Bad Hair Day

Well, it’s crunch time now: we’re into the final lap of the election and things are going to be intense for the next 8 weeks or so. But first, some personal business: one of our intrepid cast is sending his youngest child off to college. Is his purpose in life now over? We discuss. Then Mr. Flight 93 himself, Michael Anton joins to discuss his new book, The Stakes: America at the Point of No Return and to warn everyone that if Joe Biden wins, the country will turn into California (but without the weather, the beaches, and the surfing). For those of us who live in the Golden State, it’s a weird way to sell a book (it’s not that bad here), but hey, Michael’s gotta eat too. Then, something of a departure for America’s Most Beloved Podcast® — a sports segment! And if we’re going to do a sports segment, then we’re going to get one of the best in the business to help us. That would be the great Sally Jenkins — columnist for The Washington Post. We talk about college football, political activism in sports, and what’s it’s like to enter the family business when your dad was one of the all time legends. Finally, Nancy Pelosi gets a blowout and it blows up. Perfect.

Music from this week’s show: I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair by Ella Fitzgerald

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There are 112 comments.

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  1. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Another issue with the share of donations going to overhead, is when you might find that the 50% or even up to 90% of the money going to their “activism” is going to other businesses controlled by the same people who run the “charity.”

    • #91
  2. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    From 30:00 to about 46:00 this is very interesting on China.

     

     

     

    It’s some interesting material, but the guy discredits himself by admitting that he supported Bernie Sanders in the past.

    • #92
  3. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    And they both ignore the media interference in the Biden “debates” with Sarah Palin and Paul Ryan, acting like Biden “won” on his own “merits.”  Balderdash.

    • #93
  4. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    kedavis (View Comment):

    And they both ignore the media interference in the Biden “debates” with Sarah Palin and Paul Ryan, acting like Biden “won” on his own “merits.” Balderdash.

    That’s the conventional wisdom.

    • #94
  5. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Michael Malice says he’s pro-elite, but that needs to be clarified.  I don’t think he means – I HOPE he doesn’t mean – that “elites” are those who have a lot of Twitter followers, etc.  But that seems to be more and more the definition, these days.

    • #95
  6. MISTER BITCOIN Inactive
    MISTER BITCOIN
    @MISTERBITCOIN

    rdowhower (View Comment):

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    rdowhower (View Comment):

    Jon1979 (View Comment):

    Won’t be able to download the podcast and listen until Saturday, but Sally’s been one of the wokest sportswriters out there for a while now, so this ought to be interesting. Or a train wreck.

    She’s so great I’ve never even heard of her…can’t wait. Thanks for the heads up! What a terrible article. Before the last few months I never stopped listening to a Ricochet podcast halfway through, but now it’s happening more often and I suspect I won’t make it to the end of this one.

    One, Sally isn’t “woke.” I spend a lot of time on a college campus, and she’s Barry Goldwater compared to those folks.

    Two — maybe listen to the segment instead of pre-judging it? She’s one of the most knowledgeable and articulate observers of the intersection of sports and culture out there. Do we agree with her on everything? No we do not. But that’s not a requirement to be a guest on this show. P.S We do not agree with everything Michael Anton says or writes either.

    As for quitting the show halfway through, since you did provide any details as to what offended your sensibilities, I can’t respond to that. Did we book AOC or the Mayor of Portland recently? Don’t think so…Need to go check my emails.

    My, my, rather sensitive. I did start to listen and I did turn it off. Give me a break. Billie Jean King part of a civil rights movement? Hilarious. Here’s a syllogism for you, @blueyeti. If you work for a major newspaper like the Washington Post or the Star Tribune you are woke, even if you deny it. Sally works for the Washington Post, therefore…Comparing her to people on college campuses is an extraordinarily low bar. By the way, James proclaiming her to be the “greatest sportswriter in America” doesn’t help things either, especially when you come to find out it was the rest of the woke AP sportswriters who named her so. I live in the Twin Cities and actually work in the building right next to him in Minneapolis. His unwillingness to call his paper what it really is and his beloved city the dump it has been for a long time really diminishes his credibility.

    Can we stop arguing with @blueyeti?

    Also, it was her father who had the reputation of best sportswriter in America

    • #96
  7. Jon1979 Inactive
    Jon1979
    @Jon1979

    OK, finally got back from the weekend trip and listened to the podcast on the drive. While it was nice that Sally was in agreement with James in mocking those who are pushing the idea that truth is subjective, she gets docked points at the other end during the COVID/College Football discussion by essentially tossing out the idea that parents of Big 10 college football players who want the conference to play the season don’t care if their kids or anyone else gets coronavirus. Jeez.

    I think the difference between 1968 and 2020, which Jenkins attempted to equate, is essentially 52 years ago there were only a handful of sports writers and broadcasters, like a Howard Cossell or a George Vescey, who were willing to take the side of people like John Carlos and Tommie Smith. But the situation has been flipped, to where a Jason Whitlock or an Ethan Strauss (who was interviewed on the NBA’s woke woes by Ben Domenesch last week on the Federalist Radio Hour) are now the outliers, and the media pressure and the corporate pressure to conform is on the side of those dragging politics into sports (and while Jenkins is right that other companies besides the NBA have billion-dollar deals in China, left unsaid is that Disney or the tech giants are also supporting Joe Biden this fall, just as the NBA players are. So citing them isn’t the greatest dig in the world at people on the right complaining about LeBron’s actions, but was something that also animated people on the left to protest against the NBA last November).

    Also — when Sally said Payton Manning got to watch younger brother Eli play quarterback his rookie season and he was a basket case, was she talking about Payton being a basket case, or Eli being a basket case? I watched the second half of the Giants’ season in 2004 when Eli replaced Kurt Warner at QB, and either option could be true….

    • #97
  8. MISTER BITCOIN Inactive
    MISTER BITCOIN
    @MISTERBITCOIN

    Jon1979 (View Comment):

    OK, finally got back from the weekend trip and listened to the podcast on the drive. While it was nice that Sally was in agreement with James in mocking those who are pushing the idea that truth is subjective, she gets docked points at the other end during the COVID/College Football discussion by essentially tossing out the idea that parents of Big 10 college football players who want the conference to play the season don’t care if their kids or anyone else gets coronavirus. Jeez.

    I think the difference between 1968 and 2020, which Jenkins attempted to equate, is essentially 52 years ago there were only a handful of sports writers and broadcasters, like a Howard Cossell or a George Vescey, who were willing to take the side of people like John Carlos and Tommie Smith. But the situation has been flipped, to where a Jason Whitlock or an Ethan Strauss (who was interviewed on the NBA’s woke woes by Ben Domenesch last week on the Federalist Radio Hour) are now the outliers, and the media pressure and the corporate pressure to conform is on the side of those dragging politics into sports (and while Jenkins is right that other companies besides the NBA have billion-dollar deals in China, left unsaid is that Disney or the tech giants are also supporting Joe Biden this fall, just as the NBA players are. So citing them isn’t the greatest dig in the world at people on the right complaining about LeBron’s actions, but was something that also animated people on the left to protest against the NBA last November.

    Also — when Sally said Payton Manning got to watch younger brother Eli play quarterback his rookie season and he was a basket case, was she talking about Payton being a basket case, or Eli being a basket case? I watched the second half of the Giants’ season in 2004 when Eli replaced Kurt Warner at QB, and either option could be true….

    @blueyeti,

    Jason Whitlock would be a great guest for sports 

     

    • #98
  9. Kevin Inactive
    Kevin
    @JaredSturgeon

    Sally doesn’t know anything about CV19.  Wow what a bunch of nonsense.  We will have more deaths among athletes in car wrecks than they would with coronavirus.  That was painful to listen to.

    Sally may think its great for athletes to share their voice.  What is also great is for normal Americans to turn it off and ignore cheerleaders like her.  But she wants us to accept that because thats where she makes her money.

    • #99
  10. Kevin Inactive
    Kevin
    @JaredSturgeon

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):

    Okay, but what about this?

    Jon1979 (View Comment):But here’s Sally from a year ago, defending the NBA’s position on China after Daryl Morey’s tweet in support of Hong Kong — Clay Travis on his Fox Radio show made a comment this morning about how sportswriters are in the tank for the NBA more than other sports leagues, and this story is one of the better examples. If she’s not woke, at the very least she’s empathetic to the wokeness of others.

    I addressed this in a previous comment. If you actually read the column (or my previous comment), you’d see that this column is not a defense of the NBA’s position, which she is critical of. Rather, the column is pointing out the hypocrisy of attacking the NBA while letting several other corporations slide on doing exactly the same thing. Try again.

    Do those other corporations actively support China or try to defend it from criticism which the NBA did in the past year?  The NBA went pro-China.  I think thats a difference.  

    • #100
  11. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Kevin (View Comment):

    Sally doesn’t know anything about CV19. Wow what a bunch of nonsense. We will have more deaths among athletes in car wrecks than they would with coronavirus. That was painful to listen to.

    Sally may think its great for athletes to share their voice. What is also great is for normal Americans to turn it off and ignore cheerleaders like her. But she wants us to accept that because thats where she makes her money.

    And spouses of athletes might be more likely to die from domestic violence.

    • #101
  12. Blue Yeti Admin
    Blue Yeti
    @BlueYeti

    Kevin (View Comment):
    Do those other corporations actively support China or try to defend it from criticism which the NBA did in the past year? The NBA went pro-China. I think thats a difference.

    If by “actively support China” you mean do they employ thousands of Chinese workers (at very low pay), sell their products in the country with the cooperation and blessing of the CCP, and make adjustments to their products or their marketing at the behest of the CCP, and pay huge taxes and  fees to the CCP that supports all the of practices and ideology discussed here and elsewhere, then the answer is yes. A strong yes. 

    • #102
  13. Blue Yeti Admin
    Blue Yeti
    @BlueYeti

    kedavis (View Comment):
    And spouses of athletes might be more likely to die from domestic violence.

    An outrageous and completely unsubstantiated comment masquerading as a “fact.”

    P.S. I’d like to see you say that to a pro athlete’s face, anonymous tough guy on an internet message board.

    • #103
  14. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):
    And spouses of athletes might be more likely to die from domestic violence.

    An outrageous and completely unsubstantiated comment masquerading as a “fact.”

    P.S. I’d like to see you say that to a pro athlete’s face, anonymous tough guy on an internet message board.

    Really?  How many athlete spouses have been reported to have died from covid, versus athletes spouses who have wound up beaten or worse?

    • #104
  15. Bishop Wash Member
    Bishop Wash
    @BishopWash

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):
    And spouses of athletes might be more likely to die from domestic violence.

    An outrageous and completely unsubstantiated comment masquerading as a “fact.”

    P.S. I’d like to see you say that to a pro athlete’s face, anonymous tough guy on an internet message board.

    Not if it’s one of the guys who beats his wife or girlfriend. I’d get a pounding too. Who was the guy that we had hotel security footage of beating and dragging his wife?

    • #105
  16. Henry Castaigne Member
    Henry Castaigne
    @HenryCastaigne

    kedavis (View Comment):

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):
    And spouses of athletes might be more likely to die from domestic violence.

    An outrageous and completely unsubstantiated comment masquerading as a “fact.”

    P.S. I’d like to see you say that to a pro athlete’s face, anonymous tough guy on an internet message board.

    Really? How many athlete spouses have been reported to have died from covid, versus athletes spouses who have wound up beaten or worse?

    I’d buy that the wives of athletes die more from domestic abuse. But you ought to have evidence for that sort of thing?

    • #106
  17. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Henry Castaigne (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):
    And spouses of athletes might be more likely to die from domestic violence.

    An outrageous and completely unsubstantiated comment masquerading as a “fact.”

    P.S. I’d like to see you say that to a pro athlete’s face, anonymous tough guy on an internet message board.

    Really? How many athlete spouses have been reported to have died from covid, versus athletes spouses who have wound up beaten or worse?

    I’d buy that the wives of athletes die more from domestic abuse. But you ought to have evidence for that sort of thing?

    So far, I haven’t heard of ONE athlete’s spouse dying from covid.  That seems like enough evidence, really.

    If only because I didn’t say that any spouses HAVE died of domestic violence.   I said they were MORE LIKLEY TO.  And so long as NO spouses have died of covid, yet we see the reports of and results of domestic violence, I think it’s perfectly reasonable to observe that athlete spouses are MORE LIKELY to die from abuse, than from covid.

    • #107
  18. Blue Yeti Admin
    Blue Yeti
    @BlueYeti

    kedavis (View Comment):

    So far, I haven’t heard of ONE athlete’s spouse dying from covid. That seems like enough evidence, really.

    If only because I didn’t say that any spouses HAVE died of domestic violence. I said they were MORE LIKLEY TO. And so long as NO spouses have died of covid, yet we see the reports of and results of domestic violence, I think it’s perfectly reasonable to observe that athlete spouses are MORE LIKELY to die from abuse, than from covid.

    Spare us the walk back, we all know exactly what you saying. And more likely than who? Spouses of construction workers? Bankers? Anonymous internet commenters? 

    • #108
  19. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):

    So far, I haven’t heard of ONE athlete’s spouse dying from covid. That seems like enough evidence, really.

    If only because I didn’t say that any spouses HAVE died of domestic violence. I said they were MORE LIKLEY TO. And so long as NO spouses have died of covid, yet we see the reports of and results of domestic violence, I think it’s perfectly reasonable to observe that athlete spouses are MORE LIKELY to die from abuse, than from covid.

    Spare us the walk back, we all know exactly what you saying. And more likely than who? Spouses of construction workers? Bankers? Anonymous internet commenters?

    You do realize, I hope (perhaps unjustifiably), that saying that athlete’s spouses might be more likely to die of domestic violence than of covid, doesn’t say anything about any other category?  I said NOTHING about any other category.  And that still doesn’t mean a large NUMBER of covid cases, or cases of domestic violence for that matter.  As I’ve noted elsewhere, less than 7,000 people have played for the NBA since its founding in 1946.

    But to paraphrase a comment by Jonah Goldberg regarding America vs India, “Let’s not kid ourselves.  Any pathology that you want to list regarding construction workers, bankers, or anonymous internet commenters; professional athletes have got MUCH bigger problems.”

    (Since the Remnant podcast pages don’t go back that far, I’ll use this excerpt I saved:

    https://www.adrive.com/public/b667dv/Remnant%20with%20Jonah%20Goldberg%2003-15-18%20clips%20Hillary's%20Pillory%2C%20Lamb's%20Slaughter.mp3

    starting at 13:30.)

    • #109
  20. Kevin Inactive
    Kevin
    @JaredSturgeon

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    Kevin (View Comment):
    Do those other corporations actively support China or try to defend it from criticism which the NBA did in the past year? The NBA went pro-China. I think thats a difference.

    If by “actively support China” you mean do they employ thousands of Chinese workers (at very low pay), sell their products in the country with the cooperation and blessing of the CCP, and make adjustments to their products or their marketing at the behest of the CCP, and pay huge taxes and fees to the CCP that supports all the of practices and ideology discussed here and elsewhere, then the answer is yes. A strong yes.

    No, by actively support China I mean what I obviously meant.  They promote Chinas message, prohibit signs against China at their games, etc.  The NBA has gone the extra mile as most have recognized and was much talked about.  

    • #110
  21. Blue Yeti Admin
    Blue Yeti
    @BlueYeti

    Kevin (View Comment):

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    Kevin (View Comment):
    Do those other corporations actively support China or try to defend it from criticism which the NBA did in the past year? The NBA went pro-China. I think thats a difference.

    If by “actively support China” you mean do they employ thousands of Chinese workers (at very low pay), sell their products in the country with the cooperation and blessing of the CCP, and make adjustments to their products or their marketing at the behest of the CCP, and pay huge taxes and fees to the CCP that supports all the of practices and ideology discussed here and elsewhere, then the answer is yes. A strong yes.

    No, by actively support China I mean what I obviously meant. They promote Chinas message, prohibit signs against China at their games, etc. The NBA has gone the extra mile as most have recognized and was much talked about.

    Since those other entities don’t conduct their business in arenas, I don’t think the comparison really works. That said, Disney shot Mulan in the area where the Xighur concentration camps are located in and gave the local authorities a credit on the movie. Does that count?

    • #111
  22. Kevin Inactive
    Kevin
    @JaredSturgeon

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    Kevin (View Comment):

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    Kevin (View Comment):
    Do those other corporations actively support China or try to defend it from criticism which the NBA did in the past year? The NBA went pro-China. I think thats a difference.

    If by “actively support China” you mean do they employ thousands of Chinese workers (at very low pay), sell their products in the country with the cooperation and blessing of the CCP, and make adjustments to their products or their marketing at the behest of the CCP, and pay huge taxes and fees to the CCP that supports all the of practices and ideology discussed here and elsewhere, then the answer is yes. A strong yes.

    No, by actively support China I mean what I obviously meant. They promote Chinas message, prohibit signs against China at their games, etc. The NBA has gone the extra mile as most have recognized and was much talked about.

    Since those other entities don’t conduct their business in arenas, I don’t think the comparison really works. That said, Disney shot Mulan in the area where the Xighur concentration camps are located in and gave the local authorities a credit on the movie. Does that count?

    Sure.  I am not sure what is your intent on being so pendantic.   Do you have stock in NBA?  Add Disney to the list of those who have gone above and beyond.  Great.  

    • #112
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