Boycott ESPN!

Hardy Menagh   3/19/10

It was never my intention to turn this site into a blog. Hopefully the situation that precipitated this page will be resolved and I can get back to sharing information about bikes and such.

Stupidity Given a Voice = Money

Occasionally an ignorant opinionated sociopathic person who believes that he has a flare for the dramatic, is granted a regular public soapbox by some sponsor. The sponsor believes, rightly, that this person, however reckless and damaging to people will, through controversy, make the sponsor money. The sponsor doesn't care who gets hurt. In fact, the sponsor usually encourages it.

Such is the case with ESPN Radio's Tony Kornheiser. I don't need to go into the details. Please take the time, right now, to do a search on:

Tony Kornheiser cyclists

I've provided a convenient Google search field at the bottom of this page. Just copy and paste or use your own favorite search engine. In any case you'll probably find more information than you need. If it makes you angry, come on back and read on. If not, you can go and look at something else on the web.

You're still here? Good.

Road Rage

The news of Tony Kornheiser's rant, encouraging hate crimes against cyclists, came a few days after a ride where someone threw a bag of garbage out of a car window and intentionally hit me with it. It caused no mishap but shook me up and ruined my day.

About two years ago, someone in a Mercedes pulled alongside me and forced me right off the road into the fortunately shallow ditch.

At age 19, I was hit by a careless motorist who left me bleeding with a badly broken leg in the street and sped away.

Add to that, the things that are yelled, motorists that buzz you or come over the center line toward you in the opposite lane and you might believe there's a war of terror going on, right here on our public streets.

I know full well, it's dangerous to ride a bicycle on public roads. Anyone who tells you it isn't is either lying or has no experience with it. You're out in the open balanced on a fragile conveyance. You have no way of knowing who is coming up behind you at the wheel of a big heavy powerful steel cage, nor can you tell what's on their mind.

Obviously, I'm still riding. A bicycle is my only personal transportation and I enjoy it too much to let a few dimwits ruin it for me. I'm out there in traffic almost every day. I don't race bicycles or have sponsors like Lance Armstrong. Lance doesn't speak for me. When someone threatens my safety, I have to take it personally.

There are a very few angry motorists who feel superior to you, recognize your vulnerability and can rationalize attacking you. Maybe they lost an argument with a spouse or their boss told them off or they're just not sane, but make no mistake, they're on the road with you. Most of them will pass you without incident, unless something has allowed them to rationalize acting on impulse.

Tony Kornheiser has acted as that catalyst with the voice he has been given and he needs to have his voice silenced.

What You Can Do?

How can we do this peacefully? by hitting ESPN where it hurts, in the wallet.

Please take the time to contact ESPNs sponsors and tell them you are boycotting their products. Tell them the boycott will end when Tony Kornheiser is fired.

Also contact ESPN and Tony Kornheiser's management. Tell them you are joining in the boycott of their programming including that of all of their affiliates. Tell them you have contacted their sponsors and are boycotting them as well. Tell ESPN they need to put pressure on Tony Kornheiser's management to have him fired for instigating hate crimes.

This is going to take you several minutes but it's important so please do it. Your safety and the safety of your cycling friends is being threatened and you have the ability to do something about it.

If you have a bicycle-related website, a blog or a social networking account, please feel free to link to this page.

At best Tony Kornheiser will be fired but even if he isn't it will let people know that cyclists will stand up to attacks like this.

One piece of genuinely useful and somewhat related advice before I shut up. Keep your cell phone on, while you ride and know how to quickly use the camera.

Have a safe ride, Hardy

ESPN's contact page:

https://r.espn.go.com/members/contact/index

Tony Kornheiser's ESPN radio show management contact page:

http://www.espn980.com/info/contact_us.php

You can also follow the thread on this subject at bikeforums.net

This Hardy's Back Room page is provided without ads

 Back Home 

Copyright © 2010 Hardy Menagh