What to do with USA basketball?
At my old haunts I had a category called “Wiley” named in honor of the late Ralph Wiley who passed away suddenly a couple of years ago. Wiley, perhaps the best sports journalist of his and I’d argue ANY generation, not only was a wordsmith par excellence, but was one of the first sports journalists to bring racial politics into discussions of sports.
So every so often after he passed, something would happen–like the brawl in Detroit–that would cause me to ask “what would Ralph think?”
When the USA Basketball team lost to Greece last week I had one of those moments. I think they’re on the right track and a bronze is eminently respectable in this day and age but some disagree and are looking for changes. Chuck Klosterman doesn’t have Wiley’s chops–but then again nobody does. I think he’s got the best solution. I’m interested in what you think. Let me know.
