Announcer Calls Black UNI Player "Best Athlete ... Flashiest Player"
Northern Iowa is playing Wyoming right now in the NCAA Tournament, and as you would guess, there are a whole lot of smart, gritty gym rats on the court. Two and a half minutes into the game, though, Northern Iowa subbed in Wes Washpun, a black player. Spero Dedes, calling the game alongside Mike Gminski, introduced the country to Washburn like this:
"It's Wes Washpun who came in and was tripped to the floor. Washpun, the Sixth Man of the Year in the Missouri Valley Conference. He's their best athlete, and certainly their flashiest player, and he's expected to play heavy minutes in this one today."
Dedes has done this kind of thing before; a few years ago when he worked for MSG, he caught some heat for using the phrase "chink in the armor" when speaking about Jeremy Lin. At Deadspin, we often rail against this casual, lazy way of dividing black players from white ones that's been baked into how we talk about and what we expect from athletes across nearly every sport. But, even I gotta admit: Washpun's pretty quick! And he's kinda flashy!
But seriously, no one talk like this. If you talk like this, don't talk like this.
[TBS]
h/t @TBumblefut
Related
Why Stephen A. and Skip Bayless Are Reuniting on First Take
NBA Draft Lottery 2026: Odds, Format, and How It All Works
MLB Betting Picks Today: Tuesday May 5th Pitcher Prop Bets
Chandler Simpson Is an Anomaly for Tampa Bay Rays
- Best NBA Bets Today: Game 7 Picks for Cavs vs Raptors, Magic vs Pistons
- Why Cavaliers Should Cover at Home in Game 7 Against Raptors
- Best NBA Playoff Parlays Today: LeBron, Cade Cunningham and More
- UFC Fight Night Perth Betting Picks: Top Bets and Predictions
- Friday May 1st MLB Betting Picks: Top Predictions for Today’s Games
- April 30th NBA Playoffs Best Betting Picks and Predictions
- Kentucky Derby 2026 Picks: Expert Predictions and Top Contenders

