Is the Media Vilifying Black Athletes?

I'll be honest: The whole steroids thing -- the Mitchell investigation, the BALCO investigation -- is pretty much a Bonds witchhunt, and has been since Day 1.

I'm not sure how much that's a black/white thing as it is just a jerk thing.

Didn't Sheffield throw out the same "I didn't know what it was" excuse?

Didn't Palmeiro lie to Congress?

Didn't Jason Giambi admit to taking steroids?

I mean Bonds' testitomy was supposed to be confidential. It gets leaked, so it's hard to blame him for lying.

The guy did steroids. We get it.

His legacy and records are tarnished.

Leave it at that and apply all these resounces/manpower on something that matters, like finding someone on the Most Wanted list. Not saying this isn't an important story, but it seems to me that the BALCO investigators are trying to make headlines and baseball is trying to erase the past, which it cannot do.

 

O, but think of the children. :'(

 

i'm sure martha stewart would have liked to have "left it at that."

people get indicted for lying to federal grand juries. people spend jail time for lying to county cops. fuck bonds. he lied. he can deal with the end result of his actions.

 

You need to chill, TP, and I figure revisiting this fave of yours will help. You're welcome.

 

Besides, the accusations against Lance Armstrong always have been just as strong as the ones against Barry ... but we have to wait for the French press to break all that news. Then everyone just dismisses it as the French are out to get the American superstar.

 

god dools, he's just so ... not smart. it's irritating.

but thanks for tossing out the red herring.

 

Misspelling aside, this has to be one of the dumbest statements I've ever read.

 

Yup.

 

The issue is, I think, broadly speaking, less the vilification of black athletes than the widespread initial impulse to be somewhat less judgemental about white athletes and the tendency to look for excuses for their behavior first. And of course there are always exceptions - the Duke lacrosse team for instance - but it is a distinction, and not always such a subtle one, that you have to look out for in reporting.

 

why would anyone tell a damaging truth to a grand jury without reasonable assurances that it will remain secret? Even with immunity from prosecution, he would have potentially been ending his career in baseball.

 

Here's the way it works:

If, say, 60 percent of the college and pro athletes in the U.S. are black, then there's your baseline. All things being equal, 60 percent of the vilification will be directed at blacks and 40 percent of the vilification will be directed at whites.

But then you have to ask yourself: Who right now is the white Michael Vick? The white Barry Bonds? The white O.J.? If you can't answer those questions, then it explains why there might appear to be a vilification imbalance. But is there, really?

 

What about Hispanic athletes? You have left them out of your equation.