Monday, October 11, 2010

Honkie Heaven on TBS baseball coverage

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Ernie Johnson, Ron Darling, John Smoltz. White guy, white guy, white guy.

Don Orsillo, Buck Martinez. White guy, white guy.

Brian Anderson, Joe Simpson. White guy, white guy.

Dick Stockton, Bob Brenly. White guy, white guy.

Matt Winer, David Wells, Cal Ripken Jr., Dennis Eckersley. White guy, white guy, white guy, white guy.

Major League Baseball's playing rosters are about 27 percent Latino, 9 percent black and 3 percent Asian. Yet the only color to be found among the primary TBS broadcasters for the first round of the postseason is whatever color Dick Stockton's hair is on a given day.

And before you say Martinez must be Hispanic, well, the California-born-and-raised former catcher and manager is about as Latino as I am Israeli.

Then again, maybe you know a lot of Hispanics nicknamed Buck.

If you count the four sideline reporters - and really, given what they contribute to a telecast, why would you? - at least TBS did employ David Aldridge for the Phillies-Reds series.

That's 16 white dudes and one black guy ... with the one being on-air a total of about 2 minutes per 3-hour telecast. Talk about a small token.

Really, it's 2010 and we still have to have this conversation? With all the talented, intelligent black and Latino ballplayers and ex-players out there, TBS couldn't even have scrounged up a black or Latino to the studio team?

And this is because ... why? Boomer, Eck and Cal are too damn good?

This is especially interesting and/or disturbing and/or surprising because the Turner networks historically have had great success with diversity in their sportscasting teams.

I mean, isn't Charles Barkley - outspoken, outlandish, outrageous and outstanding - their best hire ever?

And yet amazingly, come baseball postseason, TBS feeds its audience nothing but white bread.
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4 comments:

  1. i take it that you are going to have a tough time getting settled in the south...

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  2. Pssst ... don't tell anybody, but there are black people here, too. A few open-minded white folks, as well.

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  3. yah i know i have lived in macon, tampa, and new orleans...but it is a peculiar relationship...don't yah think..how is the golf coming..

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  4. Sounds like MSNBC's prime-time lineup.

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