Open letter to ESPN Radio

It’s not often, I rant here on BC. The last time was an open letter to Facebook for its hosting of a “group” fan page that included images of cyclists being maimed by automobiles and motorists. All in good humor, free-speech advocates would say. So, now the stakes get higher. Tony Kornheiser, Washington D.C. talk show host and sports television personality on ESPN, made a few unfortunate remarks about cyclists, in regards to discussions in the nation’s capital to close off Pennsylvania Avenue to bikes only from the White House to the U.S. Capitol. I wrote an email to ESPN 980 Radio over the weekend after listening to Tony’s recorded (and archived) opinions myself. You can listen here by clicking on March 11 (Part 1). The free speech begins at 31:27. You can slide the play bar right to the spot.

A few observations, then I’ll be quiet:

Tony, those “shiny” shorts cyclists wear that you find some funny? They are made of the same “shiny” material the 400-pound football players you fawn over (and criticize) wear.
“Disgusting poseurs” that you describe cyclists as in your city as sounds like a definition of yourself. Seriously. Howard Stern, you’re not.
“Run ‘em down!” may be easy to say from the comfort of your radio studio (or from the leather seats of your automobile), but doesn’t provide entertainment value or family values that your station’s parent company and majority owner, Walt Disney Company, promotes. Have you been to Disneyland lately? Mickey Mouse? Goofy? Similarities?
“They (bicyclists) don’t share the road, they dominate the road.”? Really? Wow. I guess you’ve never been to Southern California, Tony. Even you would probably get run off the road–in your car, no less–on the I-5 in LA rush hour traffic. It’s a tough world.
And when you predict “someone’s going to hate me for (saying what I said about cyclists),” guess what? You’re right, Tony. If you and your crack producers need to stoop to this level of “entertainment” to get ratings on a “sports” radio network, well, we’re all worse off. Things must be bad. But they could always get worse. I hope you never hit anyone on a bike with your automobile. An archive of the March 11, 2010 “show” will sound pretty damaging to a jury. They’re your words, Tony. Your’s alone.

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