The Real Battleground

Wow! What a storm has been created by the reacton to the stupid attempt at humor by Don Imus. The best thing I have read on the subject is by Jason Whitlock, a black sportswriter for the Kansas City Star. What follows is a highlight from that post, but do read it all here.

I don’t listen or watch Imus’ show regularly. Has he at any point glorified selling crack cocaine to black women? Has he celebrated black men shooting each other randomly? Has he suggested in any way that it’s cool to be a baby-daddy rather than a husband and a parent? Does he tell his listeners that they’re suckers for pursuing education and that they’re selling out their race if they do?

When Imus does any of that, call me and I’ll get upset. Until then, he is what he is — a washed-up shock jock who is very easy to ignore when you’re not looking to be made a victim.

No. We all know where the real battleground is. We know that the gangsta rappers and their followers in the athletic world have far bigger platforms to negatively define us than some old white man with a bad radio show. There’s no money and lots of danger in that battle, so Jesse and Al are going to sit it out.

Once again, the best writing in America is often being done on the nation's sports pages.