Kansas City Star columnist Whitlock: we are entering the "Age of the White Athlete" because the government is locking up potential black athletes

Writing at the Kansas City Star, race-baiting columnist Jason Whitlock says the US is entering the Age of the White Athlete because the government incarcerating so many athletes in the black community. Here's how O'Neil at State of the Line describes Whitlock's latest column:

Whitlock has gazed upon football messiah and media darling Tim Tebow, and he has seen the glory of white athleticism:

Well, now here comes Tim Tebow, and it appears everyone is ready to fall in love with Touchdown Timmy, the half-man, half-monster quarterback. He appears to be a novelty, a white athlete with limitless athleticism.

I think he’s a symbol of what has already transpired and what we’ll soon recognize. The boys from the suburbs are spending just as much time as the boyz from the ’hood working on their bodies and skills.

Sure, we could do without the “boyz from the ‘hood” usage, but whatever. Whitlock is basically saying that white athletes are no longer to be described as mere “good game managers” or “smart players” or “field generals.” They can now be referred to as “mobile” and “athletic,” or something. Not too much controversial stuff there, we suppose. Just overstatement. Spotting a generational shift in sports requires more than one square-jawed, too-smiley quarterback. It’s this next part that gets JW into some hot water:

Too many young black men are rotting in jail.

America’s out-of-control incarceration rate has devastated the black community in many ways. Athletics has not been immune.

When you hear the stat rattled off about more young black men being in jail than in college that also means that there are a lot of talented athletes throwing away college scholarships by running afoul of the law.

Athletics used to be a poor black kid’s ticket to education and out of poverty. You can’t punch that ticket if you’re saddled with felony convictions before you get out of high school. You can’t participate in state-of-the-art training methods if you’re locked up.

Ah, so that’s why all the great athletes are now white! Because all the black athletes are in jail, apparently. So to sum up: white players have developed better athleticism, black players are in jail, and the bearer of this message has no proof for any of this beyond casual observation.

Solid gold journalism, Whitlock.

Hat tip: Bottom Line Communications. Photo credit: NYPress.com
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