Whose Line Is It Anyways? (Part 1)

Jay Ratliff and Calvin Watkins.

Jalen Rose and Skip Bayless.

Ryan Clark and Stephen A. Smith.

If you’ve paid attention to the sports world the past two weeks, you already know that the latter two pairs have set the Twitter world and blogosphere ablaze with their heated, personal exchanges, while the former almost turned physical in the Dallas Cowboys locker room.

If this were to happen in the olden days, I imagine a veteran with a rugged beard like the cowboy from the old Black Angus commercials who shaved his beard with a knife would warn us with a, “Heed my words, partner: There’s a war brewin’.”

But between whom? About what?

Trying to find out who started it would be as difficult as pinpointing who fired the first shot in Gangs of New York. Neither Sherlock Holmes nor the legendary Dark Knight could figure this one out. What we can trace some of the more recent fights back to, however, are some choice words that Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant had for ESPN’s Skip Bayless:

“That guy doesn’t know a thing about basketball,” Said Durant. “We’re worse when I take more shots. Like I said, that guy doesn’t know a thing. I don’t think he watches us. I think he just looks at the stats. And traditionally, a point guard is not supposed to take more shots than everybody else on the team. But we’re better when he does do that and he’s aggressive. And I’m better when I’m out there facilitating, rebounding, defending and being more efficient on my shots with less shots.”

This culminated in Bayless and Jalen Rose having a murky debate, featuring NFL analyst and Hall of Fame receiver Cris Carter, as well as everybody’s favorite talking head Stephen A. Smith. I won’t rehash the whole story for you. My aim is to weigh in on what it was they were trying to settle, and where that line that they mention actually is.

From Rose’s perspective, the media should not have free reign to “assassinate [his] character.” That’s a fair point.

Skip and Smith were of the mind that the players are in the limelight for a reason and that their game is definitely fair play, as well as some of the things they do or don’t do on and off the court. Again, a fair point.

The problem arises, though, when we try to define “character assassination.” The two mentioned Kwame Brown, and I find it an apt example. Rose was quick to berate the way Smith said the name, while Smith was quick to defend his dismissive connotation with which he said it.

While it’s true that there are some things you don’t talk about as a member of the media, talking about a player like he’s a joke is definitely NOT one of those things, nor is it a low blow. To this point, then, we have two potential offenses: Durant’s comments that challenge Bayless’ basketball knowledge and Smith’s negative connotation with which he says Brown’s name. Are either of them out of bounds?

Not in the slightest. If Skip (it’s cool, we’re friends) can stand in front of the world and shout that Russell Westbrook will be the reason the Thunder don’t win, then Durant can definitely question Skip’s knowledge of the sport. Turnabout is fair play.

Similarly, although unprovoked on a personal level, if Smith wants to talk about Kwame Brown like he’s a joke of a basketball player, he has every right. In fact, that’s his job. He gets paid to say his opinions. There might be consequences like some hurt feelings, but it’s not something worthy of a personal attack.

Who was out of bounds, then? In this instance, only one person: Jalen Rose.

Rose has no business going on Skip’s show, publicly embarrassing him, and then cowering behind the excuse that “I took what you said personally,” when he clearly looked up the statistics and was hoping Skip brought up the Westbrook subject again.

I’m sorry, Mr. Rose, but I’m not la vie en rose 1. And we both know you’re not clever enough to come up with “Water Pistol Pete” on the spot like that. I’m not buying it.

Although ESPN2 is not owned by Skip, the show is certainly built around him. And when a show, or a team, is built around one specific member, that person has a lot of pull. Just like Kobe Bryant should have a say in who he plays with, Skip should have a say in who he debates.

What stemmed from this two-hour telethon was the burgeoning bad blood between two people who would have likely never crossed each other, one Ryan Clark, Pittsburgh Steelers’ Safety, and the aforementioned Smith.

Clark took exception to a statement made by Smith that some players aren’t as educated as he is, can’t articulate as well as he can, and wish that they had his job. Instead of handling it maturely, Clark decided to hit Smith below the belt, saying:

“I was waiting for somebody to be pompous and arrogant enough to say it just so I can come on here and talk about it. He said it. ‘Do they have a degree? They want my job. Do they have a degree like me? Can they articulate like me?’ And I tweeted him. I said, ‘I have the same degree in Mass Communications, and I can articulate as well, and my hairline’s not pushed back.’”

Clark then went on to say that if Smith wanted to find him, he can go to his locker in Pittsburgh so they can talk, but we all know what “talk” really means. Besides calling him out to a fight in public, Clark walked the line by calling Smith pompous and arrogant, and crossed it when he mentioned the hairline.

Making fun of someone’s hairline in jest is only okay if that person is okay with it and/or the two parties are friendly, (i.e. Ernie Johnson and LeBron James in TNT’s spoof of “The Decision”) not when the two parties have engaged in a war of words.

This was Monday, and Smith was able to retaliate on Wednesday’s show, going so far as to tell Clark he can “kiss my you know what,” a closing statement he later retracted. Too little too late, though. Clark has all but challenged Smith to a fight and sworn off doing ESPN First Take because they always have the last words, which leads me to two things:

1. Both parties were out of bounds, but, at the risk of sounding like a grade school student, Clark started it. Skip calling LeBron “LeBrick” or challenging him in the 4^th quarter of games is nothing like calling someone pompous or arrogant, not to mention attacking his hairline.

2. The media will always have the last word. Clark is right when he says that. Because of that, in my second installment, I will focus on the responsibility that comes with being a media member and the impact their words can have on the viewing public.

Smith was also out of bounds. I can see why both parties took offense, what with Clark feeling like he has his degree and can articulate well, and with Smith feeling like he’s done more for the black athlete than Clark ever could, but it should have never gotten this far. Smith should know better than to tell an athlete on national television to kiss his you know what. It’s not fair, nor is it smart. And as I’ve already stated, Clark should have never went where he did.

There is a line, folks.

Players have a responsibility to perform to the best of their abilities, and to play like it’s a privilege, because it is. Not all of them do that. Because of that, media members call them out on it, and I get that. If there are millions of other athletes who would try so much harder in your position, how dare you waste your talent. Good Will Hunting would be disgusted with you.

Media members have a responsibility to report the facts, and, on shows like the one this all transpired on, speak their opinions. Like the athletes, though, media have a responsibility to know the games they cover.

Durant and Skip both stayed within the confines of the debate, and above the belt: both questioned a person’s basketball knowledge or skill.

Clark and Smith left those confines, and that’s when the line is crossed.

Till next time.

@epicmess

1. “La vie en rose” has been said to be translated to “looking at the world through rose-colored glasses.” That’s from Audrey Hepburn in the movie Sabrina, which is probably my favorite of her films. The literal translation is probably different, but you get the gist.