Jason Whitlock: ESPN Is Murdering Sports Journalism

If you like serious media criticism and have your issues with ESPN, then you’re just going to love FOX Sports columnist Jason Whitlock’s new column.
Whitlock, a Ball State alum, kicks off his column about the lack of respect his beloved Cardinals are getting from the national media, despite a 12-0 record. Shortly thereafter, he points the finger of blame right at the World Wide Leader, who he accuses of dumbing down sports journalism and playing favorites to protect their financial interests.
We imagine Whitlock won’t be getting a Christmas card from Chris Fowler anytime in the near future.

Let me tell you what passes for courage and independent thinking at ESPN. Chris Fowler dropped Ball State out of his AP top-25 ballot last week after the Cardinals beat a then-9-2 Central Michigan team on the road.

What Fowler has done is ridiculous and reeks of the kind of simple-minded arrogance that permeates ESPN. Fowler has had his ass kissed for too many years. He travels around the country during football season and everywhere he goes, there’s an Army of BCS sports information directors waiting to kiss his ass and tell him how great “GameDay” is.

He has never been a professional journalist a day in his life. He’s a TV personality. He knows what someone else has told him. I’m not 100 percent sure, but I’d suspect he hasn’t worn a jock since junior high school.

This is the combination that is killing the sports media. No journalism background, no real athletic experience and no backbone. No clue. Fowler wouldn’t make a competent blogger.

Read the whole thing, because there is a great deal of interest here. We especially enjoyed Whitlock’s commentary on ESPN’s current decisions as to what constitutes hot sports news, “a steady diet of Donovan McNabb didn’t know games could end in a tie and fake Red Sox press conferences.”
The story ESPN doesn’t want you to know [FOX Sports]
Image [The Big Lead]