MLK Day Assignment

For the assignment I decided to follow ESPN's coverage of how Dr. Martin Luther King and the civil right's movement affected the sports world and how today's athletes and analysts convey their ideas of sports and race. The big event was a "roundtable discussion" about how far we've come as a society in the world of sports. The one thing that bothered me was the selection of the panel. While Spike Lee is a relative filmmaker, I feel he has no credibility discussing anything sports related. If it was discussion on race in film then bring Spike Lee aboard. John Capalari was another interesting choice. While I found him interesting, I feel another coach, maybe a black one or a more tenured coach would have been better. But Michael Wilbon was amazing and proved why he one of the best sports writers in the business today. Other MLK based stories were how a white quarterback was getting a second chance at a Historically Black College, probably one of my favorite stories I have read.

When mentioning Dr. King, journalists today remind everyone of the struggle and wonderful things he did to try and bring the nation together. Many use the words hero and visionary when describing Dr. King . When he was alive, publications were not as gracious as the present. Many were very indignant and downright insulting to Dr. King. Many used the stereotypes we as modern journalist were taught to avoid. And I believe it is true that we have come a long way in racial issues, but we can still go farther.