Jalen Rose is Dead Wrong about the LeBron Race Card Story
There is a story making the rounds about the manager of LeBron James saying that the unwarranted scrutiny the superstar faced as a result of "The Decision" was racially motivated.
During an interview, CNN correspondent Soledad O'Brien asked Maverick Carter questions about "The Decision," the one-hour special on ESPN in which James announced that he would play for the Heat. Specifically, O'Brien asked whether or not race played a role in the negative coverage that followed.
"It definitely played a role in some of the stuff coming out of the media, things that were written for sure," Carter said to O'Brien.
In a video segment from ESPN, Jalen Rose, an NBA analyst, talks about the situation.
Rose basically eludes to the fact that because most basketball stars are black and most people that watch it (or report it) are white, it makes perfect sense that the coverage was racially motivated.
This is absolutely ridiculous. I can't believe ESPN let him spew this garbage from his mouth.
I'm sorry, but the scrutiny would have taken place if the player was white, Asian, Spanish, Russian, etc.
The media — and consumers — are tired of overpaid athletes who expect special treatment. Why didn't Dwayne Wade get the same sort of coverage as LeBron did? How about Bosh? Remember when Eli Manning put up a stink about not wanting to play for the Chargers and basically demanded a trade to the Giants? Remember the fall-out coverage from that?
So by Rose's (and Carter's) reasoning, Manning's demands are just fine right? No problem there whatsoever? He's white and he won't get chastised for his spoiled behavior?
Please.
If the finger is to be pointed, it's to be pointed at owners who cough up these ridiculous salaries that feed the already over-sized egos of professional athletes. They expect the world and they get it. However, they should expect a little scrutiny no matter what color their skin is.
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