A Champion Leaves the Ring...
I wanted to post my thoughts on Ralph Wiley's sudden passing a few days ago, but I wanted to be able to sit down to give my thoughts from Monday afternoon some justice...So, I'm going to pass them along now.
I first saw Wiley's work as a teenager with my vast collection of SI stories. Not only was his coverage on boxing, basketball and feature stories on athletes superior writing, but his portrayal of athletes and his ability to capture and reflect what's going on in society through his portrayal of athletes in his feature stories ignited my passion for urban culture at a very early age.
When I first saw him on Roy Firestone's "Up Close" sessions on ESPN in the early eighties, I immersed myself into every word that he said on the screen. How he talked with his fingers pointing to his mouth, the vocabulary that he used, the clarity of his voice. His opinions that he expressed through his ways of communication made me cringe, question, love, and hate the issues surrouding race in sports.
At first, I couldn't understand the viewpoints that he expressed, but his viewpoints led me to seek the questions that could respond to his arguments. As a teen, I used those interviews with Firestone in the eighties to expand my foundation for understanding the different sides of the race. Wiley took me through black nationlism, Spike Lee, the issues surrounding Prop 48, Malcolm X, a better understanding of John Thompson, and why Huckleberry Finn is important to us as a nation. For that journey, I am ever grateful....
Believe me, there was no one who was addressing those subjects better than Wiley at that time.
Yet, remembering Wiley shouldn't be caught up totally in race. Yes, his articles like his SI feature on a young Anfernee Hardaway, which covered race in sports, his books "Dark Witness" and "Why Black People Tend to Shout" were incredible examples on what is going on in this society. However, when reading those works, I've always looked at Wiley not as a writer who provided the 'black' side of race in sports and society, but as an example of what can be produced with a passion of writing.
This guy loved to write. His book with Spike Lee, "Best Seat in the House" is one of my favorites, and his columns on ESPN Page 2 display a love for life.
Page 2's 'Remembering Ralph Wiley' on Tuesday was incredible. The assembly of talent expressing their praise says it all...I think SI senior editor, Roy S. Johnson, gave a great reasoning why Ralph was so great when he stated.
"He (Wiley) clearly brought a unique perspective. He was never afraid of bringing a consciousness that was often overlooked in the sports world. It was one that valued the athlete and went the extra mile to discover the essence of either their greatness or tragedy. At a time when people look at the surface or look at stats, Ralph kind of threw them in the trash, and tried to get to the essence of the athlete."
Yes, he did capture the essence of the athlete, but it was with passion. As Bill Conlin from the Philadelphia Daily News, who went up against Wiley in a lot of high-energy arguments on tough topics, stated it forced you to look at what's going on.
"Ralph Wiley was born to make people think. He was born to infuriate readers of newspapers and magazines, to outrage TV viewers and Internet browsers, not so much with the intensity of words that often left bare, bleeding flesh, but with the realization that he was probably right. We most likely deserved the back of his hand upside our heads.
As frequent panelists on ESPN's "Sports Reporters," Ralph and I debated the opposite sides of many issues -- some even involving sports. But what he did even better than debate was write wonderfully from a solid platform of intellectual accomplishment. As Ralph entered mid-life, I fully expected to see his name atop the best-seller lists with an important novel or a wet-hands-on-a-hot-wire collection of essays treating the often harsh realities of being black in America."
Over the past twenty-five years, there's a short list of great sportswriters that are in a category of their own....That's Frank Deford, Jim Murray, Rick Reilly, and Ralph Wiley....We lost a great one on Sunday night. As a writer, I feel that most of all we lost a voice of authority that eloquently explained the point of view from the other side like a Bob Gibson fastball aimed at your head.
We lost a Champ on this passing....Continue his legacy...
Read, Read, Read,
BD
I first saw Wiley's work as a teenager with my vast collection of SI stories. Not only was his coverage on boxing, basketball and feature stories on athletes superior writing, but his portrayal of athletes and his ability to capture and reflect what's going on in society through his portrayal of athletes in his feature stories ignited my passion for urban culture at a very early age.
When I first saw him on Roy Firestone's "Up Close" sessions on ESPN in the early eighties, I immersed myself into every word that he said on the screen. How he talked with his fingers pointing to his mouth, the vocabulary that he used, the clarity of his voice. His opinions that he expressed through his ways of communication made me cringe, question, love, and hate the issues surrouding race in sports.
At first, I couldn't understand the viewpoints that he expressed, but his viewpoints led me to seek the questions that could respond to his arguments. As a teen, I used those interviews with Firestone in the eighties to expand my foundation for understanding the different sides of the race. Wiley took me through black nationlism, Spike Lee, the issues surrounding Prop 48, Malcolm X, a better understanding of John Thompson, and why Huckleberry Finn is important to us as a nation. For that journey, I am ever grateful....
Believe me, there was no one who was addressing those subjects better than Wiley at that time.
Yet, remembering Wiley shouldn't be caught up totally in race. Yes, his articles like his SI feature on a young Anfernee Hardaway, which covered race in sports, his books "Dark Witness" and "Why Black People Tend to Shout" were incredible examples on what is going on in this society. However, when reading those works, I've always looked at Wiley not as a writer who provided the 'black' side of race in sports and society, but as an example of what can be produced with a passion of writing.
This guy loved to write. His book with Spike Lee, "Best Seat in the House" is one of my favorites, and his columns on ESPN Page 2 display a love for life.
Page 2's 'Remembering Ralph Wiley' on Tuesday was incredible. The assembly of talent expressing their praise says it all...I think SI senior editor, Roy S. Johnson, gave a great reasoning why Ralph was so great when he stated.
"He (Wiley) clearly brought a unique perspective. He was never afraid of bringing a consciousness that was often overlooked in the sports world. It was one that valued the athlete and went the extra mile to discover the essence of either their greatness or tragedy. At a time when people look at the surface or look at stats, Ralph kind of threw them in the trash, and tried to get to the essence of the athlete."
Yes, he did capture the essence of the athlete, but it was with passion. As Bill Conlin from the Philadelphia Daily News, who went up against Wiley in a lot of high-energy arguments on tough topics, stated it forced you to look at what's going on.
"Ralph Wiley was born to make people think. He was born to infuriate readers of newspapers and magazines, to outrage TV viewers and Internet browsers, not so much with the intensity of words that often left bare, bleeding flesh, but with the realization that he was probably right. We most likely deserved the back of his hand upside our heads.
As frequent panelists on ESPN's "Sports Reporters," Ralph and I debated the opposite sides of many issues -- some even involving sports. But what he did even better than debate was write wonderfully from a solid platform of intellectual accomplishment. As Ralph entered mid-life, I fully expected to see his name atop the best-seller lists with an important novel or a wet-hands-on-a-hot-wire collection of essays treating the often harsh realities of being black in America."
Over the past twenty-five years, there's a short list of great sportswriters that are in a category of their own....That's Frank Deford, Jim Murray, Rick Reilly, and Ralph Wiley....We lost a great one on Sunday night. As a writer, I feel that most of all we lost a voice of authority that eloquently explained the point of view from the other side like a Bob Gibson fastball aimed at your head.
We lost a Champ on this passing....Continue his legacy...
Read, Read, Read,
BD
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