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Media Racist With Hansbrough Lovefest?

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Stoney, Mar 12, 2008.

  1. m2spts

    m2spts Member

    Wonder if Geraldine Ferraro likes Hansbrough.
     
  2. RossLT

    RossLT Guest

    The hansbrough hype reminds me a little bit of another "great white hope", remember Keith Van Horn
     
  3. bigpern23

    bigpern23 Well-Known Member

    Two major flaws in Freeman's argument here (one of which he acknowledges): Pointing people like Dick Vitale and Bill Raftery's slobbering over Hansborough. Amazingly, every game they cover involves someone who is the most/best/any other variation of "-est" that they have ever seen. That's just what they do and it doesn't seem to matter the color of the player they're talking about. Freeman acknowledges their hyperbole, but cites it nonetheless. It's a bit disingenuous.

    The second flaw in his argument was asking when was the last time a black kid was the face of college basketball. A year after Kevin Durant and Greg Oden played in the NCAA he asks that question? Hell, Durant was on the cover NCAA March Madness '08. There's no question those two were the face of college hoops last year.

    And if you want to keep going with it, Emeka Okafor was the face of college hoops in 2004 when UConn won the national championship and Carmelo Anthony was the face in 2003 when Syracuse won the title. Those are just off the top of my head.

    Don't tell me that only white guys are the face of college basketball and then ask me to accept the rest of your argument.
     
  4. Dangerous_K

    Dangerous_K Active Member

    Eh, Van Horn got a lot of love, but Tim Duncan was the much bigger deal in '97. That punches another hole in Freeman's argument.
     
  5. Sam Mills 51

    Sam Mills 51 Well-Known Member

    There are more holes in Freeman's argument than you will find in a mesh jersey.

    Van Horn and Duncan were linked because they stayed four years when both could have come out early and been lottery picks. Shoot, Duncan was lottery following his sophomore season, and would have probably been No. 1 after his junior year.
     
  6. Stoney

    Stoney Well-Known Member

    I'd dispute this part of your post. Okafor and Anthony were understandably hyped AFTER they led their team to the NCAA Championship. They weren't the object of what seemed like a year-long ove the top PR campaign the way Hansbrough has been this year.

    I'd agree with you about Durant/Oden, however. ESPN and company jumped on that angle early and made it a central theme of their season-long coverage, much like the've done with Hans this year, Reddick and Morrison in 06; Chris Duhon (Mr. Incredible Heart) in 04; Shane Battier (Mr. Perfect) in 01; and the all-time overhyped overrated media creation: Wojo, the guttiest scrappiest kid ever, in 98.
     
  7. bigpern23

    bigpern23 Well-Known Member

    Could be that I live in Big East Country, but 'Melo and Okafor were easily the most hyped college players I remember from those years. Down in ACC country, I'm sure Duhon got more love. I obviously remember him being fairly popular, but around here it was Okafor all seaon.
     
  8. Stoney

    Stoney Well-Known Member

    I guess I should qualify my analysis as attention recieved proportionate to what they deserved. I remember Okafor being acknowledged as the best center in the country (which he was) but I don't recall all the special features and "selling" of his image like with these other guys.

    The thing with the guys like Duhon and Wojo is they really weren't even that good, so the over the top coverage their senior year seemed baffling. It really seemed like the ESPN guys were instructed to tell us at least once every 10 minutes about Duhon's amazing heart and what a scrappy gutty leader Wojo was.

    It got nauseating because it became clear that they were trying to sell an image. Just as they are this year with Psycho T, college hoops' answer to Rambo, the most maniacally intense man to ever wear high tops.
     
  9. hockeybeat

    hockeybeat Guest

    Normally I like Freeman. But this column was a clunker.
     
  10. Blitz

    Blitz Active Member

    Hansbrough has proven, without question by anyone, that he's player of the year.
    Beasley stunk it up on occasion, pouted on the bench more than twice, and wasn't POY material.
    Great season and career, so far, by Hansbrough.
    Beasley, meanwhile, has done nothing but hint around that he might go pro.

    Hansbrough by a landslide, I say. The guy never quits trying, never quits going at it 90-to-nothing.
     
  11. Dangerous_K

    Dangerous_K Active Member

    Jeez, that's certainly painting an unfair picture of Beasley. That's not the player I saw singlehandedly keeping his team in the game against Kansas and Baylor. Quitters typically don't average 27, 13, 2 blocks, and 1.5 steals.
     
  12. ondeadline

    ondeadline Well-Known Member

    When was the last time you heard a black player called a gym rat? I can only remember hearing that associated with a white player and it makes no sense. There are plently of players of all backgrounds who are gym rats.
     
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