A case of 'The bigger they are'
Curious column by Bob Kravitz of The Indianapolis Star, reprinted in USA Today, wondering why the "mainstream media" have given Helio Castroneves' tax-evasion charges so much less attention than Michael Vick's dog-fighting conviction. Kravitz speculates race has something to do with it.
Not to dismiss that possibility -- to one degree or another, race is a factor in everything -- but I can think of two other reasons why Vick was front-page news and Castroneves is inside-the-sports-section stuff:
- The difference in public revulsion between torturing puppydogs and skimming from Uncle Sam.
- The difference in magnitude between a top NFL player and a star Indy-car driver, even a top Indy-car driver who won "Dancing With the Stars."
"We're talking about one of the two most visible people in open-wheel racing," Kravitz writes.
I rest my case.
About this blog
Kevin Modesti watches sports from a new angle since his promotion from sports columnist to sports editor for the Los Angeles Newspaper Group. In his new blog, Modesti not only comments on the big sports stories of the moment-- he talks about what makes them big. Think of it as a conversation with readers about how these stories should be covered.
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