Sportswriters gone bad: racism & sexism FTW

< jessrant >

Dear sports people in the media that seem think your position entitles you to be pompous, racist, sexist, arrogant, jerkoffs -

I don’t like you. I don’t like to read your stuff. And you are most definitely not as cool as you think you are. 

This week, I’ve seen at least two cases of utter ridiculousness. The first involved a twitter buddy of mine and a columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, Joe Cowley. Cowley made an ass of himself all over the twitters, in the name of “satire” (or so I’ve heard). Sir. You need to look up the definition of satire if you think that’s what you’re doing. Cuz…..

At least Cowley’s tweets did not go through the editorial process. But apparently, some editors are ok with things like racism, right New York Post?

Today, Phil Mushnack’s column on the Brooklyn Nets went so far and beyond that I’ll just let some of his words speak for themselves.

Why the Brooklyn Nets when they can be the New York N———s? The cheerleaders could be the Brooklyn B——hes or Hoes. Team logo? A 9 mm with hollow-tip shell casings strewn beneath. Wanna be Jay-Z hip? Then go all the way!

That’s really what you want to write about the Nets and their new black & white unis designed by co-owner Jay-Z (which I happened to dig, fwiw)? Ummmm…you sir, are out of touch. And ridiculous. And disgusting. And to the editors that let this column through untouched, how the h—- does that happen??

I had a recent conversation about the fact that some men in sports media (both mainstream and in the blogosphere) have started to seemingly take the entitled stance that this type of work is edgy or hip or just plain funny and totally acceptable.

Well if this is your take on your wordsmithing, you’ve most certainly lost my respect. And you’ve lost at least this pair of eyes on your work.

< / rant >

Tulsa no stranger to racial tensions that go far beyond Easter weekend shootings

If you grow up in Oklahoma and graduate from high school, you are required to take an Oklahoma History class. One piece of history that was not taught during my school years was that of the 1921 race riots in Tulsa (wiki link above, excerpt below).

The Tulsa Race Riot was a large-scale racially motivated conflict, May 31 - June 1, 1921, between the white and black communities of Tulsa, Oklahoma, in which the wealthiest African-American community in the United States, the Greenwood District also known as ‘The Negro Wall St’ was burned to the ground. Aerial fire bombing of black residential neighborhoods was reported. During the 16 hours of the assault, over 800 people were admitted to local hospitals with injuries, more than 6,000 Greenwood residents were arrested and detained at three local facilities. An estimated 10,000 were left homeless, and 35 city blocks composed of 1,256 residences were destroyed by fire. The official count of the dead by the Oklahoma Department of Vital Statistics was 36, but other estimates of black fatalities have been up to about 300.

This ugly and horrifying but necessary-to-know-about piece of history was revisited and reported on by the Oklahoma government in 2001, the first establishment of a historical record of what had happened 80 years previous. So the two shooters that went on a spree over the weekend quite possibly had little to no idea of just how intense the hatred they were perpetuating has been.

They sure should have. And whether or not they knew specifically of the 1921 riots (one of the accused, 19 year-old Jake England most likely had to learn about them in school), the racial tension in Tulsa is still very thick in an area where a KKK presence is very much alive and well and unfortunately, growing. This crime is yet to be classified as a hate crime, but the fact that all five victims were black in North Tulsa makes it all too easy to conclude that this was not random in nature. 

Zerlina Maxwell, writing for theGrio, added yet another wrinkle to be considered - the Native American heritage of England. Race in Oklahoma is more than black and white and the ‘Land of the Red Man’ has a complex history of oppression of more than one color of people. The article details how the state, during its formative years, made provisions for Native Americans to be labeled as ‘white’ when Jim Crow laws were firmly in place for blacks in Oklahoma. The early narrative of black versus white in the state could really almost be labeled as black versus.

Hatred still abounds in Oklahoma in this ‘post-racial’ America on so many levels and between so many people; whether you know about it or not, whether you choose to acknowledge it or not. I just hope that this newest incident of violence in Tulsa not a catalyst for another race riot, but rather a catalyst for frank conversations and legitimate change that has been needed for the entirety of Oklahoma’s statehood.

As someone who grew up in the state, I fear it will be all but forgotten - a catalyst for the status quo to continue.

What Martin Luther King, Jr. Day should NOT be about…

Today, on the day to celebrate MLK, I was happy to see quotes and notes of appreciation for the great work that Dr. King did to advance civil rights and social justice in his shortened time on earth. Then, I saw something that took me aback. An unnamed high school acquaintance and pastor posted this on his facebook today and made me sick:

Good morning all, today is MLK Day. I hope we realize that its the character, not the color of a person that should be used to judge that person. When Jesus died He died for every person, making everyone equal in Him. To look down on a person because of the color of their skin is to deny the cross of Jesus. I want to be clear as we celebrate MLK the the homosexual movement isn’t a civil rightsmovement and for them to compare themselves with MLK is one of the most racist things I have ever seen. Homosexuality is a character issue. Homosexuality is a sin like stealing is a sin. The difference is we don’t have a group of thieves trying to convince the American public that stealing is actually good and that they were born a thief and that they should be given the right to steal. I can just see it now, Stealing should be legal because its natural for me, at age six I had my first desire to steal something when my Mom told me I couldn’t have it. Then they would say, being a thief is just like being a black man because we are denied the right to do what we want. They liberal would say how close minded we were for calling thiefs criminals, because they are only doing what they love to do. It is insanity the way homosexuality is viewed by some. I hope we all realize that Homosexuality isn’t a civil right movement but sin and that on today of all days we may acknowledge that the character of a person matters, not the color. Remember God loves you.

For those of you that don’t know me in real life, I am a white, straight, raised middle class in the Bible Belt woman. I cannot pretend that I grew up as an outspoken social activist, because that would be a falsehood. While I always maintained these thoughts of equality and social justice, I kept them to myself on the whole until my adulthood. Why I didn’t have enough personal strength, resolve, character to let the world know my thoughts earlier in my life, I can’t really explain adequately. But times have changed, so get ready for an eyeful of my quick thoughts.

  • He starts off ok…I was smiling until I hit about the fourth sentence. “To look down on a person because of the color of their skin is to deny the cross of Jesus.” Well…what about denying basic human rights? Or do those not matter?
  • Comparing the civil rights movement and the “homosexual movement” is one of the most racist things he’s ever seen. Ummm…what??? You need to brush up on your definitions of racism, sir. And you need to look around.
  • The ramble about the sin of homosexuality being a character issue similar to stealing is just crazy Bible Belt talk that generally disgusts me. To say that people who choose different partners to love are “sinning” just like those who steal, cheat, lie, murder and break the 10 commandments … well, I think you don’t have a very good grasp on love.
  • Then he blurs his two groups he’s discussing - homosexuals and blacks. “Then they would say, being a thief is just like being a black man because we are denied the right to do what we want.” I think you mixed that up, guy. But now you’re probably showing your true thoughts on race.
  • He closes how he began, only this time the intent is clear. The “character” that you are to judge people on is not present in homosexuals. But … “Remember God loves you.” Just sickening.
  • He is a pastor. A shepherd of a flock of individuals. A teacher of spiritual things. This is one of the many things I feel is wrong with organized religion. How is this man with his own pronounced prejudices allowed to perpetuate his narrow beliefs to a congregation on the regular?
  • Another part of this facebook post that makes it stick with me even more is what I saw below the post. “[Name of my best friend in high school] likes this.” Looks like it might be time for me to take a hard look into the content of some people’s character, huh.

Dave Sittler update

The poster of the original video added this email received from the Tulsa World higher ups today:

Mr. Allen,

Thank you for your email concerning the private conversation that Dave Sittler had with Oklahoma State University Coach Bill Young on Dec. 28 after a Fiesta Bowl news conference

Mr. Sittler’s choice of words was unfortunate and not representative of the standards we expect at the Tulsa World. However, during his long career as a reporter and columnist, we believe overall he has conducted himself professionally and we continue to support him in his role as a Tulsa World columnist.

Mr. Sittler’s opinions on the career of Coach John Blake at the University of Oklahoma are well documented on the Tulsa World website.

You assert that Mr. Sittler is trying to manufacture controversy with his questions to Coach Young. Your three-minute video edited from a 46-minute Fiesta Bowl video begins with Mr. Sittler telling Coach Young that he is turning off his tape recorder. That means that Mr. Sittler intends to have a private conversation and the conversation is not for attribution.

We believe that you are trying to manufacture controversy by posting this on YouTube and Twitter and not contacting us privately about your concerns.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact us.

Best regards,

Joe Worley Executive Editor Tulsa World 918 581-8373

Susan Ellerbach Managing Editor Tulsa World 918 581-8329

Welp. I guess Mr. Sittler won’t be reprimanded by his employer for his slapdick, racist comments after all. Since his opinion has been well documented & everything. It was just unfortunate wording, right? Smh.

Update: On Saturday afternoon I reached out to the Tulsa World sports editor, Michael Peters, via his twitter account. I asked if there was going to be a public response from the paper or if this email to the youtube poster was all. He responded, “That was it.”

Just watch the first minute, that’s all you’ll need to see the appalling behavior of the Tulsa World’s Dave Sittler. While talking to Oklahoma State assistant Bill Young “off the record”, he calls former OU head coach John Blake a “slapdick”. Full disclosure here, I had to google what a “slapdick” was, fwiw.

Sittler goes on to say that he only got the job because he was black, something he had learned after talking to then-OU athletic director Donnie Duncan (who past the one minute mark gets his health issues aired in public - talk about a complete under the bus convo for Duncan). Supposedly, the move was to compete with OSU, who had black coach Bob Simmons leading the team at the time. Blake struggled mightily at the helm of the Sooners, going 12-22 in three seasons, but his resume pre-head coaching was as an assistant at OU and with the Dallas Cowboys. 

I live in Oklahoma City, so do not read Sittler on the regular (or really much at all, to be honest), however, some comments since this has happened indicate people are not surprised by this sentiment expressed (Deadspin, for example). But according to Sittler’s bio on his World-affiliated blog, he’s a highly decrorated and respected journalist. Hmm.

“Tulsa World sports columnist Dave Sittler was born in a small Nebraska prairie town. No, it wasn’t in a sod house. After a forgettable high-school athletic career and a junior college season playing football, Sittler transferred to the University of Nebraska. At the Daily Nebraskan, the student newspaper, his first assignment was to cover Tom Osborne’s first spring practice as head coach. He’s been named Oklahoma Sportswriter of the Year 10 times, including just recently for 2009. In 2001, he served as president of the Football Writers Association of America. He is Oklahoma’s representative on the Heisman Trophy voters committee. In 2005, Sittler was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame.
This blog won Best Web-Exclusive Content for 2007 by the Oklahoma chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.”

I’ve heard through some of my circles that Sittler is expected to be called home from Phoenix today, where he’s in town to cover OU’s bowl game tonight and OSU’s game on Monday. The rumors are that he will then be asked to vacate his position as columnist at the World. I have no idea if this is indeed accurate, but the fact that he wrote a column today makes me think perhaps my circle is just wishfully thinking. Now I don’t have any idea what I expected the paper to do about this or how fast they would react, but it certainly wasn’t to continue to publish articles after these comments were made public.

But really, to me this goes way beyond the realm of journalism and professionalism. It strikes at the core of the human that Mr. Sittler is. If he would talk about this “off the record” to an OSU assistant, who else does he talk to and about with such a nasty world view in the course of his daily life? (The same goes for Duncan, for that matter.) People who think we live in a post-racial country of peace, love and harmony only need to have a three minute conversation with the man delivering sports news to Tulsa to know that isn’t true.