“There's some big women down there in Texas. It's like a
goldmine for Weight Watchers.”
“Every ethnic group is racist, people need to realize that.”
“If all babies are cute, why there be so many ugly people in
the world.”
Each of these three statements come straight
from the twitter page of Sir. Charles, one of the NBA’s most infamous talkers. Although
social media hasn’t necessarily changed how sports figures (like Charles
Barkley) think and speak, it has changed how much access they have to share
those thoughts. When I found out that Charles Barkley was going to be a sports
analyst following his retirement from the NBA, I remember thinking something
like, “that won’t last long, he won’t be able to think anything worth saying.”
While he may or may not have thought of an intelligent thing to say yet, it is
fifteen years later now and, to my surprise, it seems he has thrived in the
ever changing sports reporting climate. And while he has talked about moving onto other things, he has stuck around.
It seems like the
changes in social media have been ideally suited for a person like Barkley, because
they allow him ongoing access to his audience. While as a player he was known
for his big mouth, his opportunities to share his thoughts were mostly
restricted to air time provided by the media. Sites like twitter have given him
a platform on which he can voice his blunt and often hilarious opinions.
Although even Charles admits that he sometimes has to censor his comments, his commentary on both
sports and social issues can be not only funny but surprisingly refreshing. And
while he has ruffled quite a few feathers with his openness and honesty, it
seems that many viewers find such an honest voice refreshing in the midst of so
much “fluff” in sports journalism. I laughed out loud in appreciation when I read his comments on Johnny Manziel. It was nice to hear someone say with so
much bluntness what I had been thinking of little Johnny football all along. 
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