Bias In The Strangest Places

A recurring item in James Taranto’s Best of the Web column is his “Wannabe Pundits” feature, which frequently catches sports journalists desperate to sound like the next Bob Woodward or Michael Kinsley by injecting politics into a section of the paper (or Website) where most readers normally go to escape politics and world events. Scroll to midpage for one example Taranto highlighted from a Sports Illustrated writer.

For another example, simply check out this passage from the latest column from Yahoo Sports’ Mike Silver:

Yet after last season, Tom Brady actively wooed [Randy] Moss and, once the receiver arrived in New England, he began lauding him for being a “great teammate” and a “great leader.” Very few people, outside of some judgmental wackos from the religious right, have anything negative to say about Brady, but it’s disturbing to hear the greatest player in football praise Moss in such over-the-top fashion.

I guess if you’re a conservative and religious sports fan, Mike doesn’t want you reading his column. Does that hold true for Yahoo as a whole?

Of course, God forbid you actually are judgmental, causing you to have strong opinions about someone, based on your life experiences, education, philosophical beliefs and/or religious upbringing. That skill is apparently only reserved for reporters regarding their readers.

At least those readers whose politics and beliefs differ from theirs. And maybe their editors–or lack thereof.

(And in case your wondering, I think Brady’s a gifted quarterback having an incredible season, but I could see where some could be concerned over his off-field activies, which involve fathering a child out of wedlock.)