Has Michael Wilbon completely lost the his Redskin fanbase?

[DemSkins#1Fan]

I think people look at Wilbon the wrong way. I am a diehard redskins fan and have been a Taylor fan since his freshman season at Da U! I didnt agree with the timing of Wilbons article at all, but the people who are catching a ttitude with him is crazy. He spoke his opinion on the situation, just like we do as humans everyday. How would you like it if everytime we spoke our opinion everyone tried to turn on us. I think the man is a great writer and still respect him. His articles are ones I always look for in the post.

[ZoEd]

Seems to me that Wilbon stated many times that the incident could indeed have been completely random in nature and that Taylor's past transgressions may have had no effect on how or why it happened.

The last eight paragraphs of the article focused on Wilbon's greater issue. Even in the four or five paragraphs that Wilbon used to lay out the facts of Taylor's checkered past and how they could connect to his murder, Wilbon stopped well short of saying these facts were directly related to it. Wilbon specifically says that he wouldn't be surprised if they were connected. I wouldn't have been surprised either. This doesn't mean I didn't recognize the growth Sean had shown as a person and it certainly doesn't mean that I thought Sean brought this fate upon himself.

You're missing the point that just about every person on ES has made. It's not as much about what he said as it is about when he said it. The timing was terrible.

Did you ever F up as a kid and have your parent say "see that's what you get!" Even though they were probably right didn't it make you feel like "damn, you could at least make sure I'm alright first." or "can the freaking swelling go down before you act like an ass?"

Are you tracking me? This was a situation where IMO extreme sensitivity should have been used especially in regards to the media market that encompasses the Washington Redskins. If I would have read this article written by some hack in Dallas I would have most likely shrugged it off as a dumb hick hating on a young brother from the Redskins. Dude, he writes for the WASHINGTON Post. Not the Bangor Maine Chronicle. Then to top it all off his smug arrogance made me want to reach through the TV screen and throttle his ass. He just handled the entire situation poorly with no regard to the feelings of the fans, friends or family of ST. :2cents:

[greenmile]

Wilbon is just being ridiculously stubborn.

He's knows he's wrong and jumped to conclusions. On that Monday night before Sean's death, on Monday Night Football, he stated that he wasn't surprised that Sean was currently fighting for his life.

Enough said. You disrespected the man, and assumed wrong.

Apologize and it will be forgotten. Continue to be a stubborn know-it-all, and you'll continue to have lost readers.

[ZoEd]

I think people look at Wilbon the wrong way. I am a diehard redskins fan and have been a Taylor fan since his freshman season at Da U! I didnt agree with the timing of Wilbons article at all, but the people who are catching a ttitude with him is crazy. He spoke his opinion on the situation, just like we do as humans everyday. How would you like it if everytime we spoke our opinion everyone tried to turn on us. I think the man is a great writer and still respect him. His articles are ones I always look for in the post.

You and me talking around the water cooler about our opinions is different from someone with a national fanbase like Wilbon. Wilbon has the power to influence peoples opinions with his own. Non Redskin fans who don't take the time to read all the good articles about ST don't know the truth. All they know is what Wilbon wrote and most of them probably think ST was a thug who got what was coming to him. Don't you think as a journalist he has the responsiblity to put as much effort into reporting the truth as he did about his blatantly wrong assumptions. Assumptions is what he wrote about, not opinions.

[Jethrodsp]

Not only that, but the prick has yet to apologize even though it's crystal clear he was talking out of his ***.

Question: Why is Jethrodsp defending this fool? maybe he's from the Washpo marketing department...

Im here...you dont have to ask everyone else why Im defending Wilbon.

I just dont think people are focusing on the point of this one article and instead are overreacting to their own initial perception of his thoughts immediately after the shooting.

No where in his article does Wilbon say that Taylor's lifestyle contributed to his shooting. He merely presents it as a possibility to get at a larger point: that sometimes separating yourself from an environment completely is the best way to avoid the many pitfalls of sudden financial and professional success.

Im honest. I also thought there could be a connection between Sean Taylor's more public past transgressions and the shooting initially so I can't take Michael Wilbon to task for thinking the same way.

[InsaneBoost]

I always found him annoying as hell, I wish they'd replace him.

[mcarey032]

I like Wilbon even though I totally thought he was wrong about Sean Taylor. He is entitled to his opinion and I am entitled to mine. I still think that he is a good writer and most of the time he has pretty good perspective on sports. I think that it is fine to disagree with people as long as it can be respectable dialog.

[Gigantor]

Im here...you dont have to ask everyone else why Im defending Wilbon.

Not that it matters because I don't think you'll be able to change anyone's mind, but are you affiliated with the Washington Post or Wilbon in any way?

[Jethrodsp]

You're missing the point that just about every person on ES has made. It's not as much about what he said as it is about when he said it. The timing was terrible.

Did you ever F up as a kid and have your parent say "see that's what you get!" Even though they were probably right didn't it make you feel like "damn, you could at least make sure I'm alright first." or "can the freaking swelling go down before you act like an ass?"

Are you tracking me? This was a situation where IMO extreme sensitivity should have been used especially in regards to the media market that encompasses the Washington Redskins. If I would have read this article written by some hack in Dallas I would have most likely shrugged it off as a dumb hick hating on a young brother from the Redskins. Dude, he writes for the WASHINGTON Post. Not the Bangor Maine Chronicle. Then to top it all off his smug arrogance made me want to reach through the TV screen and throttle his ass. He just handled the entire situation poorly with no regard to the feelings of the fans, friends or family of ST. :2cents:

So your beef with Wilbon is not what he said but when he said it?

[Jethrodsp]

Not that it matters because I don't think you'll be able to change anyone's mind, but are you affiliated with the Washington Post or Wilbon in any way?

Not at all (other than being a regular reader of course).

Was that a serious question?

[skinfan2k]

So your beef with Wilbon is not what he said but when he said it?

i dont think these people realize this is his job. This is the biggest story for the DC area and you are one of the biggest writers known to the Post in the sports section. Your job as editor is to fill the paper with columns and etc. Your editor asks you to write something and he does it. I agree with him quite frankly

[Natmagic]

Kick Schwillbum off The Redskin Report now!!!

[ZoEd]

So your beef with Wilbon is not what he said but when he said it?

Mostly, except for what I pointed out in regards to his responsibility as a national media figure to be more responsible. Do you think the majority of the people outside of Redskin nation know the truth about ST? I doubt it seriously. Hell, I bet most Redskin fans outside of ES don't know just how much ST had changed and how much good he was doing. I preach to my young troops all the time about perception. People only get snap shots unless the really know you. The majority of the public only know the gun toting, spitting, DUI ST because that's all the mediots report. Right or wrong perception is all most people will ever know. Wilbon used his position to paint ST in a pretty negative light. What do you think people see when the read " he refused to divorce himself from that lifestyle"?

He should have put as much time and effort into reporting the facts after he learned them as he did reporting is asinine assumptions.

[Gigantor]

Not at all (other than being a regular reader of course).

Was that a serious question?

Yes. The way the washpo is loosing readers (4%/month) I wouldn't put it past them. Also, I'm not sure I believe you. I find it hard to believe that just a reader would have such energy to publicly defend Wilbon in this case, the motivation just wouldn't be there. :2cents:

[Ghost of]

Jethro,

Here's something else for you to consider (2 things, as I said in those threads)

1) Wilbon is a Chicago guy. He likely remembers, painfully, the passing of Walter Payton. Though most of you guys on the board may not remember, but there were rumors about Walter, having that soft voice and that his liver disease was NOT that but the result of AIDS. Saying, "it doesnt' surprise me" is a clue that Mike would rather jump to a conclusion than wait for the truth and believe the worst about someone.

2) Any journalist worth their salt should have been talking about the spate of home invasions/robberies of athletes. This is no longer about a chain being snatched by some punk on the street but about the seeming plague of home invasions involving athletes. Living in Miami, even away from the 'bad areas' was no guarantee of safety. One might have wondered if Mike would have picked up on THAT pattern, which much more strongly aligned with the facts we would know of, rather than the "past coming back" angle.

If Taylor had been shot in the street, one could almost have forgiven WIlbon for jumping to this conclusion but instead the facts of the case were much more similar to other home invasions but THIS TIME fatal.

Also, that part of Florida is kind of well-known for this stuff, a fact I picked up on within hours of first hearing the story!! As a journalist one might have thought Wilbon would at least ATTEMPT to do some research into that or into all those home invasions/near-lethal confrontations athletes have had recently.

Simply put, it is a lot easier for many in America to believe (or they want to in order to feel safer) that a young black man brought his death on himself, rather than believe they could also be targets (and often are!) themselves.

[USS Redskins]

I had no problem with what he said about ST. It was his opinion and unfortunately, many black men who have been involved in violence in their life, end up dying by violence. It is a very valid point.

Wilbon is the man.

[Titaw]

He never really had me as a reader. His feable attempts at "in your face" style writing are annoying. The Sean Taylor article lost me as a ATH fan. The man is a douche and needs to go back to Chicago where he belongs.

[renaissance]

Yes. The way the washpo is loosing readers (4%/month) I wouldn't put it past them. Also, I'm not sure I believe you. I find it hard to believe that just a reader would have such energy to publicly defend Wilbon in this case, the motivation just wouldn't be there. :2cents:

Just my opinion, but I think his motivation partially comes from the fact that our own frustration and anger with the poor timing of Wilbon's article has caused many of us to automatically dismiss anything he has to say.

I didn't read the article when originally published, so my view is probably different than some, but I think it is a well written piece that makes some very interesting points. Maybe instead of hating on Wilbon and other members of the media who "rushed to conclusions" we should look at the bigger issues surrounding Sean's death. Wilbon addresses some of these issues, and I fear they were lost in his delivery.

[Jethrodsp]

Mostly, except for what I pointed out in regards to his responsibility as a national media figure to be more responsible. Do you think the majority of the people outside of Redskin nation know the truth about ST? I doubt it seriously. Hell, I bet most Redskin fans outside of ES don't know just how much ST had changed and how much good he was doing. I preach to my young troops all the time about perception. People only get snap shots unless the really know you. The majority of the public only know the gun toting, spitting, DUI ST because that's all the mediots report. Right or wrong perception is all most people will ever know. Wilbon used his position to paint ST in a pretty negative light. What do you think people see when the read " he refused to divorce himself from that lifestyle"?

He should have put as much time and effort into reporting the facts after he learned them as he did reporting is asinine assumptions.

Fair enough, but Wilbon gave just as much indication of Taylor beginning to turn his life around as anyone had at that point, one day after his death.

The overwhelming majority of stories about Sean Taylor up to that point hadn't painted him in a good light, proper or not. I don't believe that it is Michael Wilbon's responsibility to alter readers' perceptions of a Taylor especially when Wilbon's perceptions seem mostly to have been the same as his readers'.

The fact that the small snapshots we got of Taylor's life off the field so overshadowed what was a tremendous growth period for him right before his death is one of the most tragic parts of the whole situation.

[jivelikenice]

I lost Wilbon cause he has no feel for local sports anymore. He is a national figure and has lost touch with the local fan base. His knowledge of our teams and players is severely lacking and matches what you would expect from an out of town writer...

[Jethrodsp]

2) Any journalist worth their salt should have been talking about the spate of home invasions/robberies of athletes. This is no longer about a chain being snatched by some punk on the street but about the seeming plague of home invasions involving athletes. Living in Miami, even away from the 'bad areas' was no guarantee of safety. One might have wondered if Mike would have picked up on THAT pattern, which much more strongly aligned with the facts we would know of, rather than the "past coming back" angle.

If Taylor had been shot in the street, one could almost have forgiven WIlbon for jumping to this conclusion but instead the facts of the case were much more similar to other home invasions but THIS TIME fatal.

Also, that part of Florida is kind of well-known for this stuff, a fact I picked up on within hours of first hearing the story!! As a journalist one might have thought Wilbon would at least ATTEMPT to do some research into that or into all those home invasions/near-lethal confrontations athletes have had recently.

Simply put, it is a lot easier for many in America to believe (or they want to in order to feel safer) that a young black man brought his death on himself, rather than believe they could also be targets (and often are!) themselves.

Fair, and a very good point. Writing on the appharent string of home-invasions would have certainly been an article more relevant to explaining the shootings and also would have required more research on Wilbon's part.

However, I think Wilbon's point was not to explain what happened but how it could have been avoided by Sean (and others in similar situations) making a more concious effort to distance himself from potentially harmful situations.

[Jethrodsp]

Yes. The way the washpo is loosing readers (4%/month) I wouldn't put it past them. Also, I'm not sure I believe you. I find it hard to believe that just a reader would have such energy to publicly defend Wilbon in this case, the motivation just wouldn't be there. :2cents:

OK, you dont believe me.

Sometimes I find it hard to believe that someone not affiliated with the Washington Times would expend so much energy trying to discredit and bash Michael Wilbon, the motivation just wouldn't be there.

[Vi]

Honestly? I can see what Wilbon was trying to do, but here's my biggest beef with how he handled this article:

Sean Taylor hadn't even been dead 48 HOURS when this came out. All the people mourning a 24 year-old murder victim hasn't even had a chance to bury him before this crap came out in droves from self-proclaimed realists. He used a man barely cold in death to make a point (which turned out to be totally irrelevant to Sean's situation) and it was just too damn soon

It's easy to act superior when stating an opinion like the one in that article, and Wilbon didn't even wait two damn days.

Was the article complete crap in terms of his message? No, not really. But the way Wilbon handled it was it totally classless.

So yeah, I'm not exactly a huge fan anymore.

[DesertWrestler]

Jethrodsp,are you Wilbon?

[aussieskin]

From my understanding he pretty much told it the way it is, it was a good article, he didnt disrespect Sean, just said that he should have left Miami and he should have lived in the DC area, if he had he would still be alive today, Sean's death was a tradgedy and it makes no sense to me at all, if he thought he was in danger then why stay in Miami, he really should have moved to DC.