Michael Wilbon and the Journalistic Favor
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If it wasn't for Michael Wilbon, I probably wouldn't be doing what I'm doing today. Sure, I work in public relations at my alma mater, but the itch for sports writing, and what I've done with it in recent months through blogging, (check my Blogger profile) would not be possible without his influence on me as a child and teenage writer.
So Wilbon's recent column about Ronny Thompson and his resignation from Ball State University do not bother me. While some feel that Wilbon has jumped the gun out of allegiance to Ronny Thompson's father, legendary former Georgetown men's basketball head coach John Thompson, I couldn't see it, and still can't. While facts about Ronny Thompson and Ball State may be blurred by opinion and interpretation in this story, the bottom line is that there is no such thing as a favor without influence, and Wilbon has worked hard for a long time to earn the right to both.
In a town like Washington D.C. and at a paper like the Washington Post, you don't elevate yourself by cuddling up to any and every athlete and interview that breezes through town. You tell the truth, you engage people, and you tell a story in a way where the subject and the reader are more informed for it. That's what Wilbon has done over the course of his career, and continues to do in his television appearances as well.
It seems that no one takes issue with the notion that something blatant occurred at Ball State. What is up in the air is the method which John Thompson used to generate interest in the story, and how easily Wilbon was moved to pursue it, and those are diversions from what the true story is.
It's possible that both sides of this argument have been exaggerated, and even more possible that one side is flat out lying. But you can't fault Thompson or Wilbon for being protective of their interests. For Thompson, it is the image and reputation of his son, and for Wilbon, the beliefs of a friend and the pursuit of equity in sports for African-Americans.
When a heinous crime has been reported, authorities do not wait for a suspect to dodge questioning or escape arrest, they move with the intent of finding out the truth. When it comes to African-Americans in positions of authority, collegiate and professional sports have a longer history of doing the wrong thing than doing than the right thing. If Wilbon finds it prudent to publicly examine the side of a story that to this point, has been relatively mute, then the Thompson's and Wilbon deserve that right. History set the precedent, and its the job of Wilbon and others to tear down that precedent and ensure the only side of the story that people can judge is the truth.
Besides, nothing has been proven to benefit either side of the story, so the natural measure is to fall back on the credibility of the parties involved. In my book, very few have been more credible over the course of a career than Wilbon.
Growing up in the DC Metro area, Wilbon had a tremendous influence on my career choice and my life. He once wrote a column about Hampton University in the 2001 NCAA men's basketball tournament and their game against the Georgetown Hoyas. He vividly wrote about how a crowd had never quite rocked to a band playing in the stands like the they did for "the Force," and what it meant to have such a rich history and culture present for a national tournament. It made me proud to be a student at an HBCU, and convinced me that the field I had chosen to pursue five years earlier in high school was indeed the one for me.
His influence in that column, and many others like it, was a favor to me and countless others. He doesn't know me, or any of my work, but others know about his; it's not hard to tell when you look at those individuals that have followed him onto TV sets and in morning papers all across the country. His influence demands that we trust what millions of readers and viewers across the country already trust; his ability to do his job. We should all do him a favor, and let him do it.
