By Drew Grant 5/16 8:00am

Racism

dunces

To Slur, With Love: ‘Ironic Racism’ is More Than Just Taki

Two weeks ago, Phil Mushnick, a respected veteran sports writer for The New York Post, published a column about the Brooklyn Nets’ new brand identity, as designed with the help of Jay-Z. The team—previously known as the New Jersey Nets—had switched their colors to black and white. “Why not have him apply the full Jay-Z treatment?” Mr. Mushnick suggested, referring to the team’s part-owner. “Why the Brooklyn Nets when they can be the New York N——s. The cheerleaders could be the Brooklyn B—hes or Hoes …” Read More

By Thomas Golianopoulos 3/20 6:42pm

Talking Heads

2009 - Skip Bayless

Skip Bayless FTW? One-on-One With ESPN’s Top Trash Talker

On a recent Wednesday evening, ESPN commentator Skip Bayless sat in a booth in the bar at the Midtown Hilton nursing a Diet Coke and quietly watching two basketball games.

Yes, quietly.

“By nature, I am quiet off the air,” he said. “My mom was real loud and that made me speak only when spoken to. But even as a child, if you challenged me, you would get both barrels.”

Mr. Bayless, 60, wore a navy-blue sweatshirt, matching cargo sweatpants and white-and-navy Fila sneakers. “You haven’t challenged me,” he pointed out. “I’ve agreed with your opinions.”

Mr. Bayless and The Observer found a surprising amount of common ground during our interview: The Atlanta Hawks are perennially overrated; the 2002-03 San Antonio Spurs were the best team in the history of that franchise; and LeBron James doesn’t deserve the MVP award because his team is too good.

Agreeing with Mr. Bayless is a disorienting experience. Read More

By Steve Huff 2/18 12:10pm

LINSANITY

jeremy lin sad tired upset

(UPDATED) LINsulting: ESPN is Very Sorry For ‘Chink in the Armor’ Headline Referencing Jeremy Lin [Video]

Following breakout superstar Jeremy Lin’s less-than-stellar night on the court during the Knicks’ Friday night loss to the Hornets someone at ESPN made a racially-charged gaffe in a headline: “Chink In The Armor.” The title was published on ESPN’s mobile site and online for less than 40 minutes, but that was 40 minutes too long; reaction was so intense ESPN issued an apology this morning: Read More

By Kat Stoeffel 6/21/11 8:05pm

Sports Media

Stephen. A. Smith (Photo by Jesse Grant/WireImage for ESPN)

ESP-Infighting!

ESPN Radio’s recent efforts to drive ratings by cultivating “personalities,” a la Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh, seem thus far to have driven in-house rivalries.

“I will say to you that the impediment to being a journalist is that you had to maintain total objectivity,” said ESPN Radio host Stephen A. Smith on Thursday.

The Read More

By Emily Witt 5/11/11 9:34pm

sports

Bill Simmons Gets Served

The interesting thing about Grantland, Bill Simmons’ new sports and culture web site for ESPN, is not so much that Bill Simmons is starting a new web site, or that Malcolm Gladwell, Dave Eggers and Chuck Klosterman will be writing for it, or that there was some drama surrounding the hire of Deadspin’s Read More

By Laura Kusisto 4/14/11 4:44pm

Hole in One

The End of the Conde Nast Building as We Know It?

For at least half the population, the mourning over the shuttered ESPN Zone was short and sweet. On, we hope, to better things, as the Durst Organization has put the 45,000-square-foot Times Square mega-space back on the market. 

Though ESPN’s testorone-fueled hub at the base of 4 Times Square shuttered last spring, Disney has been Read More