ESPN analyst wants to cancel the sports metaphor 'Mount Rushmore': 'Not even the four best presidents'
ESPN analyst Jay Williams wants to retire the sports reference to Mount Rushmore.
Referring to the national monument in South Dakota where the faces of four former U.S. presidents are carved into a mountainside, sports analysts regularly use the phrase to refer to the greatest players of a particular sport.
On Wednesday, ESPN host Stephen A. Smith suggested that NBA superstar Steph Curry might replace LeBron James on the "Mount Rushmore" of professional basketball if the Golden State Warriors win this year's NBA championship. Though Curry is already considered the greatest shooter in NBA history, another championship would make him a five-time champion.
On Thursday, Williams responded to Smith's comments and registered his disdain for the reference.
"Can we first off just stop with the Mount Rushmore talk," Williams said on ESPN. "They're not even the four best presidents this country has ever had. Everyone in this room was not even able to vote. I just want to say that off the top. That’s our metric for success? That’s our king?"
Smith responded that the reference "is just used as a metaphor."
\u201cJay Williams encourages everyone to stop the Mount Rushmore talk\u201d— Awful Announcing (@Awful Announcing) 1683216023
While it's debatable who the four best presidents are — though many would include the George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt on their list of best presidents — it's true that black Americans did not have full voting privileges when Mount Rushmore was constructed or under any of those four presidents.
The 15th Amendment gave black men the right to vote, but because of Jim Crow laws and poll taxes, many weren't able to exercise their full rights for another century. The 24th Amendment, ratified in 1964, constitutionally outlawed poll taxes.
Anything else?
Williams isn't the first sports analyst to blast the "Mount Rushmore" metaphor.
Last year, ESPN analyst Jalen Rose said using the metaphor is "offensive," especially to Native Americans. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) blasted "woke leftists" in response.
"The four men on Mount Rushmore were amazing, flawed American leaders who helped make America what it is today — the greatest country the world has ever known," she responded. "To the woke leftists obsessed with attacking these leaders, I’ve got news for you: not on my watch."
\u201cThe four men on Mount Rushmore were amazing, flawed American leaders who helped make America what it is today \u2014 the greatest country the world has ever known.\n\nTo the woke leftists obsessed with attacking these leaders, I\u2019ve got news for you: not on my watch.\u201d— Kristi Noem (@Kristi Noem) 1659801645
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Former NBA star fires back after fellow ESPN panelist implies that white players are favored for league MVP award: 'We create narratives that do not exist in reality'
Things got heated on a recent episode of ESPN's "First Take" when two former NBA stars clashed over why certain players might be favored to win the league's MVP award.
On Tuesday, guest analysts JJ Redick and Kendrick Perkins joined hosts Stephen A. Smith and Holly Qerim to discuss Nikola Jokic's impending NBA MVP award. Jokic already won the 2021 and 2022 MVP honor, so winning again this year would make three in a row. Perkins, who spent 15 years in the league before retiring in 2018, suggested that many NBA MVP voters prefer white players over their black counterparts.
"When it comes down to guys winning MVP since 1990, it's only three guys that won the MVP that wasn't Top 10 in scoring," Perkins stated on the show last Wednesday. "Do you know who those three guys were? Steve Nash, Jokic, and Dirk Nowitzki. Now, what do those guys have in common? I'll let it sit there and marinate. You think about it."
Nash, Jokic, and Nowitzki are all white males from foreign countries. On Tuesday, Perkins also added that "when it comes to MVP voting, 80 percent of the voters are white American. Twenty percent are others. I know that stat."
Redick took issue with Perkins' insinuation that voters for the NBA MVP award, who are largely sports writers and broadcasters, cast their votes based on skin color.
"Stephen A. [Smith], I mean no offense to you," Redick began in rejoinder. "I mean no offense to 'First Take' because I think this show is extremely valuable. It is an honor to be on this desk every day. It really is.
"But what we’ve just witnessed is the problem with this show," he continued, "where we create narratives that do not exist in reality. The implication, what you are implying, that the white voters that vote on NBA are racist, that they favor white people … That’s exactly what you implied, Kendrick Perkins."
Redick's comments prompted a lot of cross-talk with Perkins, who argued that he was merely stating "facts."
Though Perkins initially stood his ground, he quickly backpedaled and extended an olive branch to Redick, who was a league journeyman from 2006 until 2021.
"JJ, I appreciate you brother," Perkins said. "Real talk, I appreciate you for challenging me on this whole conversation. Because guess what? It's an uncomfortable conversation, but it was something that needed to be had because for the simple fact is this: This is how a lot of former African-American players have been feeling for decades now. So yes, it was brought up and yes, we went at it, but it was a conversation that we had.
"Someone had to address the elephant in the room, and that was a conversation that needed to be had," Perkins continued. "But I appreciate you, brother. I'm good, long as you good."
Redick followed suit and promised Perkins that there were no hard feelings. "Perk, you know I respect your experience," Redick added. "I respect every former player's experience. I can't speak on that.
"I understand what you're saying. We're always good," Redick assured Perkins.
Molly Qerim then closed the segment by claiming she wished they could all gather in person for a group hug.
\u201cHere's the resolution\u201d— Awful Announcing (@Awful Announcing) 1678204750
The NBA typically announces its MVP in June after the playoffs are over. With just a few weeks left in the regular season, Jokic will continue to vie for the coveted award against other frontrunners, including Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid. Jokic currently averages a triple-double and 24 points per game. He and the rest of the Denver Nuggets have the best record in the Western Conference at 46-19. They are set to host the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.
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