"Black Grantland" Hires White Hot-Taker Who Whines About Rap Music

So, there's some news today regarding Jason Whitlock's ESPN website, which at least at one point was supposed to be a "black Grantland." First, it's still a thing that is happening. Second, Whitlock's close to signing his second official hire: Washington Post columnist Mike Wise.

Wise is a ... kind of curious hire. Whitlock's site is supposed to be geared toward young blacks and largely staffed by young, minority writers and editors. Wise is a middle-aged white dude with strong takes on (among many other things) whether it's OK for black people to use the word "nigger" and the place rap music has in locker rooms.

Say what you will about how this hiring aligns with the nominal purpose of the site, it does make sense that Whitlock's first hire after executive editor Amy DuBois Barnett is someone with a worldview that so closely aligns with his.

That worldview, and the backstory involved in Whitlock rising to the point where he can pick off a Post columnist for a project a lot of people still don't believe will ever actually exist, may do something to explain why a site that was supposed to promote young black sportswriters hasn't announced any yet. It's a long story, and you can read about it in the piece below.

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