NFLBy Drew Lerner on

Jason Whitlock, who hosts the Fearless podcast on the conservative media network The Blaze, is ruffling feathers again.

It all started when T.J. Moe, a contributor on Whitlock’s podcast, posted this picture to social media.

The post exploded, amassing over 23 million views on X. Of course, the controversial opinion had its fair share of detractors. Among them was former NFL wide receiver Torrey Smith, who responded to Moe by saying, ” There are plenty of women that would dog-walk you talking ball.”

That’s when Whitlock joined the conversation. “Name 2,” the former ESPN and FS1 personality replied.

Smith then clapped back with a list of more than ten accomplished women in football media.

Whitlock did not seem satisfied with Smith’s answer, responding as such.

Among Smith’s list was former Oakland Raiders CEO and current CBS Sports NFL analyst Amy Trask. Trask is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished women in NFL history. She held an executive role between 1997 and 2013, at a time when women rarely held such positions for an NFL team. She was named to the “NFL 100 Greatest: Game Changers” list in 2019 and oversaw the Raiders’ Super Bowl run in 2002.

And on Monday, Trask responded to Whitlock’s exchange with Smith, highlighting her array of experience working in the NFL.

After cordially introducing herself, Trask began, “I spent almost 30 years with the Raiders and had the great fortune of discussing the game with (former Raiders owner/GM) Al Davis, coaches, players, NFL officials, and others, many of whom are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame — I learned from the best.”

Whitlock then responded to Trask with an invite to join his show.

The problem is, it doesn’t really seem like Whitlock wants a good-natured discussion.

If he thinks that women — for the simple reason that they are not men — cannot discuss football at a high level, then what is there to discuss?

First off, football is a game. Games, by their very nature, can be learned. The best ones can be learned at a high level, like football. And the great news about football? There are thousands of games worth of film out there for anyone to analyze and learn for themselves. Nothing about being a woman would obstruct that process. And that’s why Smith’s list was filled with women with successful careers talking about football.

Now, there’s always room for discussion about who is a good or bad TV analyst (we do plenty of that on Awful Announcing). But a blanket statement about an entire group of football analysts based solely on the fact that they’re women? That’s just wrong.

Not only is it wrong, but it’s offensive to the many women who have worked hard to secure jobs in a male-dominated field like football. Whitlock and other like-minded individuals only make it more difficult for women to break into the space, making the ones who find success even more impressive.

But this type of commentary is now par for the course with Whitlock, who has carved out a niche in faux-outrage since being ousted by FS1 in 2020.

About Drew Lerner

Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.

View all posts by Drew Lerner