill Simmons and Doyel.

Those are two who happen to be male, white and happen NOT to be bland.

Some people have outstanding writing ability but no clue how to market themselves or create a niche. Those folks are probably at a disadvantage in the current environment.

 

[bomani jones]

Mary Buckheit
Jim Caple
Gregg Easterbrook
David Fleming
DJ Gallo
Patrick Hruby
Scoop Jackson
Bomani Jones
Tim Keown
Chuck Klosterman
Paul Lukas
Eric Neel
Kurt Snibbe

a white guy gets a job and it's all good. jemele gets a job and we get a 7-page tirade. she's not batting fourth for the '27 yankees.

This I thought I'd never see: Whitlock playing the race card. A once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, to be sure.

It's my general contention that there is no race card. Instead, race is the table on which all games in this country are played. But if the comments about Jemele have only to do with her work and nothing to do with her abundance of melanin--or lack of a penis, for that matter--I ask you to consider something.

I had never heard of Jemele Hill until I saw her name on the boards of this site. I only remembered her name because it popped up way more than once. I'd say that's a disproportionate amount of exposure for someone working at a paper in Orlando, which isn't exactly a booming metropolis (though my employers definitely wouldn't mind if that changed). And every time it popped up here, it was because someone had something particularly negative to say.

That's your right, and I have no desire to deprive you of that. But how did she get picked out as the mascot for mediocre columnists everywhere? I admit to being largely unfamiliar with her work, but I know I've read worse from people with higher profiles and more experience.

How could I visit this site infrequently but always stumble across someone taking digs at the same columnist every time, one who's profile was modest enough that I wasn't familiar with her until I saw the digs?

And while I admit I don't really read the local papers and am not a newspaper guy, here's something to give that point some perspective--I live in Durham, an area serviced by the paper she worked at before she got to Orlando, and I still heard more about her on this forum than I had anywhere else. The only people I've seen suffer similar treatment as her have national platforms or have had more time--like decades more--to pish people off. Really, most people have to make it to three score and ten to be disliked the way people here seem to dislike Jemele.

So is it mere coincidence that the only black female sports columnist in this country is the one that is raked over the coals as much as, if not more than, anyone? That's possible, but it's far from plausible.

That's not to say any critic of Jemele's is a racist. Just one of things that would make Arsenio go "hmmm..."

As for the money, I'm not sure why anyone here cares about that. I don't think any of you work for ESPN.com. Her getting paid doesn't cut into anyone else's checks.

I do work for ESPN.com. Her getting paid actually could cut into my checks, and I'm not complaining about it.

In fact, I'm wishing her the best.

 

[buckweaver]

I think this is a talent issue, not a gender or race issue...

And that's all fine and well ... but it's NOT a talent issue. It's not.

Sure, the most talented people should get the most important positions. Merit should be more important than any other factor in employment.

Ideally.

But that's not the way the world works.

(Save the left-vs.-right retorts, this does apply to this thread) ... We live in a world where a man who had no previous successful leadership experience was voted president in large part because people would rather "share a beer" and hang out with him than the other guy -- a vastly more qualified guy, politically speaking.

And then he got voted in again.

It wasn't about merit. It was about personality. It was about "character." It was about people's inherently biased impressions of the principals involved, the job description, the current climate, the expected future climate, etc., etc., etc. It was never about talent. It was never about merit. [/end tangent]

If you think Jemele Hill's hiring is a talent issue, you're being naive.

It has everything to do with the "entertainment value" of the hire. And as we all know, ESPN is nothing without the E.

It's about buzz. It's about response.

It's not about talent. It never was.

And if we gripe that it is, we're missing the point.

 

[21]

AUAUAUAUGHGHHGH!! MAKE IT STOP!!

I truly hope that whoever hired Jemele Hill stops by SJ, so he can post a winking smiley, and go on with his day, shaking his head and laughing.

 

[Columbo]

Without the oral sex piece, she does not have this job.

I have no doubt about it.

It blows the ... mind that she wrote it.

It gives her an airof ... what might she write next.

 

[jason_whitlock]

columbo

if you can find one sports fan in america who knows about jemele's blog, you're not columbo. you're the pink panther.

 

[2muchcoffeeman]

Okay, this is my second day in a row asking this - and maybe it is because I want to turn this thread into something positive - has the sentinel said anything about replacing her? Have they started a shortlist of people who they are looking at?

Mr. Hoppes could replace her without actually placing a "columnist wanted" ad by simply selecting from his current staff. Plenty of solid writers there.

 

[hate-d-mah-old-prepjob]

No doubt about that.

As for the rest of this thread, there must be a ton of amazing writers out there that I haven't had the opportunity to read yet. So many people are calling Jemele "mediocre" and untalented. I just wish I had the chance to read all the critics, who seem to think they can do it better.

 

[Jam3131]

Okay, this is my second day in a row asking this - and maybe it is because I want to turn this thread into something positive - has the sentinel said anything about replacing her? Have they started a shortlist of people who they are looking at?

Mr. Hoppes could replace her without actually placing a "columnist wanted" ad by simply selecting from his current staff. Plenty of solid writers there.

That's what I figured - but just had to ask (and had to try to change the subject of this thread)

 

[Alma]

This thread oughta be closed. There are arguments to be made about gender and race and they can be in a thread that doesn't include this woman's name.

I will say this: Nothing makes a person more an asshole than the competitiveness that capitalism breeds, and money envy floating around here is astonishing. Is ESPN's Page 2 really worth pulling out your decaying insides over? Calm your rage and idol worship. It is, after all, a computer column with a yellow background.