The racially and sexually inappropriate remarks made by shock jock Don Imus created a storm of protest last week that ended with both NBC and CBS firing the long-time provocateur. During a recent broadcast, Imus had taken aim at the Rutgers University women’s basketball team, which had recently faced Tennessee for the national championship and had won acclaim for its grit and determination. Rather than applauding the efforts of the women’s team that had rebounded from adversity all year, Imus referred to them as “nappy-haired hos.” The firestorm that erupted caused Imus to apologize on numerous occasions and agree to meet with the team and extend an apology first-hand. However, with protests occurring on college campuses, outrage mounting in the African American community, and advertisers pulling their ads from his show, Imus was fired. The big loser in this saga was Don Imus, a member of the National Broadcasting Hall of Fame and a radio personality who earned approximately $10 million per year. The hands down winner was Rutgers University.
The women of the Rutgers University basketball team exhibited intelligence, poise, and heart during their press conference and the many interviews that followed the Imus outburst. They demonstrated that at least at Rutgers, athletes can be scholars and can have bright futures off the court. They also demonstrated that women’s athletics are just as meaningful and important as men’s sports and that when viciously attacked, the stereotypical emotional female response is just that, a stereotype. Here, the women, while expressing their disgust, exhibited level-headedness and sincerity that men would be wise to emulate.
Meanwhile, Coach Vivian Stringer demonstrated the kind of leadership and passion that should be a model for all coaches. She vigorously defended her team and helped put them on the offensive by articulating how hard-working, intelligent and career-minded her players are. Coach Stringer’s public performance was masterful and it is no coincidence that under her leadership, the Lady Knights have reached such incredible success.
Rutgers University, coming off a fantastic football season, enjoyed another round of positive publicity. As was demonstrated in the aftermath of the football season, name recognition for Rutgers is on the rise which will likely result in more applications and more academic and athletic competition for seats in future class years. Meanwhile, Coach Stringer and her team could not have asked for a better recruitment tool for the women’s basketball team and likely all men’s and women’s sports at the University.
As a Rutgers alumnus, I am proud of the Lady Knights and Coach Stringer. When Don Imus attacked them, he attacked not only all women and all African-Americans, but all Scarlet Knights and all that America stands for. While the good that Mr. Imus has done through his charity work should not be overlooked, he made a serious mistake and offended and hurt many people. His termination brings with it some comfort that people can be held accountable for their words and a recognition that words have meaning. Hopefully, this incident will result in a more judicious use of language by media personalities intent on making a name for themselves by the use of “shock.” Most of all, the Imus episode has shed light on what many of us have known for years: Rutgers University can be a star for the State of New Jersey and her residents if it is simply given the chance to shine.
Michael M. Shapiro, founder of ShapTalk.com, is an attorney who resides in New Providence, New Jersey. He currently serves as the Chairman of the New Providence Democratic Party and as Editor of The Alternative Press Contact Mike at mike@shaptalk.com