Was a time Kansas City Star columnist Jason Whitlock was a go to guy on significant matters of race and sports…
Think about it.
Like the time when long-in-the-tooth shock jock Don Imus uttered the words “nappy headed hos,” propelling Whitlock straight to the couch of Oprah Winfrey. There have been other high profile media moments, but they seem to be growing fewer and farther between.
Oh sure, Big Sexy drew some fire during the Jovan Belcher murder-suicide incident at Arrowhead just over a year ago. But clearly that was based on his ties to Kansas City and the Chiefs and his 16 year newspaper career.
Nope, Whitlock may be in a better place financially for the time being at ESPN, but his recognition that he has almost no more bridges to burn – and retain a halfway decent sports journalism paycheck – seems to have caused him to mellow and tone down his once vitriolic rhetoric. To the point that he’s no longer out there fanning the flames of racism like he’s been wont to do, lo these many years.
Take Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman‘s pre-Super Bowl rant.
In another life, Whitlock would have owned that discussion – certainly here in KC – and there would have been a pretty good chance someone like Fox News pundit Bill O’Reilly would have had the big fella on the highly rated show to kick the topic around.
Make no mistake, of course Whitlock weighed in on the topic.
But via a lowly podcast, for crying out loud. Oh yeah, and he tweeted.
Did anybody out there other than the most die hard sports fans or Whitlock devotees hear anything much about any of that?
And what about the University of Missouri swimmer Sasha Menu Courey controversy?
That story’s chock to the gills with race and sex and abuse of power by college athletics officials with fat paychecks. The Whitlock of old would have ridden that pony into the ground and still be rifing. He would have pounded MU for acting like it did. Instead, he left it to Paul Wilson to sort out. Paul Wilson.
Look, I’m not trying to dog the dude. It just occurred to me in the wake of this year’s Super Bowl that there hasn’t been a lot of conversation – any conversation really – about our boy Jason in recent months. And why the eff not?
He’s even resorted to exploiting that ubiquitous pic of himself asleep on the couch at sports radio station WHB to promote his twitter page…along with a cartoon closeup of some woman’s fat ass.
Has it really come to this?
If a tweet falls in the information forest and nobody hears it, did it really fall?
Actually I have seen him on PTI several times over the last 2 or 3 weeks.
Like The Spruce Goose, this fat Phoenix flies up, up and soars into the air yet again.
http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1291574.1363597532!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_635/aaa.jpg
Chuck I’m with you on this one. It seems Jason might get bigger on the sports scene as time moves forward. I don’t know why Hearne jumps him. Guess those two were the big names at the Star a few years back and its all about competing. Both seem to be in good shape financially and are still in the mix. Hearne you have to give Jason credit he is on national tv shows, who else from here is today? That much in sports anyways.
Read what I wrote, wild man.
All I’m saying is he’s not getting the mileage – or in some cases – even getting in the game on the very topics that fueled his success.
Sorry, here is my “Fat Phoenix”.
http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/250/c/5/the_fat_phoenix_by_nightblue_art-d5duna1.jpg
Oops, off to work.
🙂
Better question is Where’s Hearne?
At least I’m working.
Nice try…
I seriously doubt Jason posted this from a KCMO IP address
“And why the eff not?”
The answer is quite simple….nobody cares.
Hearne, Jason shows up on national TV quite a bit now, like PTI several times and is on all week. He has been a guest on several ESPN shows on TV as well. I think its fair to say he is doing well. It’s no longer his job to focus on Kansas City issues in sports but to take on a national look today. Jason has a larger presence on a national level today than any recent on air staff from radio or the paper. So I don’t you can knock the man. He’s doing fine.
I wouldn’t call Richard Sherman or even Sasha Menu Coursey “Kansas City issues”
Hearne is looking for pageviews. He knows Whitlock isn’t gone. He is damn near everywhere.
“But via a lowly podcast, for crying out loud. Oh yeah, and he tweeted.”
That’s how people consume media nowadays.
Yeah but that’s not how you sustain a six-figure paycheck as a guy who thinks, writes and opines. At some point he has to deliver a certain amount of goods and 140 characters in a Tweet – unto itself – aint gonna cut it.
It’d be interesting to see how these writers create value for their sites. Nobody clicks on the ads.
They still see ’em!
He gellin’ like a felon with a couple a cronuts in his grill.
Dear KC Res:
Allow me to break it down for you. Jason wrote seven columns for ESPN in November, two in December and three in January. He was doing three or four a week here.
They’re plugging him into some appearances like Chuck and Craig have noted to try and keep him busy while he’s taking down a paycheck, but it just feels very sparse.
And the fact that no other sports people – or darn few – are picking up on his opinions and kicking them around, good or bad, can’t be a good sign. In other words, he’s not making waves.
And that’s not the Jason we know (or knew). That Jason was a wave maker.
Am I wrong?
hearne again you are venturing into an area you know zilch about.
There are so many new sports stations coming on that whit if he
decided could go to another one and make good money.
Fox sports/nbc sports/cbs sports/action sports…I mean there
are so many in need of programming and talent right now
that it makes it easier for a guy like whitlock to be in demand.
saw a super bowl post game where a tennis guy was talking football
and was horrible………I mean these stations need quality announcers
and not just the dumbjocks….whitlock will be fine…
just keep working your blog! you don’t have to worry about Jason.
Thanks, Mr. H…
I guess that explains his lack of productivity. I get it.
Well I get around, mofo.
Yeah, yeah, yeah…
Where am I now? Go ahead. Tell ’em.
**To the tune of Where in the world is Carmen San Diego**
Where in tha world is big, ol’ sexy…
Hey, lay off Imus! He my man.
God bless those nappy headed hoes.
You can do better, Paul…
Personally I see you more as the Howard Stern type
Stern was a funny, über creative guy back in the day when he and Imus were going head to head in NYC. But for the last 15/18 years, Stern has worn out the spanking lesbians gig. He’s tired, vile for no reason and old.
I appreciate the acerbic quality of Imus. Someday I’ll have to show you the inventory list for my Imus memorabilia collection, including every 45 he’s ever done, signed books, station promos and a handful of one of a kind items from his early career days.
Sorry to disappoint, usually you have to turn to my writing for that!
Hearne is saying he is not doing many stories online. I see. That is odd. I don’t know what his job needs are really. So its a tough call. I don’t that Jason is writing from KC, so that is a fake. Time will tell. The jury is out.