04/19/24
January 12, 2006
Walking Through the Fire: Scoop Jackson of ESPN.com takes us through the story of the first 5 all black players to play in a NCAA Championship, the story depicted in Glory Road the new film by Disney. But it was so much more and if you have little knowledge of this story I would suggest reading this article and more. Awesome, life changing, history changing story.
posted by ProSam to basketball at 01:51 PM - 18 comments
I hate Scoop Jackson. I was midly interested in the movie because it's a good story. Talk about leaving a bad taste.
posted by chmurray at 02:40 PM on January 12, 2006
Guess folks don't appreciate Scoop Jackson round these here parts, I reckon. :0
posted by ProSam at 03:01 PM on January 12, 2006
Scoop Jackson is an award-winning journalist Proof positive that some awards don't mean very much. From the article: A loss would have meant that Earvin Johnson would have never become Magic. Michael Jordan claimed he never would have gone to UNC if Texas Western had not won that game. Others? Try that without this win, John Thompson isn't allowed to put together those teams at Georgetown without resistance from the school or the conference. Then in no way does Jerry Tarkanian build those UNLV G-Unit squads of the early '90s. Then five freshmen never come together at the University of Michigan a few years later with plans to take over the world. More direct, if Texas Western loses that game, Nate Archibald never leaves NYC to follow Bobby Joe's footprints, Maurice Cheeks never leaves Chicago years later to put his feet where Archibald's were (at West Texas A&M), which means Timmy Hardaway never follows Cheeks. More substantial, Nolan Richardson never gets out of El Paso to coach Arkansas to become only one of three black coaches to ever win an NCAA championship. Of course, Scoop knows this because he hopped into his ESPN time machine, rearranged history, documented how things turned out, then went back and righted everything again. Dipshit.
posted by The_Black_Hand at 03:07 PM on January 12, 2006
I don't think he's a very good writer. Too much of a jingoistic style without really connecting on facts. His articles tend to leave me with eyebrows raised, saying "Wha... ?"
posted by DrJohnEvans at 03:48 PM on January 12, 2006
I am black, and while I am a long-standing opponent of political correctness and hypersensitivity to perceived discrimination and bias (a prime example being the ridiculous racial subtext applied to the victims of Hurricane Katrina), my initial reaction to SFers' barbs hurled at Scoop Jackson's ESPN piece was that they were probably overreacting. Then I read it. If Kentucky wins that game...Don Haskins' story never gets told and Rupp's does, which means we never see "Glory Road" because there's no reason for it to get made. Instead Ebert and Roeper would be thumbs-upping "Birth Of A Nation II: Rupp Strikes Back." Well, I think I know how Scoop got his nickname; he must follow bulls around with a scoop for inspiration.
posted by L.N. Smithee at 04:07 PM on January 12, 2006
I just love Scoop Jackson posts. I quit voluntarily reading his crap a while back so these posts are the only time I get to read his brand of so-called sports journalism and every now and then I feel the need to reassure myself of the contempt I have for his writing. Thanks, Scoop. I can continue to rest assured.
posted by willthrill72 at 04:48 PM on January 12, 2006
So...any chance Disney did a decent job with this? We could use another good sports movie right about now.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 04:49 PM on January 12, 2006
Man what a load. Why the hyperbole? He could have said that if Texas Western lost then changes in the NCAA sport would have been delayed. But to assume all the progress happened based a single basketball game is asinine. I think changes occurred primarily through the work of people like King, X, the protesters, the marchers, and the others like my mother who said "Enough." Sure, the basketball game sent a message, but it was a single shout in a cacophony of protest.
posted by ?! at 04:56 PM on January 12, 2006
I think he has just been rereading What IF...
posted by eckeric at 05:58 PM on January 12, 2006
i used to read scoop and like his stuff.. what happened? hands-off editors at espn.com?
posted by ninjavshippo at 08:34 PM on January 12, 2006
As an El Pasoan of 36 years, all I can tell you is coach Haskins has always had, and still does, a lot of class.
posted by chrisly13 at 08:42 PM on January 12, 2006
"Scoop Jackson is an award-winning journalist who has covered sports and culture for more than 15 years.........." I think he graduated from Bob's fish and chips school of journalism, what an asshole!!! I am also from El Paso and this is comming off like Haskins discoverd square bread.
posted by Grrrlacher at 10:07 PM on January 12, 2006
If Haskins is responsible, I'll have to send him a hot cocoa sampler box, 'cause I loves me some square bread. and some biscuits, mmm hmmm Kudos also to the fine folks at Disney for getting one of their own to pimp the shit out of this while they have a large monetary interest.
posted by wfrazerjr at 10:27 PM on January 12, 2006
Instead Ebert and Roeper would be thumbs-upping "Birth Of A Nation II: Rupp Strikes Back." I bet Roger would be sleeping on the couch after that one, though.
posted by Uncle Toby at 11:28 PM on January 12, 2006
Well, I think I know how Scoop got his nickname; he must follow bulls around with a scoop for inspiration. L.N. Smithee wins. Close the thread, please.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 08:50 AM on January 13, 2006
From what I've read, the only fact the film gets right is that Texas Western won...
posted by ajaffe at 09:02 AM on January 14, 2006
The movie was great!!!!!!!
posted by Dallas at 02:09 PM on January 17, 2006
Scoop, is it necessary to use the term "brotha" to describe the players? Do we even know these fellows want to be addressed as such? And this line: Back to where the chariots swing low but the ropes swung high Jesus Christ. This is a great lesson and important stuff, but Jackson's hackneyed style undermines the seriousness of Texas Western's story.