I have to write a paper (due tomorrow, lol) Rebutting Jason Whitlock's article "K-State Wallowing in Negativity" I know a lot of you know TONS of facts, and I need to know all the bad shat that Whitless has done, like why he was fired from ESPN, etc. And I also need sources. Any help you guys could give me would be awesome!
I don't know how much help this will be but here is the e-mail I sent JW in regards to that column.
Jason,
Jason, first of all, I must say that you amaze me. You must be a very hard worker to have taken time to experience all college basketball teams home environment so as to determine that K-State is the angriest place in college basketball. You should ask for a raise. Out of curiosity, which school would you say is second angriest?
As a K-State fan I want to thank your column on Wednesday, February 27th. In reading your columns throughout the years that you have been in Kansas City, it is clear that you certainly have gained the credibility to be the moral compass for Kansas State. More importantly, though, you use this credibility to help other people understand themselves. If you did not have this credibility, this column may appear to be a pathetic personal attack on K-State fans because they wrote inappropriate e-mails to you about a recent controversial column or heckled when you when you walked into Bramlage on Monday night. Of course, you never get personal in your columns.
Because of your life experiences, you are uniquely qualified to understand the term “hypocritically self-righteous”. Certainly you have a keen eye for vulgarity, hostility and defensiveness as you have built a successful career deftly using these tools as part of your writing repertoire --- never crossing the line of appropriateness, of course.
I absolutely agree that our students should not do such things as make vulgar comments about a player on the opponent team about their sexual preference (whether true or not) or unnecessarily attack a player’s mother for no good reason but to make others mad or have the mean spirit to unnecessarily call out mistakes made by somebody on the other team, for example, a coach getting a DUI. These things cross the line of sportsmanship. I am sure you, as an adult, would NEVER do these things. If you did, you might risk your credibility.
You certainly have extensive experience in considering the line of appropriateness. Not unlike K-State’s fans needing to determine when a line has been crossed relative to supporting their team, you have a career of experience in writing articles that have made you struggle as to whether a column went across a line – not so much the line of fairness or appropriateness, but the line of avoiding a lawsuit.
Thank you for helping K-State fans understand that basketball is better played happy. This is excellent advice. I am curious if you feel this pertains to writing a sports column as I have noted from time to time that your writing seems to be written in a negative tone rather than taking a more positive tact.
I hope you won’t mind if I point out one flaw in your column. Towards the end you indicated that the “entire fan base is whining like a bunch of losers”. Based on previous comments you made about Bill Snyder, I think you really meant, “the entire fan base is a whining bunch of losers, except Bill Snyder.”
By the way, when I returned my ballot you sent out to the entire K-State fan base about what type of fan I think I am, I checked “whiny loser”, but I am amazed that you had 100% response and that every other fan also checked that box. Wow! I just realized that even included Bill Snyder!
(Sarcasm stopped at this point)
Jason, I think you actually have some valid points, but, once again, you take a decent point and ruin it with unnecessary over the top personal attacks which are exactly what you are suggesting K-State fans need to stop. Is that not hypocritical?
I have little doubt that this is retaliation for e-mail attacks on you and your treatment at the game. Have you ever considered being the bigger man?
