ESPN’s RAP SHEET: “Pacman as Black Man”
Published on Counterpunch, www.counterpunch.org, July 14/15, 2007 (slightly adapted version)
July 11, 2007: ESPN reports that NFL player receives three traffic tickets in one of its headlining website stories.
June 17, 2007: NBA player pledges four million dollars to the policemen, firefighters, teachers, and EMT workers in his community. ESPN chooses not to report story on its website.
It sincerely hurts to write this column. Once upon a time, before traffic tickets became headlining stories, before souls were sold to the highest advertiser, and before it became the “Pacman-as-Black-Man Network”, I was one of ESPN’s biggest fans. When cable TV was still considered “new”, when Chris Berman had no comb-over, when Bob Lee was his Sports Center sidekick, and when Australian Rules Football was their biggest sport going, I was there. After 25+ years, through all the ups and downs, I’m still here. But these days this former loyal sailor only has mutiny on his mind. As former NBA star Michael Ray Richardson once famously predicted: “the ship be sinkin’”.
ESPN Wednesday Recap: Yes, it’s true… Pacman Jones received some traffic tickets. But wait, it gets juicier: he was driving an orange Lamborghini! I know this because it was mentioned in the story title. Not a big web surfer? No worry. ESPN’s Wednesday afternoon TV show “Outside the Lines”, “NFL Live”, “Rome is Burning”, “Around the Horn”, “Pardon the Interruption”, and of course, “Sports Center” all had the story covered. Didn’t watch TV either? Well, ESPN came back with a brand new update Thursday . Surprised? Well, you shouldn’t be. ESPN has been baking this cake for an awful long time. You don’t agree? To members of the jury, we offer exhibits A - E:
EXHIBIT A - Stephon vs. Stephen
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A1) Stephon Marbury: In a recent column, we detailed why longtime community activist Stephon Marbury is an American hero. He has donated millions, given his time and heart (go to video 3 min marker), and his effort to revolutionize the exploitative sneaker industry through his $14.98 “Starbury” sneakers may be the beginnings of a social movement. The Saturday before last was just another day at the office as he hosted “Starbury’s Give Back Day and All-Star Game“ in his New York City hometown of Coney Island. Marbury arrived with two 18-wheelers filled with 75,000 items of free merchandise from his Starbury line. This came less than two weeks after Marbury announced a pledge of FOUR million dollars, $1 million each to the NYPD, Fire Department, NYC teachers and EMT workers. Marbury stated: “I have been blessed, …and I think it’s important to bless others.” Unfortunately, neither of these last two stories were enough for ESPN to bless its readers with one single article on its website.
A2) Stephen Jackson: Perhaps you wonder if it is under ESPN’s purview to cover off-court community service. Well, that all depends on whether it was ordered by a judge. Exactly one day after Marbury’s four million pledge, NBA player Stephen Jackson pleaded guilty to a felony count of criminal recklessness for firing a gun (in the air) stemming from an altercation outside a strip club in October 2006. While he did not receive any jail time, he did receive a $5000 fine, 100 hours of community service, and 3 separate articles of coverage on ESPN’s website.
Editorial oversight? Well, not quite. Since last August, when Marbury launched his revolutionary sneaker line, ESPN has contributed a grand total of four original website articles to this movement. In contrast, since Jackson’s incident you will find about 25 articles closely monitoring the developments of his gripping story. So, how do you milk 25 articles out of such an incident? For starters, location matters. ESPN editors looooooove strip clubs… even more than Pacman. But still, 25 articles? Oh, that’s easy. Delay of court date: That’s a story! ESPN’s “Police Blotter Awards”: Built-in story! Start playing really good basketball: “Jackson’s On-court Success Overshadows Off-court Problems” (well, not anymore!). When Reggie Miller had critical words, the story was “Former Pacers Great Miller Blasts Jackson’s Behavior”. When Mavericks owner Mark Cuban called Marbury’s new sneaker “the biggest business story of the year”; and said “The NBA has never done anything as impactful as what he has done”; and added “You guys [the media] should give him all the props in the world.”, ESPN followed up on those comments with no props and no story on its website.
AP Note: COSELLOUT is aware that ESPN gets a great number of its articles as direct feeds through the biased Associated Press. We are also aware that as the self-proclaimed “World Wide Leader in Sports”, it is under ESPN’s power to filter out or adapt any article that it sees fit.
EXHIBIT B – Who is Pacman Jones?:
B1) Memo to ESPN: “WE GET IT! Loud and clear! Pacman Jones is no Boy Scout!!! We got it yesterday, we got it last week, we got it last month, and we got it last year!” For those non-sports fans, Pacman Jones is an NFL football player with a very underwhelming on-field resume. Despite considerable talent and potential, he has still only played two years in the league, his team has never made the playoffs, and he has amassed only four more career NFL interceptions than you or me. Unlike other ESPN favorite black man piñatas (see Terrell Owens, Randy Moss) who have at least earned some of their fame via sustained on-field NFL excellence, Pacman is an NFL nobody by comparison. …Except that he is a household name. Off the field, Pacman absolutely loves trouble[2]. And ESPN absolutely loves to cover his troubles. And it does so better than an all-pro cornerback. Every traffic ticket, every planned or delayed court date, attorney motion, plea possibilities, and player reactions has Geraldo waxing nostalgic about OJ. ESPN reinvented the term “make it rain” by devoting more than 100 website articles[3] and countless TV segments to the off-field life and times of Pacman Jones since November 2006. This figure does NOT INCLUDE about 50 more articles made up of: duplicative AP postings; the obligatory Pacman rap-sheet-recap whenever another NFL player falters; and other random NFL stories that offer any chance to slip in a reference[4] . By the way, ESPN also has a crack staff of web designers: Almost any new daily Pacman offering will include direct access close to 40 other articles in case you are part of the “sports-fan-in-a-coma-this-past-year” community!
B2) Who is Derrick Brooks? The media storm, surrounding Pacman is even more glaring when considering ESPN’s coverage of Tampa Bay linebacker Derrick Brooks. In the NFL, Brooks has accomplished every goal you could possibly imagine: He has made the NFL Pro Bowl the last 10 years; has won the Super Bowl; was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2002; and is a sure-fire Hall of Famer. Unfortunately, such credentials have not translated into greater attention for his legendary commitment to youth off the field. Last month Brooks announced that he will open a charter school this summer (after years of neglect ESPN’s website devoted this one positive article). When it comes to education Brooks practices what he preaches: despite already being a millionaire, a demanding NFL career, and off-field obligations, he went back to school achieve his Master’s Degree in Business Communications in 1999. If Brooks were Pacman, ESPN fans might have been treated to copies of his 3rd-semester term paper followed by a discussion group in the comment section.
Marbury and Brooks demonstrate ESPN’s two general policies when covering heroic feats of athletes: 1) ignore altogether or 2) tokenism which takes the form of the “one and done” variety. Sustained updated coverage on positive off-court events is almost non-existent. After one good deed, stars like Marbury and Brooks have filled their media quota, but after 101 transgressions Pacman has not. ESPN’s freeze-out of guys like Brooks and Marbury (and countless others) make it that much more difficult to swallow the regular “what about his influence on the kids” sermonizing that accompanies its incessant Jones coverage. Its coverage shows that ESPN cares about kids the way Pacman cares about the law.
EXHIBIT C – Barry Bonds:
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We hold this truth to be self-evident that the media’s treatment of this man is not close to proportionate with his alleged sins. Just on general principle we refuse to hold your hand through this one with a long-winded explanation. However, The Starting Five is much more patient and has this piece and others for you to chew on[1].
EXHIBIT D - Lastings Milledge:
So, just how bad have things gotten with ESPN? They are now scouring baseball’s MINOR LEAGUES for new Pacmans. No, I’m serious! Recent article title: “Milledge’s Rap Sheet Grows…”. His offense?: He made an offensive rap CD. Are you the least bit curious about his growing “rap sheet”? Okay, here goes:
“After hitting his first big league homer — a tying drive with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning… — he perturbed players in both dugouts by high-fiving fans along the railing when he ran out to right field to take his position. …Later, he was reprimanded for not running hard on the bases. He also arrived late to the clubhouse in Philadelphia for a day game.”
…In other ESPN breaking news the Mets also have a 9-year old African-American bat boy who forgot to put the toothpaste cap back on… Oh, and for those scoring at home, ESPN has:
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2 articles on Lastings Milledge rap CD, and
1 article for Marbury’s four million dollar pledge + Starbury 75,000 Item Giveaway Day + Derrick Brooks New Charter School.
EXHIBIT E – ESPN’s “Virtual Public Square”:
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Two events happened this past Tuesday: The Major League Baseball held its Annual All-Star Game and Pacman got those traffic tickets. Its SIX-article recap on the All-Star Game garnered about 500 total reader responses. ESPN’s ONE Pacman netted over 1400 comments under “ESPN Conversation”. Here are some “conversation” samples selected from the very first 11 entries!:
- billmoeller61: “Hey Pac, chain yourself to your couch and stay IN. You’re a freakin’ trouble magnet”
- buccaneers21 “…he probably has a million dollars worth of jewelry on his neck…Just another example of a guy growing up ‘hood’ and is stupid with his money. He will be broke by 28 and out of work, and too dumb to get a corporate type job. I can see him when he is 33 or something cooking up crack and trying to slang it on the streets”
rrobb0366 “For real. You’re driving a 300K car and you can’t afford to pay someone to make sure the license plates are straight? Chain yourself to the couch!!”
edoblin “This guy should be banned from the league for being stupid.”
UCoBenetton “Pacman really! You didn’t think the Tennessee cops would notice your orange $275K Lamborghini? REALLY?!!”
cedfa “Wow. His life has become a tragic joke. How can anyone ever defend this moron.”
gravyboat63 “Adam just don’t get it and he never will…”
Editor’s Note: By popular demand more posts were belatedly added on July 17 for more context beyond the first 11 entries.
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DBPIronmen “I can’t wait till …he gets kicked out of the league. Then again, some rap group will probably pick him up and give him more money to make it rain with. He fits in nicely with that crowd…”
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buccaneers21 “anyone see the youtube clip of pacman at the 3-6 mafia concert, and hes talking in the camera actin all gangsta and talking all ghetto fabulous. its pretty funny, i couldnt understand a dam word he said. with so many people with IQ’s under 80 in this country i am still surpised america is still the super power that it is”
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Rowdy1946 - “IS there possibly anyone on earth who is any stupider than this clown???? HE honestly thinks that HE is the law and whatever he wants to do is ok… …WHAT PART of ILLEGAL…do you people not get??? AND ALSO.. THE DRAFT should be reinstalled… it would definitely teach a few people HOW to grow up..and not expect everyone to do things for them…”
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buckeye_josh - “i think adam jones proves @ least one thing: you can take the thug out of the ghetto, but you can’t take the ghetto out of the thug…seriously…switching license plates? good grief…”
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bubbafolv - “Hey Rick your Grandmother and mother dealt with racism, not you!!! You probably don’t even understand it. Pacman is just scum, get over it. You are a no nothing idiot… Ask the girl he punched in the face for his singles if he deserved to get pulled over… He punched a girl and you still defend him because of his skin color, your the only racist on the board.”
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Gatrsec - “Paris Hilton spent time in jail for less than this, so Jones should be assigned his own cell — Oh wait a minute, he is black, so the law doesn’t apply to him.”
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ed0057 - “Rick17 - there are laws now because of the wrongs committed in the past that greatly benefit individuals of color. Is this fair to us that were not alive or did not have ancestors here in the US during slavry. Isn’t this wrong as well that we should be made to suffer for crimes we or our bloodline did not committ”
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renner52osu “…You are correct in what you are saying, but those people aren’t doing anything about it. This is a whole seperate issue, but look at the role models for the black community. AWFUL. Glorifying money and getting rich quick and the many other things that are, let’s say, in poor taste? I think a lot of fault lies there…is that racist to say? Because its damn true…”
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seadiv88 “Pacman. . . are you still going to have an entourage when you’re in the unemployment line? “. . . . Welfare, welfare, welfare check. Everybody come and get their welfare check. . . .”
Everybody pile on now! This “Pacman therapy” goes for more than 1400 comments. You might be surprised to learn that ESPN has a “comment moderator” who removes the most bigoted or unnacceptable quotes. This Pacman column is symbolic of ESPN comment sections on virtually any article of black athlete misbehavior. There is a distinct “public square” pattern to them. It usually doesn’t take too long for the discussion to veer off into criticism on any and all black men (Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are staples, & any black athlete who as much as jaywalked will be revisited) But of course, “Pacman-as-black man” is just a metaphor. ESPN rotates its Pacmans just to spice things up. Pacman is Michael Vick (1800 comments) today. He is Barry Bonds tomorrow. He is Terrell Owens the day after. And if Mr. Jones never returns to the NFL, ESPN will find more Pacmans, so that its largely white male readership can vent all day and bond all night over one common cause, indivisible, with freedom and Pacman for all. Internet anonymity often empowers readers to break free from this “oppressive PC culture” to voice their true opinions on black men in a way that is completely distinct from conversations when white athletes mess up. And in this virtual public square, ESPN is the “World Wide Ringleader”.
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Jury Deliberation:
After luckily stumbling across this freshly posted MUST READ interview on The Starting Five, we will defer to NBA player Etan Thomas for this portion of the proceedings. Besides, it will be quite refreshing to: 1) have an athlete actually speak for themselves beyond the soundbite constraints of sports media; and 2) A player will assess the media instead of the other way around.
On Media Omissions: “Nobody wants to read about an athlete making positive contributions to our community and society as a whole. That doesn’t make the top of [ESPN’s] Sports Center. When an athlete makes a charitable donation, responds in a crises i.e. Katrina, 911, the catastrophe of inner city schools etc., that is not shown. But let an athlete get arrested, or better yet, accused of something that there has been no conclusive evidence toward, that will be at the top of every sports news outlet across the country. …The problem with this is that it skews public perception of athletes as a whole because society and “the mainstream” are only given one side. I think that it is important to show both sides of the equation. People tend to believe everything that they read. If you constantly bombard them with negative images of a certain group, they will begin to believe that this is an honest representation of the entire group as a whole. Especially, if they are not being shown anything different. … I think they have a responsibility… to not only point out the negative, but shine some light on the positive as well.”
On Suppression of “the Thinking Athlete”: “…Back when I first wanted to come out publicly against the war in Iraq, I surprisingly was having a lot of trouble finding a media outlet who would allow me to use them as a vehicle. I went to the Washington post, the Washington Times, New York Times, every publication I could think of, and nobody would touch the story. Dave Zirin [Edge of Sports] was working for the Prince George’s Post at the time, and he was more than happy to publish my article. The piece was called, “I Am Totally Against This War”. This was back in 2004 when it wasn’t too popular of an opinion to be against the war in Iraq. Now, most people, even Republicans, are speaking against this war, but not back then.”
On Media Double-Standards: “…I see bench clearing brawls in baseball. I’ve seen them drop the bat, rush the pitcher, and the entire team spill onto the field throwing blows, but it’s never blown up in the media the way it is when basketball players get into a fight. In hockey they were actually complaining that there wasn’t as many fights as there used to be. But when something happens in basketball, the ENTIRE CULTURE of the NBA is demonized. Then, somehow, they bring hip hop into the discussion, which always seems to happen for some reason, and there is this big problem. And something needs to be done. We become labeled as thugs. That is something that really bothers me, but it is an unfortunate reality that is our present day society.”
VERDICT:
That reality that Mr. Thomas speaks of has been directly fostered by ESPN. Each week another ESPN writer or TV staffer will weigh in about “how Pacman just doesn’t get it”. And while that may very well be true, I wonder if ESPN will ever get it? Will it get that its love affair and one-sided portrayal of black athletes as criminals is doing far more damage to “the image of black men” than 1000 Pacman Jones? Does it get that it is directly increasing the level of racial ignorance (at best) and racial bigotry (at worst) amongst its predominantly white male readership at a time where national hate is on an ugly rise? ESPN diligently does its market research and continues to give its audience what it wants instead of what it needs. ESPN calls itself “The World Wide Leader in Sports”, however, by engaging in a very dangerous form of “retail racism”, it keeps: following, not leading; pimping Pacman not promoting positivity; and recycling no news instead of providing new news. To ESPN, “Pacman-as-black man” is money in the bank, he is their cash cow, …he “makes it rain” EVERY day. And with that, the jury verdict is in: ESPN’s coverage has been nothing short of criminal.
Related Story: Starbury and Sarah: American Retail Revolutionaries
Related Note: Follow-up column coming soon on “How ESPN Can Expunge its Record”! We will also take your suggestions.
Related Thanks: The alternative sports website The Starting Five was just discovered by the author this week, and I would like to extend a special thanks not only for the Etan Thomas interview, but also for providing truth in sports coverage in an age where sensationalism seems to be mainstream norm.
[1] If Pacman’s long “rap sheet” is not printed here, it is only because that would be redundant with the 2 million google entries that have become a national conversation, largely fueled by ESPN’s non-stop coverage. It is worth noting that, ironically, Pacman Jones– despite numerous court dates– hasn’t actually been convicted of anything. This fact is not so much a defense for his propensity to find trouble, but it is a quite relevant juxtaposed to ESPN’s media attention.
[2] This is a CONSERVATIVE figure. In addition to the “more than 100 articles”, there are another 50+ articles that are duplicative postings by the Associated Press or sidebar references to Pacman’s troubles that have NOT been counted. Of those articles counted about 70% of ESPN’s articles were written directly about Pacman Jones off-field transgressions with another 30% featured him as a central related figure (e.g., Roger Goodell’s discipline policy; part of an ESPN mockery list; or other contrived connection, etc.).
[3] See Patriots signing of Randy Moss; Titans signing of Nick Harper; or a speech given to youth by Troy Vincent.)
[4] This statement factors in 1) Bonds alleged steroid use (yes, this author believes that Bonds, like about 70% of the league, used steroids); 2) that he is approaching sports greatest record, and 3) his often prickly personality. These considerations while being weighed extremely heavily do not explain his media treatment. Perhaps a future column will document how Barry Bonds received worse media coverage BEFORE steroid allegations than Roger Clemens received AFTER steroid allegations.
“The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.” — Elie Wiesel
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Eton Thomas’ comments re: baseball & hockey brawls are brilliant. Also, the Steve & Barry ‘Marbury Project’ needs continued , consistent marketing and awareness campains a la ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ - otherwise it will sadly fade.
July 13th, 2007 at 4:00 pmwex, I agree about your “An Inconvenient Truth” point but keep in mind that the reason Marbury’s sneaker are so low is because there is absoulutely NO MARKETING BUDGET! Marbury went on a 36 city unpaid tour last summer to get it to jump off. After that, it has been free media and word of mouth.
July 13th, 2007 at 7:25 pmGreat post, Charles. I’ve been on “the Marbury needs to get more press for his good deeds” tip for a while, and it always surprises me to hear about other athletes that do good. Like last week reading about Kermit Washington’s Project Contact. Derrick Brooks - I knew nothing of all his work until this article. The least I can do is bring some attention to the good athletes are doing, even if it is just a drop in the bucket….
By the way, if you want to add another “ESPN searching the minor leagues” type player, look at how they have reported on OJ Mayo. They have already villified him before he’s even played his first college basketball game. Keep an eye on their coverage of him next season… once they get the ball rolling, they generally don’t stop.
July 13th, 2007 at 11:32 pmOh, and with regards to Marbury’s sneaker movement… it was reported earlier this month (I forget where, maybe True Hoops?) that one of Kevin Durant’s sticking points on deciding which sneaker company to endorse - Adidas or Nike or whoever - was that he wanted his signature sneaker to be affordable, sold at midrange prices ($39-69). It remains to be seen if that is for real, or just a rumor, but one hopes that it is a sign of Marbury’s influence….
July 13th, 2007 at 11:36 pmsml, thanks and every single drop in the bucket counts! We’ve just gotta keep pumping up the good guys like ESPN pumps Pacman. You didn’t know about what Derrick Brooks has been doing and I didn’t know about Kermit Washington (except the Rudy punch of course).
And I’ll be watching the OJ Mayo thing closely. The press doesn’t like that he doesn’t “know his place” because he recruited USC instead of the other way around.
Finally, i hope that you are right on the Kevin Durant thing. That is EXACTLY what is supposed to happen. If everything works out right athletes will be shamed into doing the right thing. Thanks for stopping by.
July 14th, 2007 at 12:24 amI can’t see the Durant thing with lower-priced shoes happening now that he’s signed with Nike.
No media entity has any stake in propping up the good deeds. It doesn’t draw eyes for headlines; Marbury’s shoe thing is a “feature” as opposed to hard news (this is the mentality). You’ll have to keep propping it up yourself to get any traction.
July 17th, 2007 at 2:27 pmGreat post. I’ll be sure to keep stopping by.
As an FSU alumnus I’m hip to the good work that D. Brooks has done and am consistently impressed by him as a good guy.
I think we could all go for a bigger dose of this stuff.
July 17th, 2007 at 2:42 pmEver since the steroid scandal - they are trying to be seen as serious journalists as apposed to teleprompter readers who make cheap jokes during sports highlights. At the end of the day, its difficult to place all the blame on them due to the fact that stories about “making it rain” sell a lot more copies than a free shoe giveaway.
July 17th, 2007 at 2:44 pmsignal- you might be only HALF right about your Durant point. Stopmikelupica (worlds greatest website name!) saif that Durant still wants to keep it affordable. If the “Marbury Effect” will have other stars cut their prces in half and sell for $75 instead of $150, then half a battle is won. I defintitely think that Marbury is getting into other folks heads. But a side of this that I don’t think should happen is that we just focus on the players selling shoes instead of the big companies…
July 17th, 2007 at 2:53 pmright…ESPN, the network that shoves an obscure gay (and black!) former NBA b-ball player down our throats, is bigoted…right…
July 17th, 2007 at 2:59 pmThis makes a lot of good points, but it doesn’t make a case. Granted, sports media (like all media) tend to go where the public interest is - and we the public are, sadly, more interested in strip club shootings than social responsibility. That’s a sad indictment of our society. But how is it bigotry?
I’m not naive, and I’m not pretending that the negative perception of black athletes isn’t a significant current in the public racial forum. That said, I don’t see how you can convict ESPN of bigotry on the strength of these cited instances. If criminality by white athletes was getting less coverage than Pacman’s shenanigans, or if charity-work by white athetes was perennially on the front page, you’d have a discrepancy and a case. But as of now, I don’t see bigotry - I just see sensationalism and a general lack of responsibility. Am I wrong?
July 17th, 2007 at 3:04 pmcamp tiger - i had a chance to go down to Tampa Youth Opportunity Program a few years ago (since another unknown federal budget casualty) and saw firsthand some of the great work that DB does as part of his “Brooks Bunch”. I think it was the same year Brooks took his “Bunch” to Africa on his own dime. I know that he does some kind of trip every summer. how he stays fit and make the all-pro team every year, i have no idea.
July 17th, 2007 at 3:05 pmTo the first anonymous and rand. Thank you for your comments. Firstly, no “all the blame” should not be placed on ESPN. I think that every single sports fan has to look directly in the mirror and ask themselves why they get so much pleasure out of covering, discussing, and dissecting, laughing and piling on African-American athletes in a way that is not comparable to white athletes. And I don’t bring up race out of recklessness. This can be quantified very easily when checking out the extraordinarily high comment totals whenever a Pacman, Vick, Owens, messes up vs a Brett Myers domestic violence case or a Brett Favre throwing his teammates under a bus without any “me-first” commentary. In an upcoming column I will detail many comparative examples in a way that should satisfy all but those not in perpetual denial.
Now as for institutional bigotry, ESPN practices “retail racism” as a matter of everyday practice. They know that “black-man-as-Pacman” sells so they play it up to maximize their profits. ESPN must take social responsibility for that business decision. Even TODAY I saw Pacman again as a website headliner. At what point does Pacman stop being news? To ask “is ESPN racist” misses the larger point which is that ESPN creates a haven for bigotry to flourish. ESPN gets no pass if their INTENT isn’t racially-biased in nature. It is the RESULT that needs to be focused on. Do you think that if Michael Wilbon (picked-out-of-a-hat; and I like him) tried to move into a white neighborhood but was rejected not out of racism, but because of “property-value concerns” that he would be comforted by that fact? I don’t think that he would be, and I don’t think that we should really give ESPN’s intent a second thought if the RESULT is just as damaging.
July 17th, 2007 at 3:48 pmI agree, in principle, to this argument, but I can also think of a possible explanation (which I don’t buy into in full, but it probably has a place).
Another factor is that (at least in theory) ESPN covers sports first and foremost, not the athletes’ lives. While philanthropy has a place in the media, ESPN has a responsibility to talk about the teams and the news stories that will shape the upcoming season.
Fact is, all the crimes committed by Stephen Jacksons, Ron Artests and Pacmans has a direct impact on the sports they play - they’ll be suspended for their behavoir, impacting the sport they play. ESPN has to cover that.
Now, as for the extent to which they obsess over this story, you’re absolutely right.
July 17th, 2007 at 9:25 pmThis article highlights ESPN ignoring good works in the community and focusing on unsavoury situations involving athletes.
All this proves is that ESPN prefers to focus on bad news rather than good news. I would like to see more good stories and less bad stories but until there are examples of white athlete misdemeanours being ignored there is not a case for racism here.
July 17th, 2007 at 9:44 pmI disagree, I think there is a case for racism, just not in the most obvious way. I think what the writer is pointing out is that by constantly focusing on only negative images of black athletes, ESPN is subconsciously reinforcing some Americans’ views of black men as “gangstas”, “ghetto fabulous”, etc. All one has to do is read some of the comments listed in the Exhibit E section. References to “growing up hood”, “you can’t take the ghetto out of the thug”, “he fits in nicely with that crowd” (referring to rap groups), he’ll be “cooking up crack and trying to slang it on the streets” - and that is only an excerpt!!
For every Pacman there are at least 50+ other NFL players that have never been in trouble and would fit none of these stereotypes put forth in ESPN user comments!
To wrap it up, I agree with the writer that media outlets such as ESPN, whether it’s purposeful or not, are reinforcing negative stereotypes of black men, especially athletes. It’s okay to cover these stories when they occur, but by failing to balance those stories with the many examples of black athletes doing extraordinary things for other people and their communities, those who are POSITIVE role models and are using their good fortune to help others, they do a grave disservice to our society and black people as a whole.
July 18th, 2007 at 1:03 amAnd that, my friends, is most certainly a form of racism and perhaps even more damaging than more blatant examples.
baseless, all in your mind, id say your the one with the problem
July 18th, 2007 at 8:52 amBrilliant use of the race card! We all know the problem is not the individuals who are breaking laws and being a nuisance to society. Oh, and where are all the links to the stories on “white” athletes’ charitable contributions and stories of ESPN not covering crimes committed by “white” athletes?
July 18th, 2007 at 8:54 amKeep up the good work and don’t let these guys play the “race card card” on you.
July 19th, 2007 at 9:02 pmThanks Jay, I have come to expect “race card” charges like I expect the sun rising in the morning since we live in a society where you now need more evidence to make a claim of racial bias than you do to send someone to the electric chair (BTW, that statement is not really hyperbole: check out Troy Davis who was a hair away from being executed this past Tuesday http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070717/ap_on_re_us/georgia_execution and still might be dead in 3 months.)
But moving on, Mr anonymous is still correct that race bias claims would be strenthened with black-white comparisons on media treatment, so future columns will address this point in greater depth. In this particular article, the focus was to be on a more hidden and insidious form of media bias which is: “Racism-by-Omission” (RBO). RBO in sports has a disproportionate effect on athletes of color because so much of the white readership do not get exposed to reference points that might offset the damage done by one-sided media portrayals. Again, if one disagrees with this statement check out an “ESPN Conversation” chat room to see the number of people who believe that “white suffer from the most racism in 2007″. People are really saying this (especially after the Duke coverage).
July 20th, 2007 at 8:03 amCharles I agree with you that every single drop in the bucket counts! Thank you SML!! I firmly believe, as Rand does, that the public is more interested in the horrific tales than social responsibility so I appreciate and applaud every effort we make to correct and expose that fact. We are taught to accentuate the positive but we find it easier to capitalize on the negative. Let’s continue to take the high road and in exposing these disturbing facts about our society and offer solutions to one another. As an African American woman it disappoints me to hear the younger generation of my culture believe they would never be as good as others. They even express opinions like, “It doesn’t matter how well a “black man” does in life he is still a “N” word. I have taken responsibility to help each one I come in contact with personally and bring them along with me to inspire an entire community of varied cultures. Please understand my philosophy there only ONE RACE… THE HUMAN RACE IN A KALEIDOSCOPE OF CULTURES.
I am not an avid sports fan or ESPN watcher so please forgive my lack of knowledge on who these athletes are but thank you for considering my opinion anyway.
July 20th, 2007 at 9:57 amThis exchange came over the course of 4 posts but was lost in a recent migration technical glitch. It’s totality has been reposted:
A.Muhammad Says (July 29th, 2007 at 7:30 pm): European racism is just what white people do, they can’t help themselves. Would you get angry at a snake if it bites you ? NO - If American society was a blanket then racism would be thread that ties it together. Racism is in every facet of American culture jobs, sports, health, housing, education,religion but not journalism lets be serious ! This can be traced to the European slave trade. (we’ll omit The Jews & Arabs for future discussions ishallah)I’ve read the comments posted and I have more respect for the KKK than for some of these closet racist. Stop being cowards if you feel some hatred for Africans in America say it or get out of the way. Besides your racism will only harm you and your community.Listen if you hate me for the color of my skin you have committed a crime against my creator not me. Your judgement by the MOST HIGH is written.I doubt if this is posted, forgive me I little patience for the bloodletting devils ! Salaam
MODI Says (July 31st, 2007 at 3:33 am): Author’s Note: I have never deleted a post, maybe it’s just the free speech advocate in me. But Mr. Muhammad yours would certainly qualify as I completely reject the notion of inherent racial differences whether they come from white quarters, black quarters, or any other place. All racial bias is a learned behavior. This “snake” will vehemently fight racial bias because it is so wrong… but the cure must be better than the disease.
A.Muhammad Says (July 31st, 2007 at 11:52 am): I do not need any man to tell me I can speak free, that is willed by ALLAH. You can delete all you want, but ask the masses of Africans in America what they feel about this situation. I can take a African from the 13th century (or much earlier) and he can sit down and discuss European racism today, this is 2007 and it’s getting worse. Sir how do you explain this ? This is not new, it is quite old and deceptive. Kind sir in due time you wil agree with me on this regardless of your color. I know this is a hard pill to swallow but nothing compared to the pill my ancestors swallowed during the slave trade. This will be my last response, I’ll fall back, and observe.
MODI Says (August 1st, 2007 at 12:35 am): Yes, you can speak freely and I have no interest in deleting whatever free thoughts you or anyone else might express so long as they are topically related. And “due time” is not necessary to understand that racism permeates every aspect of American society. The evidence is quite clear. Let’s just say that we strongly agree on the condition, but strongly disagree on the root cause. As mentioned, the cure must be better than the disease. This too will be my last response as I find it a more constructive use of time, and I am far more interested in picking battles where great institutional power resides… like mainstream sports media for instance…
August 7th, 2007 at 5:23 pmfancode…
Great Point, Excellent Post, Great Blog, Cool Info…
August 25th, 2007 at 1:30 pmThis really is my favorite all-time blog..this was just good…so much so that three different friends emailed it to me!
August 29th, 2007 at 8:31 pmSup…
I just saw this post for the first time. Excellent. An indictment of the highest order.
Can’t Truss It!
September 14th, 2007 at 4:26 pmcomments about exhibit d. first off i am a mets fan but lasting needs to show respect his own team did not like his antics. and about exhibit e. i dont care how much people donate you are not above the law i’m glad to see he recieved those tickets he broke the law. this whole website seems to focus alot on racism i’m not sure if focus is on sports or how the media portrays black athleates? who runs this site the naacp?
September 24th, 2007 at 11:29 amTimothy, thank you for your comment, but you may have missed the point of the article. It is about MEDIA COVERAGE. Perhaps you think traffic tickets are front page news, but it is not. But for the record those traffic tickets were actually dismissed.
And you are correct that diagnosing race and racism are a big part of this website. Since it is a sports media watch website, it is a direct response to how the sports media unfairly portrays “black athletes” vs. their white counterparts. When the media becomes fairer, then there will be fewer articles on the subject and then more articles can be written about how say, the sports media has undervalued the historic accomplishments of Stan Musial and the like. I, like you, can’t wait for that hopeful day…
September 24th, 2007 at 11:53 amyou have a very good point modi, but oj simpsons 1st case was dismissed and we have all gotten ourselves out of a ticket or 2 that doesnt mean we were not guilty.but i do love the articles just so tired of the race issue. i would rather go back to hearing about cheating and steriods at least there is proof in that, not just propaganda. these athletes black or white, are treated like gods and thats not good enough? so from now on no black athletes should get pulled over and get tickets? because they donated money? all i am saying he pacman jones or blackman jones is not a good role model. there is such a thing as observational learning,and i dont care if he is white or black he gives off the wrong message and we all know he has not only gotten tickets there has been other incidents.he is an amazing athlete. it’s sad it has come to this.
September 24th, 2007 at 5:54 pm“i do love the articles just so tired of the race issue”
I am tired of it as well, but the only way to make it a non-issue is to confront the media sources that make it an issue to begin with and keep hammering them about it until they portray black and white athletes equally. Just because I’m tired of hearing about people dying in war doesn’t mean I should stop discussing ending it.
“so from now on no black athletes should get pulled over and get tickets?”
Again, this site is about media. Athletes should get tickets, but the media just shouldn’t cover those stories because they are not real stories. If we ran a story every day an athlete or famous person got a traffic ticket there would be no room for anything else. However, it is very rare that an athlete or anyone else donates 4 million dollars to a cause. That should be rewarded with a media story.
September 24th, 2007 at 7:21 pmI think Nike’s are going to the retro look now for the more casual crowd. Their athletic line is ugly, but I like the retro looking ones.
November 2nd, 2007 at 10:09 pmSo you think ESPN should report philanthropy rather than strip club shootings? Thank god you are not running things over there because doing that would put them out of business in a hurry. You know what I do when ESPN does a story about charity work or a kid dying of cancer? Call me cold, but I turn the channel. Its not that I don’t care, its that I am watching the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, not the Philanthropy and Sports Programming Network.
I know of plenty of athletes, of all races, who do major charitable work and thats reported on a local level - just off the top of my head I can name Curt Schilling, Willie McGinest, Mike Timlin, Tedy Bruschi, Troy Brown, Ray Allen, etc. You honestly think that ESPN should report every single one of their stories? C’mon man!
As far as Starbury goes… so he sold sneakers for $15? Woohoo, get the guy a medal. At this point, who would even want a pair of “Starbury’s”? You would have to pay me $15 just to try on a pair of sneakers associated with this team killer. At least now that he’s left the Knicks, he’ll have plenty of time to sell his low price sneakers AND have sex with interns.
As far as race goes, I don’t see how you have any leg to stand on. Provide some sort of evidence that ESPN does not report crimes by white athletes? Where is your mention of the Duke lacrosse team? Now those kids got a raw deal… and it was all about race. If you want ESPN to stop reporting crimes, then athletes of all colors are going to have to: stop starting riots at the strip club, stop having sex with underage girls, stop running illegal dog-fighting rings, stop killing their ex-wives, stop putting hits out on their pregnant girlfriends, stop beating their wives and stop committing felonies!
November 14th, 2007 at 9:16 pmstr8hoops, when someone donates FOUR MILLION DOLLARS it is no small event. In fact, it might be the largest athlete donation on record (maybe not, I don’t know of any larger). There have been far fewer charity driven initiatives that receive coverage. Personally, I HAVE noticed that positive charitable by white athletes are more likely to be covered. Steve nash’s philanthropy always gets NATIONAL press, where FAR greater contributions get ignored. Don’t get me wrong I love that Nash’s philanthropy gets covered, but lets be consistent ESPECIALLY when far greater initiatives are ignored.
– And while it may not be the “Philanthropy and Sports Programming Network”, it doesn’t have to be court TV either. I mean THREE TRAFFIC TICKETS? C’mon, how come you are saying anything about how ridiculous that is. Minor leaguers making rap songs with bad language? I mean seriously.
– Starbury’s sneaker movement is revolutionary and has already impacted many other similar initiatives amongst athletes and entertainers. It is a huge story regardless of the recent soap opera.
– I could right a book on how ESPN treats crimes of white athletes differently… Chris Benoit MURDERED HIS WIFE AND KID and the story lasted a week of high press. The Tim Donaghy story got about 1/10th of play as Michael Vick despite far greater consequence to the actual sport. Juicy story about mob-ties was buried immediately. The story of ALL the referees violating their gambling code was also buried completely. As far as white minor leaguers getting ESPN articles based on negative music choices, we will never ever know because it will never ever be reported.
As far as misbehavior goes, Brett Favre got a free pass for “me-first” (see comments about Javon Walker & Aaron rodgers) behavior that would put any black athlete in the media dog house. No investigative media follow-up on the Roger Clemens steroids allegations. Story buried while its almost impossible to find an article on Bonds that doesn’t mention PEDs. No black player alive can throw a bat in the World Series at Piazza, have serious steroids allegations, and ruthlessly rework his contract every year to the highest bidder and escape a negative media beatdown.
Listen sr8hoops, if you don’t see race as a factor in media coverage, then you simply don’t want to see it. It plays apart in 1) quantity of stories covered; 2) reaction to stories covered (almost always more symathetic and understanding of white athletes/people); and 3) duration and amount of web postings on athletes.
November 15th, 2007 at 3:07 amMondi, I read your article on Steve Nash (refrenced by B Shoals)about white privilage. I love Nash as a player, and believe he’s a great guy, but I could not agree with you more about how he benefits from an adouring white press.
I also agree with your position on ESPN regarding their different treatment of whites and blacks in sports. Rick Ankiel, experienced a remarkable comeback, but when his PED were uncovered ESPN almost became his apologist. Bilichek, is caught cheating, and the COMMISSIONER destroys the evidence, while ESPN gradually distanced itself from the story.
While this morning on ESPN, I saw Pedro Gomez try to link Bonds to MVick and O.J., further establishing
the blackman=pacman syndrome. ESPN at it’s finest.
Look forward to future articles.
November 16th, 2007 at 8:09 pmthe main reason the chris benoit story didn’t last longer than a week or two is because everyone involved was dead. there was no arrest, no trial… basically, no news. if benoit had just killed his wife and kid, and not himself, I think the press coverage would’ve been quite a bit different. and comparing the donaghy case to michael vick doesn’t even make sense- first of all, bribery is not at all comparable to torturing animals, and not nearly as personally upsetting to a lot of people. second, michael vick is a famous athlete and tim donaghy is a ref most people had never heard of. and that’s aside from that fact that the NFL is considerably more popular than either the NBA or the WWE. do you really think bill belichick got off easy from the media? he was front page news for weeks, and espn did everything short of drawing horns and a forked tail on his picture.
I think the whole duke lacrosse case (which was already mentioned by another poster above, but you didn’t respond) provides a very strong counterpoint to your argument. I live in durham, and I got to see the racial bias of the media firsthand… and trust me, it works both ways.
November 28th, 2007 at 3:28 amallie, thanks for your post. Your point about the Chris Benoit story being effected by his being dead is a good one, HOWEVER, it does not explain it being over in a week or two. Not even close. The reason it went away is because the public lost interest in it after a week or two. This was reflected in the comment sections which were very high gor the first week but tailed off dramatically. Conversely the reason we get so mant stories about the non-story that is Pacman Jones is because the public LOVES to comment on him. Let’s be clear: this is a predominantly white male public we are talking about.
As for Michael Vick - Donaghy. Michael Vick wasn’t a little more popular. He was at least 10-20 times more popular. While acknowledging the compelling dogfighting aspect, the Donaghy story has MUCH more relevance to the actual game. There is no bigger story in sports, it also initially included possible mob ties, but that story went away immediately. It was not followed up on or investigated. As for Vick being famous, how do you explain the Pacman Jones phenomena which has been in the news everytime the man sneezes? What exactly must it take to recognize the common denominator as to what stories sell in sports.
And yes, not only do I THINK Belicheck got off easy. He DID get off easy. He got killed the first week, and by the end of the second week the story was over. White misbehavior tends not to get lingering negative media the way a famous Barry Bonds or non-famous Pacman Jones get. Do you see asterisk talk in virtually every Patriots article because of videogate as they near a perfect record?
Finally, I haven’t responded to the Duke Lacrosse point because I really don’t know what it proves. Duke Lacrosse was the perfect storm that involved race, sex, and class. I would expect it to get attention. And please keep in mind just how much attention they received as VICTIMS despite never spending time in jail. Genarlow Wilson just came out of jail after serving more than a year of what woulsd have been a 10 year sentence for teenage consensual sex. How much have we heard about his pain, trials, and tribulations since he got out last month? Wilson was initially covered by ESPN and some other sports outlets because he was a HS football player. It was one article and out.
Now as far as “working both ways”, I’m not suggesting that misbehaving white athletes don’t get bad press, I’m saying that they don’t get it nearly as bad, nearly as hateful, and nearly as long. There may be one or two sensationalistic exceptions… but until you understand the the economics, advertising, and ratings aspect to this, and how the “black villain” is more profitable than the white villain, then you won’t get it
November 28th, 2007 at 11:32 amthanks Barabbas… it was ridiculous how ESPN became apologists for Ankiel… absolutely ridiculous. BTW, Pedro Gomez is HORRIBLE
November 28th, 2007 at 11:35 amESPN is a conduit for owners - it’s not a news organization, period. If they were a news organization, they wouldn’t buy so much of their content from those hacks over at AP.
November 28th, 2007 at 12:54 pm[…] ESPN’s RAP SHEET: Pacman = Black Man […]
December 1st, 2007 at 12:43 pmSidekick 4…
Sidekick 4…
January 10th, 2008 at 8:51 pmI’m not as astute as the res of you fellas regarding the pacman deal. I don’t even know the man nor have i followed his so-called infamous happenings. I do know this; ESPN is concerned with ratings and market share. This is their formost concern and they will hire anybody, especially a glib tongued, rapier witted , fast mouth to usher them toward this end. Now occasionally this will get them in trouble because we will have an imus moment but they are insured for that and are loss protected. They will neever go down for it. If anything, their ratings are raised the more they throw garbage around.
January 13th, 2008 at 5:33 pmI think as listeners, we don’t like dull and drab commentary. We do like exciting spiriteddiscussion and it doesnt always have to be on the money. When passion and spirit are involved, inaccuracy flourishes.
I have been around long enough to not be surprised that the great works of good people are underreported or not reported at all. There are many heros of Katrina who will never be mentioned, but every knucklehead who does a dastardly deed gets his/her name on the front page and we never forget it. Sports is no different.
It’s my thinking that the thing to do is to become active. ESPN and others have to hear our voices about their skewed commentary. They have made their dough, now it’s time to give back. Force them to suspend negativity. Persuade them to yeild to what is best in our society and report that! We have too many athletes that are doing the right thing. Why continue to perpetuate the myths? LET’S GET TO THEIR OFFICES, SEND LETTERS, CALL IN, AND DO IT ENMASSE. MODI,you can lead this movement
I’m feeling your spirit cobillion! Trying to do my part to make a dent in the machine in anyway possible!
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March 5th, 2008 at 5:35 pm[…] ESPN’s Rap Sheet: “Pacman As Black Man” (7/12/2007) […]
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October 17th, 2008 at 5:40 pmFor all those people saying Modi is just playing the ‘race card’ and it’s just ‘all in our heads’ then WHY is it we don’t hear about people like Barret Robbins,Jeff Reardon,Mark Chmura,Andrew Golota,Sergei Federov,Patrick Roy,Christian Peter,Jim Leyritz,Marty McSorely,Bill Romanowski,and Mike Deacon?!! Those above mentioned white male athletes have either been accused of rape,domestic violence,armed robbery,assualt,whacking a another player with his hockey stick,stautory rape,killing someone due to DUI,a bar brawl,and in the case of Deacon trying to hire a HITMAN to kill his former manager. I have yet to see all those cases put together get 1/5th the attention or bullshit ‘outrage’ as Micheal Vick and Pacman Jones and for your info Christian Peter was accused THREE times of rape so you’re more upset about murdered dogs than a lowlife rapist predator?!! Maybe that makes sense in your little world as for the Duke lacrosse case oh boo-hoo I’m supposed to get teary-eyed because 3 white males are just now getting a taste of what black males deal with EVERY DAMN DAY!! You all couldn’t WAIT to jump on the stories of Kobe Bryant and Micheal Irvin yet when all was said and done and the charges dropped I don’t recall any of YOU saying they got a ‘raw deal’. So tell me was the woman accusing Marv Albert of rape a liar too?! Or the 13 different women in the University of Colorado case I certainly don’t remember much if ANY attention paid to that case even when one of their own teammates accused them. Well god FORBID we falsely accuse a white male maybe you all are just NEVER guilty of anything it would appear so from the biased media coverage and the egotistical,misguided comments.
April 12th, 2009 at 4:28 pm