He writes in the same manner most of us on here and other messages boards and blogs express ourselves on various topics.
Jason Whitlock blasts McNair
- Thread starter Deuce
- Start date
He writes in the same manner most of us on here and other messages boards and blogs express ourselves on various topics.
Jag-Tig
Member
exactly my point...is that what he was taught to do in journalism school? It may translate well in person, on tv or radio, possibly, but in print. Nah...
Folka
Playa
I sent his fat azz an email.
Jag-Tig
Member
Whitlock is used to this type of criticism and I think he, in fact, relishes in it and it seems on some levels, welcomes it. Oh, I've written to him before, please believe that. Years ago when before he was on Sports Reporters and he was trash writing for the KC Star and His antics are part of his M.O. He doesn't really care who he offends. That's 'part of his job' and the role he plays. He likes being the bad guy writer.
Tigerpride
THE Logical ONE
Not once did he tell a lie, I happen to rather like the article. Too bad the blast came too late.
I too thought the article was good... I just don't like how he claims to know how McNair's parenting skills were. He could have been with his girlfriend while the kids were at camp, school, etc... having a girlfriend does not suggest he was neglecting his kids.
Jag-Tig
Member
I think it's a legit question and i would have to say if it was any 'black' man, period. And for me doesn't matter if the affair was with a white or black woman. It just seems more personal because it is Steve.
Now having said that, in the end, even if it was a white athlete, I would still have sympathies for the kids and would still wonder how and why he would do something like that. But let me make that point clear....you know how we do...we tend to always hold our 'own' to a different standard...you know, like when you see the news and hope the the robber/shooter/rapist 'aint' black'...same thing. I think. Not saying that's good or that it's right, that's just 'how it is'... I wonder why...
I don't think that can be taught in J-School :lol: Obviously there are certain writing guidelines, but Whitlock, like many journalists, have their own style. Nobody else writes like Whitlock just like nobody else writes like Rick Riley or Bob Ryan or Jay Mariotti. As a columnist or a radio talk show host you have to be interesting. Not so much a brilliant writer, but interesting and polarizing.
I have read comments from posters about how much they don't like Whitlock. But those people still read him. They read him because they want to read what he has to write on certain topics. That is why he has such a large audience and why he has written nationally. To be honest people love guys like Whitlock, but refuse to admit it. They are entertaining. Not scared to take the gloves off and are honest. That is why right wing radio trumps left wing radio. Those people are very opinionated and not always politically correct.
It takes tremendous talent to be able to hold an audience like he does. As I said yesterday, a lot of people hated Mariotti in Chicago, but he was the most read columnist in the city.
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Tigerpride
THE Logical ONE
I was gonna say the same thing. e-mailing him would only add fuel to his fire....but I do think he was only off on one point.
Also, we all know that he had one or two sons before his marriage so does that mean that being with his wife makes him a bad father to them too. :lecture: (Steve and Mechelle only had two kids right?)
southsuburbs
What I Live By...
Well let this be a (couple of) lesson(s) (not the killing part of course,LOL)...
1) Handle your business properly, grown folks shouldn't have to sneak around
2) if you don't want to be married...get a divorce. The right way...
3) Wait til the ink is dry before stepping out, that way nobody is confused/misunderstood about what's going on
4) Respect everyone (by handling your affairs the right way)
Bottom line...Steve didn't handle his business and now everyone is in it...
right is right, wrong is wrong
1) Handle your business properly, grown folks shouldn't have to sneak around
2) if you don't want to be married...get a divorce. The right way...
3) Wait til the ink is dry before stepping out, that way nobody is confused/misunderstood about what's going on
4) Respect everyone (by handling your affairs the right way)
Bottom line...Steve didn't handle his business and now everyone is in it...
right is right, wrong is wrong
JR
Well-Known Member
Nah I think folks react to this particular writer like that regardless.
Sure this article may be more personal to folks who knew Steve and of course saw him play during his hey day at Alcorn.
But the truth is Whitlock is assuming the man spent no quality or quantity time with his children because he had a mistress. Then as Jag-Tig has said...he is so smug, throwing out his own business. Was that necessary to write the article? I know he likes to have shock value. So it is what it is.
JR
Well-Known Member
TP, you are on point. Yep they only have 2 together. And using Whitlock's analogy you would be correct in that assumption. LOL.
I guess all divorced fathers or ones that are not with the mother of their kid or kids do not spend enough time with them because they are out chasing hoes.
JSU/99
Well-Known Member
What does it say about us when a talented writer is one who seeks to polarize and inflame his readers, rather than inform and provoke thought. Your analogy to right-wing radio was right on, because that's what its all about. Forget about report anything worthy, just offer your own controversial opinions on hot button issues, not to offer any perspective but to inflame your audience. That's sad. When did the ability to antagonize become a good thing?? I read someone on here(can't remember who) who actually said his ability to make people angry thru his posts was a "blessing"! Are you serious??? That's a curse if anything. There's a big difference between one who provokes thought through thier writing(whether you agree with their positions or not) and one who only provokes controversy. Unfortunately, people can no longer tell the difference.
That is what Whitlock and those other guys are paid to do. Actually it is a talent to be polarizing. If everyone always agreed with what Whitlock said, he would not be doing his job in my opinion. People love controversy and drama. That is why Reality TV is so popular. Although most of the shows suck to me, people love that crap.
Whitlock was asked to write nationally because the folks at FOX wanted him to give an opinion on certain issues that no one else would and a style that no one else would. I remember when Bell was the coach at JSU. (bad flashback I know) I wrote a column about how the team was horrible and that Bell should be replaced.
I basically tore him a new one. Man, I had so many people come up to me and tell me how much they liked it on and off campus. Others thought I went too far.
People at the church I went to commented about it. A chick asked me for my autograph. Talk about getting the big head. From that point on I got the reputation of being like a Whitlock or a Mariotti. But a lot of people read what I wrote from that point on. And you have to give those people what they want.
That type of writing Whitlock does sells because there are people out there who want to say some of the things he says, but don't have a forum to do so. I for one love his writing style. I don't agree with everything he writes, but his style is brilliant.
Whitlock writes this piece and someone posts a link to it on this site. We all comment on it, which generates more hits for Kenn and his product.
bluedog
"Leader of Kings"
Clearly we feel this way because it's our own as would any other alum/fan of any other conference, it's only natural and we don't need to explain or apologize for it.
Wouldn't you feel more personal about it if it were your brother vs mines?
Just common sense isn't it?
bluedog
"Leader of Kings"
JSU/99
Well-Known Member
Attracting attention alone doesn't make him brilliant. There are many writers out there with large followings who don't just seek to inflame. The problem i have with guys like Whitlock(and apparently you) is that they have a way of reducing discussion to its lowest denominator. They do this by giving half-baked opinions on a popular topic while mixing in insults and half-truths they KNOW will piss off a large portion of the audience. And its all wrapped it in a nice little package of that masquerades as absolute certainty. Now if that entertains you, fine. But its not the way journalism should be. There's a certain responsibility that comes with having a platform. If you have a "gift" for appealing to people's emotions, why not use it for positive reasons? And if you are going to give your take on a controversial subject, what does it say about you as a writer when you can't do that being insulting and making assumptions that you have no way of knowing the accuracy of? There is certainly a lesson that can be learned in the Steve McNair saga. But it won't be learned doing it Whitlock's way.
BTW, it wasn't hard to get fans by bashing James Bell. Heck that was the norm. But again, a responsible journalist doesn't just give the people what they want. They seek to inform.
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I am not saying it is OK to use the type of semantics Whitlock does to get his point across, but it has been that way for a long time.
When reporters were doing it on typewriters. A lot of this can be traced to the sportswriters in New York, who had the reputation of not being so kind to athletes to say the least. If you read Marriotti in Chicago he would give figures nicknames like the "Blizzard of Oz" for Ozzie Guillen, "LaToya" Hawkins or LaTroy Hawkins. That was commonplace 40 and 50 years ago.
You say Whitlock should use his talent for good. Okay, how do you know he doesn't? There are some columns he writes that does not have the same tone as this one does and nobody posts it on a message board. This tells me that people are drawn to the other Whitlock. The not so pleasant columns he writes.
I get so many comments and read about there is never enough positive news in the paper on TV regarding a number of things. I found out people don't care about "positive news." I wrote a couple of stories about Kobe and Devin Hester doing charity work. Those stories only got a few hits on our Web site and no reader comments. I guarantee you if I wrote a story about those two involved in illegal activities or were arrested, there would be a million hits and a million comments about it. And you know it.
Our paper got requests from readers that we should not put crimes, murder and mayhem on the first few pages because they were tired of looking at negative news. We put all the positive news on the first few pages and the crime and mayhem stuff in the middle of the paper. Our readership went down as a result. People are drawn to the stuff. That is why crime and death leads on TV.
When Elvis died, CBS News did not report it until the third segment. They got so many calls from viewers about why wasn't it first. That mistake has been the reason you see celebrity deaths covered like the Pope died.
People mention about all the charity work Steve McNair did in his life, but there are no threads about it. More people are interested in commenting about how he died and his extra marital affair.
That might not be right, but that is what draws people.
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Suge
The Phat Mack
I get so dayum sick of this quote every time someone makes a comment that we don't agree with. We all have sinned, but that doesn't prevent us from having an OPINION about any topic. I don't know how I feel about what Whitlock said.....I just feel sorry for that man's son's. Hell my dad dies when I was 31, and I still need his leadership, so I can imagine what these dudes will have to deal with as they grow into men.
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No, he's not silly. :lol: I would say Ralph Wiley was. That cat is the standard at which all black sports journalists should be measured. Seriously.
But as for me, I don't care about winning awards even though I have for covering Hurricane Katrina and JSU sports. I just do what I do because it is fun. As long as I am respected by the readers as someone who does it the right way, that is reward enough for me.
chocalate_topaz
I wanna be your lover...
There it is. AT the end of the day, the truth may itch, pinch, piss you off and hurt like somebody ripped your kidney out...but its still the truth
I'm not sending him shat.
southsuburbs
What I Live By...
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Normal1875
A&M #1
thats what makes me sad...especially when they get old enough to understand the dynamics of the situation and how it all transpired from start to finish.