2008 Woodie Awards
Sports Speaks - From Robinson to Rutgers
Imus' Ignorance is Costly
Brad Carr
Issue date: 4/18/07 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 1
Unfortunately, it's happened again. The boundaries between the sports world and the social world have been blurred by the usual suspect, racism. Racism has reared its ugly head in the month where we celebrate the groundbreaking achievements of an African American legend, Jackie Robinson. Rather than looking back at the civil rights movement in awe of how different the world is today, we are in disbelief of the inexcusable racism we still see sixty years after Jackie first took the field. By this point everyone has heard Don Imus' comments about the Rutger's Women's Basketball team, his deplorable description of the team as "nappy headed hos."
Thankfully, Imus, a well known "shock jock", has had his radio show cancelled after a run of nearly thirty years on the air. Unfortunately, Imus' well-known reputation has allowed him to say a great deal of ridiculously insulting things over the years and remain on the air until this recent controversy. He once described the New York Knicks as "chest thumping pimps." He mocked former US Attorney General Janet Reno because she was stricken with Parkinson's disease. When he described making arrangements with CBS management members that happened to be Jewish, Imus quipped, "I tried to put it in terms that these money-grubbing bastards could understand." The list of his controversial statements is long and offends just about everyone imaginable.
Strangely enough, this ridiculous hate speech has been accepted in the past because of two things. Imus is a "shock jock" which apparently made him untouchable in our society for a while. Second of all, his program is a haven for authors to plug their books and politicians to stand on their soapboxes. Despite all of his clout, Imus wasn't able to let his recent blatant racism slip under the radar and his powerful supporters have disappeared.
The Rutgers Women's team was a four seed that handled both three seeded LSU and one seed Duke on their way to the championship game. Despite their defeat in that game, those women were model student athletes that rose to the highest achievement in their sport, and have since handled this situation with grace. Their coach, Vivian Stringer, hasn't only led them through several powerhouse teams; she has also effectively led them through this publicity minefield. Imus certainly won't starve without a job, but this controversy will leave an everlasting mark on his legacy and could shrink his fan base. Life will surely go on for everyone, but this has been a sad reminder of how far our country has to go. Are Imus' comments any different than those of the hecklers that hounded Jackie Robinson in the 1940s? Despite the work of athletes of all colors to promote equality, it seems we still have a great deal of work to do.
Thankfully, Imus, a well known "shock jock", has had his radio show cancelled after a run of nearly thirty years on the air. Unfortunately, Imus' well-known reputation has allowed him to say a great deal of ridiculously insulting things over the years and remain on the air until this recent controversy. He once described the New York Knicks as "chest thumping pimps." He mocked former US Attorney General Janet Reno because she was stricken with Parkinson's disease. When he described making arrangements with CBS management members that happened to be Jewish, Imus quipped, "I tried to put it in terms that these money-grubbing bastards could understand." The list of his controversial statements is long and offends just about everyone imaginable.
Strangely enough, this ridiculous hate speech has been accepted in the past because of two things. Imus is a "shock jock" which apparently made him untouchable in our society for a while. Second of all, his program is a haven for authors to plug their books and politicians to stand on their soapboxes. Despite all of his clout, Imus wasn't able to let his recent blatant racism slip under the radar and his powerful supporters have disappeared.
The Rutgers Women's team was a four seed that handled both three seeded LSU and one seed Duke on their way to the championship game. Despite their defeat in that game, those women were model student athletes that rose to the highest achievement in their sport, and have since handled this situation with grace. Their coach, Vivian Stringer, hasn't only led them through several powerhouse teams; she has also effectively led them through this publicity minefield. Imus certainly won't starve without a job, but this controversy will leave an everlasting mark on his legacy and could shrink his fan base. Life will surely go on for everyone, but this has been a sad reminder of how far our country has to go. Are Imus' comments any different than those of the hecklers that hounded Jackie Robinson in the 1940s? Despite the work of athletes of all colors to promote equality, it seems we still have a great deal of work to do.
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