If you needed a reminder as to why Jay Mariotti became one of the most loathesome personalities in sports, read this full Q&A at the Sherman Report where Mariotti plays the unique, groundbreaking role of martyr-tyrant. While there's enough dastardly material in the Q&A to make you want to throw yourself and your nearest electrical appliance in the bathtub, this quote from Mariotti on the state of the sports media industry is the piece de resistance…
Much has happened in the last two years in our industry. What stands out for you?
A softening of commentary. Rather than writing the tough piece for the readers, too many writers are writing marshmallowy crap for each other. And those with the guts to speak their minds with conviction — Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith — are maligned for it. Please. When did the business become so mushy? Are people that scared for their jobs? On the sleazy side of the spectrum are these numbnuts who put $12,000 in a paper bag for alleged pictures of Brett Favre’s penis. I hope that blogger’s parents are proud of him, but I doubt it.
More distressing is the lack of investigative sports journalism. Other than the new USA Today initiative, documentaries and profiles on HBO, the New York Times and a few people at Yahoo, who is busting big stories?
You wonder why I’ve taken my time returning. It’s not as if sports media is a sacred cause. There are some good, genuine, honest people in the business. But there are more sellouts, creeps, liars, cowards and lazy asses.
Jay Mariotti throwing stones at sellouts, creeps, liars, cowards, and lazy asses while dishing unconditional praise on the likes of Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless? I only have one thing to say.
Cool sunglasses, bro.
