ESPN’s Jalen Rose recently called for the term “Mount Rushmore” to be retired from GOAT debates and his reasoning triggered Fox News host Todd Piro, who passed on sticking to politics to offer a brutal sports take.
Last week, Rose posted a video explaining the social reasoning behind his decision to stop using the term “Mount Rushmore” and his desire to see others take action with him.
Here's why using Mount Rushmore to define greatness should be retired immediately. pic.twitter.com/mtYYTtKFSa
— Jalen Rose (@JalenRose) August 3, 2022
“Can we retire using ‘Mount Rushmore?’ That should be offensive to all of us, especially Native Americans, Indigenous people who were the first people here before Christopher Columbus,” Rose said. “Four American presidents were put on what we call Mount Rushmore on the top of the dead bodies that is buried right underneath. So I call for you and for myself — I’m owning this, too — let’s stop using the term ‘Mount Rushmore’ when we’re talking about our favorite rappers, talking about our favorite movies, talking about our favorite players.”
Rose referenced Washington’s NFL team changing their name to the Commanders and Cleveland’s MLB team rebranding as the Guardians, explaining how their past monikers were offensive just as he believes Mount Rushmore is. The opinion rankled many, especially those on the Right and prompted Fox News host Todd Piro to respond. And with Michele Tafoya joining Monday’s Outnumbered, Piro thought it was an especially good time to introduce a sports topic to the Fox News show.
Calling Jalen Rose "part of the left that likes to tear things down," Fox News host Todd Piro partially blames Rose for changing the way basketball was played in the 80s — when it was "good" — to the "European" and "un-American" style of the NBA now. pic.twitter.com/dr9mGJlHha
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) August 8, 2022
“He’s part of this Left that likes to tear things down that are good, and in his sport basketball, it was good in the ‘80s when you had Magic, Jordan, Bird — and that was America. People were throwing elbows, boxing-out, actually playing defense,” Piro ranted. “Now what they have is this European style that Jalen Rose supports, it’s all European, people just shoot threes. It’s not basketball, it’s un-American.”
The hottest take in this whole ordeal has to be Piro’s decision to at all associate Rose with blame for the NBA’s shift to a three-point focused game, rather than pointing the finger at more obvious choices such as Steph Curry or Mike D’Antoni.
But the most egregious aspect of Piro’s decision to not stick to politics on Monday’s Outnumbered was the major disservice the Fox News host did to sports media by attempting to protect Mount Rushmore debates. Regardless of Rose’s reasoning for retiring the use of Mount Rushmore, can you imagine being anyone other than a debate show producer and trying to save Mount Rushmore GOAT debates?
[Fox News]
