Whether you’re 18 years old or 35+, most people take college courses to prepare themselves for their next job. Furthering your education is laudable and often rewarding. Along the way, you may develop impactful skills you’ll use for a lifetime.
Last week, The New York Times profiled the two-day NBA players’ union Broadcaster U. camp held at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. It aims to prepare former NBA players for careers in the highly competitive world of sports broadcasting. According to the Times, Shaquille O’Neal and Richard Jefferson are two of the best-known alums of the program.
On the surface, this seems great. Craig Smith, Will Barton, Shelvin Mack, Alan Williams, and Norense Odiase were recent students, and we wish them nothing but the best as they pursue the next evolution of their careers. However, the same article included a record-needle-scratch moment.
Included in Broadcaster U. is a crash course on how to give hot takes. The instructor is Fox Sports host Rob Parker, who also serves as an adjunct professor at USC. We’ll pause for a moment while your head explodes. That’s right. Parker and USC seem intent on creating a micro-farm system for the future hot takers of America. Because, as we all know, sports media is in dire need of more people yelling inanely into a microphone while pointing an accusatory finger at the camera.
The Annenberg School has an excellent reputation. USC is ranked No.25 by U.S. News & World Report overall, and among schools that offer journalism degrees, USC is No.4. It has produced Pulitzer Prize winners and White House correspondents. Obviously, sports aren’t meant to be taken as seriously. It’s all entertainment. Fun and games.
But USC clearly understands the value of nuanced and critical thinking. And whether you’re talking about Joe Biden or Ja Morant, adding in-depth context is always welcome. Hot takers, however, are only interested in arguing in broad strokes. The details are rarely a concern.
Don’t take our word for it. Parker himself said so. According to the Times, Parker told his class: “It’s OK to be wrong.” He added: “Don’t stay in the middle of the road” and “Make stuff that you can pull out — ‘Meme-able.’”
Parker is right about one thing. At the top of this unsavory food chain, it often doesn’t matter if you’re wrong. Stephen A. Smith, Skip Bayless, and Shannon Sharpe have made millions by becoming professional wrestlers. Smith, who was once reportedly fired for “job abandonment” by The Philadelphia Inquirer, is now the face of ESPN and one of its highest-paid employees.
Smith is the network’s hot-take jukebox spitting out opinions that are sometimes right, sometimes wrong, and sometimes bizarre. He stopped being a journalist a long time ago. And for those of us craving for more insightful discussions, forget about it. Smith can’t hear your complaints because his ears are stuffed with cash.
Smith’s success has spawned several wannabes and copycats. Subsequently, many people are vying to be the next Screaming A. USC apparently is only too happy to provide a training ground for those aspirants.
In the Times story, Odiase told Parker: “I do not believe nothing I’m saying” and added later that he was “very uncomfortable” arguing a point he did not support. He said that he believes it happens “a lot” across sports media.
Welcome to our dystopian future as hot-take culture infects academia.
