Barkley Sounds Off on “ESPN Clowns”: Calls Mariotti and Bayless “Losers” and Lupica “The Little Midget”
Media Gossip/Musings, NBA, Race March 28th. 2008, 9:55am
Dan LeBatard’s radio show in Miami had Charles Barkley on yesterday, and the Round Mound of Rebound decided, what the heck, I might as well rip into every journalist I can think of, because they don’t know anything! You can listen to the hilarious audio here, but we’ve also pulled a few choice portions.
* “Seems to me that the white guys don’t know anything about the sports and all the black guys want to talk about race … Jay Mariotti, Skip Bayless, they don’t know anything about sports. Jason [Whitlock] and Jemele Hill, they always talk about race, because they know that’s controversy.” [For what it's worth, Barkley's book, written by Mike Wilbon, was titled: 'Who's Afraid of a Large Black Man.']
* “If it wasn’t for guys like myself, all these quote, unquote, sports fans would be listening to Skip Bayless, Jay Mariotti, Mike Lupica - the little midget … I like ESPN a lot, but they want to dominate the world.”
* “I’m not going to let all these losers, like Bayless and Mariotti and Lupica … they can say what they want to. I’m gonna say what I want to. They’re going to deal with it or they’re going to shut the hell up. I don’t care.”
* “ESPN rode all those clowns out there everyday like they’re experts in every sport … first off, they’re not experts in every sport. Trust me - Jay Mariotti, Skip Bayless, and now, Jemele Hill - they’re just people giving their opinion. They’re not the law, and they’re not that important. Get that straight.”
Charles Barkley interview (790 the ticket)
54 Responses to “Barkley Sounds Off on “ESPN Clowns”: Calls Mariotti and Bayless “Losers” and Lupica “The Little Midget””
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March 28th, 2008 at 10:03 am
*sniff sniff* that’s the most beautiful thing i’ve ever read.
i love sir charles.
March 28th, 2008 at 10:03 am
ode to the only sports guy to smoke a cigar on set from Hawaii.
March 28th, 2008 at 10:04 am
“They’re not the law, and they’re not that important. Get that straight.€
In all his bluster, he makes a great point. At the end of the day, all columnists do is offer their opinions. None of what they say is the gospel and we get to agree and disagree as much as we’d like.
And that was essentially at the core of the uproar over Costas’ comments. Why is the opinion of someone on TV worth more than the opinion of a blogger? Intelligent fans/viewers/readers will take these opinions and interpret them as they see fit.
March 28th, 2008 at 10:04 am
hard to argue with what barkley said.
March 28th, 2008 at 10:05 am
I need to put Charles in my Fave 5.
/discontinues Verizon
/gets T Mobile
/adds Chuckles to Fave 5
March 28th, 2008 at 10:07 am
I love Barkley. He used to go on DP’s show and rip Bayless and Mariotti. He hates them. It was always really hilarious.
March 28th, 2008 at 10:07 am
skip bayless’ continued employment is just shocking. i can understand mariotti, cuz that whole show is just a joke, but bayless…ugh. the worst.
March 28th, 2008 at 10:07 am
That cover is racist. Ask anyone. Damn, now I have to boycott Vogue and TBL.
March 28th, 2008 at 10:08 am
Funny he was making these comments to LeBatard, who probably belongs in the Lupica/Mariotti/Bayless circle.
March 28th, 2008 at 10:10 am
Whoa, don’t lump LeBatard into that category. LeBatard, though sometimes wrong and stubborn, is nowhere near the level of ego and stupidity of Lupica/Mariotti/Bayless.
March 28th, 2008 at 10:10 am
Funny he was making these comments to LeBatard, who probably belongs in the Lupica/Mariotti/Bayless circle.
I’d disagree there. LeBatard seems to lack the ego that the others have. He’s self-deprecating and I have respect for anyone with an audience the size of his that can laugh at himself and admit his own biases (the U).
March 28th, 2008 at 10:11 am
Ugh…more race talk. I’m not particularly fond of the “white guys don’t know anything about sports” line, but I do agree that far too many black journalists bring the same tired racial angle into everything. Please make it stop.
Then again…hacks like Jemele Hill and Scoop Jackson (I won’t include Whitlock, as he is one of more thoughtful commentators out there) wouldn’t have jobs without the race card. So…I’m a racist if I don’t want to be preoccupied with race.
Ugh.
March 28th, 2008 at 10:12 am
@mike B- beat me to it
March 28th, 2008 at 10:12 am
um, what he said
March 28th, 2008 at 10:12 am
@irish: and I beat Mike b to it. I win. WHOOOOO!
March 28th, 2008 at 10:13 am
@412: The first step is admitting you have a problem.
March 28th, 2008 at 10:15 am
To all you who defended LeBatard, if Randy Shannon was caught selling drugs, he would defend him somehow. He is the biggest “U” apologist in the history of the world.
Sometimes I think Charles Barkley = Anna Benson (to borrow from yesterday). He just likes to say shit to draw attention to himself. But not here.
March 28th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Am I to understand that Sir Charles does not once refer to Mariotti, Bayless and Lupica as “turrible, just turrible?”
March 28th, 2008 at 10:16 am
I was typing that when Mike B wrote that. If he admits it, then maybe I’d cut him some slack.
March 28th, 2008 at 10:17 am
All writers have their own biases. We’re all human. At least LeBetard is open about his. And notice he hasn’t defended the SID who was busted with child porn. He seems like a pretty level-headed writer who brings his personal experience to the table.
March 28th, 2008 at 10:21 am
And I was typing my last comment when you conceded a bit as well. Everyone’s being so reasonable today!
March 28th, 2008 at 10:23 am
I LOVE CHARLES BARKLEY!
March 28th, 2008 at 10:23 am
mike b and hef, + 10
March 28th, 2008 at 10:24 am
mistercellaneous…im pretty sure he referred to bayless as a “knucklehead.”
March 28th, 2008 at 10:25 am
@jay- what do you say about the people in your local media who are defending Ryan Perrilloux right now
March 28th, 2008 at 10:26 am
Yeah, but I still do have a slight problem with anyone who defends “The U.” I mean the “7th Floor Crew” (or whatever they called themselves), the Bryan Pata tragedy, the brawl with FIU (and no real punishment). They do have to be called out sometimes. Sometimes it’s probably not just “cultural.” Take my school for example. LSU fans are some of the most myopic, apologetic in the world. And I don’t know anyone who has applauded Les Miles yet for letting Ryan Perrilloux back on the team (for what, the fourth time?).
March 28th, 2008 at 10:28 am
@jay- the U is my alma mater
the FIU brought suspensions to the players who were involved during that
dont try and sit here and think LSU shit dont stink
as i recall, THE U has more titles than LSU
March 28th, 2008 at 10:28 am
All Charles Barkleys books are must reads
March 28th, 2008 at 10:33 am
Irish, it’s not personal. I’m just saying that it’s okay to admit there were some problems. I don’t defend everything my school does. I think Perrilloux is a piece of shit and he needs to go.
Seriously asking, what’s The U’s side on that Peach Bowl fight with LSU? Our side was that Dwayne Bowe (from Miami) was clowning with some guys he knew on Miami’s side but it got out of hand. I never heard the other side.
March 28th, 2008 at 10:33 am
Irish went to The U?
Now it all makes sense.
/
March 28th, 2008 at 10:35 am
I won’t profess to read LeBetard regularly. I know that he pretty openly roots for the U, but I have seen him criticize them before and he doesn’t just defend them blindly. He just admits to being a fan (as an alum). Rooting for a team/school is not the equivalent of defending them when the make mistakes.
March 28th, 2008 at 10:35 am
irish…you’re really gonna compare LSU to the U? the U was the biggest thug school in the history of college athletics. you could take lawerence phillips, maurice clarrett and perrilloux, put them on the same team and it’d still be less trouble than some of the great U teams. LSU’s shit may stink, but nobody would know because Miami’s has overwhelmed everyone for the 80’s, 90’s and early 2000’s.
not knocking the program, because i really could give two shits less about off-the-field stuff and the school is pretty nice, great music program.
March 28th, 2008 at 10:36 am
Barkley’s Outrageous is quite good.
March 28th, 2008 at 10:36 am
nah, i just feel like jumping down peoples throat today who say a bunch of stupid shit
March 28th, 2008 at 10:40 am
@spencer- dont forget the women
March 28th, 2008 at 10:42 am
I could listen to Chuck all day. Love the “Barkley-isms.”
March 28th, 2008 at 10:43 am
irish…miami women are overrated. give me a fat chick from wisconsin any day of the week.
/sarcasm
March 28th, 2008 at 10:50 am
TBL,
you’re seriously lovin the SI Vault!
March 28th, 2008 at 10:57 am
This was great, made my morning…
March 28th, 2008 at 11:08 am
I’m crossing off Hilary on my ballot and writing in Charles Barkley.
March 28th, 2008 at 11:11 am
Charles being Charles probably came before Manny being Manny.
March 28th, 2008 at 11:13 am
The first time I read an op piece by Jemele Hill will be the first. One of my favorite memories of Sir Charles is when he personally donkey punched Portland in the ‘95 playoffs. Chuck when crazy for like 30 plus a game with about 14 boards a contest. Unreal.
March 28th, 2008 at 11:14 am
i’m dialing lebatard right now to complain to him for mischaracterizing my lebron-gisele column and baiting chuck into bringing my name into the discussion….. just turrible, turrible, ernie.
March 28th, 2008 at 11:15 am
my favorite thing about going to jersey parties in college was the fact that every single person had a Charles Barkley jersey with them.
March 28th, 2008 at 11:19 am
I think it’s one thing to write about race, because it’s important and especially in sports, but columnists like Scoop and Hill don’t write about race and it’s impact, they play a gameshow…
“Reader you’re the next contestant on This is racist, and if you don’t think so you are too!“
March 28th, 2008 at 11:23 am
Chuck has free reign to say whatever he wants — even if wrong, it’s entertaining.
That said, I agree with just about everything he says: Lupica, Mariotti and Bayless carry themselves as if THEY are the authorities on everything ’sports’ while many African-American writers fall back on ‘race’ to give them their angle.
And LeBatard seems to lack that “my shite don’t stink” attitude…so far. If he hangs around Kornheiser for too long though, then that’ll go away.
March 28th, 2008 at 11:38 am
Barkley needs to spend more time in casinos and less time watching ESPN. From the sounds of it, he watches the WWL from like 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., then heads over to the TNT desk. He’s right, of course, but any man would be driven insane by watching that much ESPN.
March 28th, 2008 at 11:41 am
Crooked, you are probably right, but Barkley needs to do a weekly interview for us bloggers to talk about. He’s a funny fuck.
March 28th, 2008 at 11:47 am
What will Mariotti’s stupid ass pun be for Barkley when he writes the responsive hate column…the Round Mound of Sound?
Because I love the White Sox and hate Mariotti I bookmarked this column: http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2005/10/jay_mariottis_y.html
March 28th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Butters, you’re halfway to sanity. You should hate Mariotti and the White Sox. It does wonders for your self esteem.
March 28th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Hef, you and me, pistols at noon.
March 28th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
le batard is the best.. that was a hilarious interview man.. barkely is awsome…. so honest
March 28th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
When Charles is right, hes right
March 28th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Charles is right. Most sportswriters don’t know shit about the sport they’re covering unless they acutally played the game or coached it. I want to hear about strategy and player evaluation predominately from guys like Steve Kerr, Coach Davie, Coach Bowden, or Coach Holtz. If Jay Mariotti wants to write about something it should probably be competitive eating or something more in line within his physicality.
If we are talking about how sports fits into the business side, society, personalities, social issues within sports, that’s when these fat, slow, dull, short hacks can pick up their pen. Dan Wetzel, for Yahoo!, is a great writer who consistently puts out superior material that is provocative and intelligent. What he does is writing. That’s sports journalism
I don’t know what the hell the other 95% of his colleagues think they are doing.
Charles isn’t being controversial. He just says what he honestly believes and usually doesn’t care how other people take it or whether they agree with him. Usually people refrain from saying things that may hurt others or be considered rude or mean-spirited. He’s basketball’s Simon Cowell.