Jerry Tipton isn’t a fan of you, Dominique Ferguson

Weeks ago, when the whole Jerry Tipton fiasco blew up we decided to defend Mr. Tipton a little bit. Not because everyone else was attacking, but because we felt he either:

1. Made a mistake on accident, not meaning to ask the question the way he did.
2. The majority of the backlash was from an online media journalist who basically hates Tipton, so that wasn’t fair.

And a few other reasons. We have always understood the complaints against Mr. Tipton and always took them in stride, considering them. Yeah, Jerry needs to be negative if seemingly for no other reason than he doesn’t want to come off as a homer. But Mr. Tipton’s job isn’t to blow sunshine and rainbows up the UK fanbase’s ass. There are other avenues for that. We’re probably one of them.

But then Jerry, you blatantly showed that everyone was dead on when you decided to write this article. You rip Dominique Ferguson. For what reason? Because he is potentially UK’s best recruit?

You wrote that Ferguson is soft by saying he was undercut and ended up on his butt during one game and then came out of the same game to lay on the floor due to injury. What is the point? He’s a sophomore. Of course he has a lot to learn and a lot of work needs to be done. Of course, the copy editor who wrote your headline must hate you, because that didn’t help anything.

I’m sure Mr. Tipton does not want nor need the support of this blog. He probably doesn’t care that 95 percent of the fanbase and blogosphere hate him. We don’t hate him, but can no longer defend Mr. Tipton after this Ferguson article. I understand what you meant to convey, but you conveyed it all wrong. That’s been too often a recurring problem.

So sorry, but we are letting the wolves have at you from here on out. We’ll be sad to watch.

You’ve angered Greg Doyle, Big Blue Nation.

As I kick back in my mother’s fantique (fake antique) Decartesian map-like, almond armchair waiting to get that phone call from my pops telling me how to fix the lawnmower, I have to marvel at what has become of UK athletics fandom. Yes, I know that was a fantastically ridiculous intro to any kind of piece, but work with me as I try to paint a portrait of an average college kid hacking away at journalism as a fallback career option.

As it were, I hope this is simply a case of summertime sportshounds frantically scrambling for some hint, in the midst of dried up watercoolers, of the arrivals of the tragically far-off college sports seasons (translation: college sports fans with little to talk about). It pains me to see this collegiate sacred ground that outsiders fatally refer to as “Fayette County,” “Lexington,” or “horse country” become a mega-dramatic, sports-taken-out-of-context war zone. And folks, if you don’t follow, take a step back with me.

In just the last week I’ve seen PETA take arms against this state’s second-fiddle like bunker busters in Baghdad, university president Lee Todd poke his business-head in the recruiting practices of a man who’s life consists basketball and basketball, fans urging for the resignation of said president, and an online petition go up calling for the lifeblood of a man going slightly beyond the call of his job description be forcedly removed. Don’t know who that last fellow is? Here’s a TIP: most believe he has an active agenda against that with which his profession depends on for success: UK basketball. On top of all this is hearsay drama, conspiracy theories, and wannabe media stars attacking their peers for a leg up.

What does it all boil down to? Money. It’s taking over. What has always made college sports so special is the historical absence of incentives. College sports, unlike the pro leagues, is all about the team, what the team represents, and performing above and beyond for a cause greater than ones self. At least, that’s what it was. But as we can see so clearly even in our own town, which is merely a microcosm of the greater movement, money is taking over at a frantic pace. As a college sports fan, this gets at me like drowning, burning, or a lack of oxygen: I know the end is near, and the closer it gets the more it pains and constricts.

I’ll separate this soliloquy from picking at how money and professionalism is at the heart of all the aforementioned occurrences here in the bluegrasss, but as a general trend it has taken the spirit away from collegiate athletics. It has broken the business-wall between the school’s academics and athletics (supposedly two separate institutions outside of the phenomenon of the taken-for-granted scholarship). Athletics desicions are more and more being made by the schools’ trustees and alumni based on how it may or may not affect the university, not how it may simply affect the team. Sports media has lost its unbiasedness, the cornerstone of successful journalism. Stories are made not out of fact, truth, and natural occurrence, but out of opinion, half-verified claims, and an interest to glorify a story only to pull in subscriptions or web site hits. Recruiting has become a battle of who can give the most, not who fits the most. Kids rarely pick schools based off childhood obsession for a team, proximity to loved one’s, or that “inner calling” to go. It is based off what school will get them to the money (the league) the fastest or who will let them accept that Range Rover without telling anyone. It can probably be seen most glaringly in coaching, where the difference between $3 million and $3.5 million has somehow become a huge ordeal worth uprooting life and family to travel across America for. And there are growing arguments for players to be paid and allowing boosters to go unrestricted. All while fans can’t stand the growing price of tickets.

It’s just nuts. No. It’s collegiate sports in a world of professionals, where only money matters. Heart counts for nothing but what a doctor would make from transplanting one, spirit counts for nothing but what the Sci-Fi channel can do to reel in more viewers, and drive counts for nothing but what State Farm makes off it’s boring insurance commercials.

Collegiate sports have officially been drafted and signed and I’m depressed. High school sports just aren’t quite as entertaining.

I’ve absolutely had enough of this crap.

What crap, you may ask? The crap on popular UK message boards Kentucky Ink and The Cats Pause, calling for the banning and/or firing of Lexington Herald-Leader UK basketball beat reporter Jerry Tipton.

People, YOU are out of line.

So far, only one person/blog has defend Tipton and another has somewhat taken a stand for a guy who has been working UK basketball games since 1981. H-L editor Linda Austin explains perfectly that Tipton did NOTHING wrong in the blog Behind the Headlines. Fellow UK bloggers over at A Sea of Blue do better than most and at least he thinks everything though.

Let me clarify for the non-media types, unlike what Fox News tells you journalism is not about the fair and balanced. It’s about the truth. Jerry Tipton is not some crap kid reporter, he’s being working for a long, long time and is very, very accomplished.

Jerry Tipton is not suppose to recruit for UK basketball. And everything he supposely asked the parents of two recent UK recruits, are not out of common knowledge.

Tipton “asked” about an arrogant Billy Gillispie and how hard he practices his players? I’m pretty sure Gillispie’s “boot camp” was openly talked about by Gillispie himself and the players.

Supposely Tipton asked about Gillispie’s DUI’s. Highly common knowledge there. Where are we going off the beaten path here? Do you not think opposing coaches haven’t used those as talking points when they recruit against UK?

Did these kids not already verbally commit as well?

You know what the problem is? It’s people who run their own blogs and websites who are JEALOUS of Jerry Tipton. Jealous Tipton beats them in his writing and on most of the non-recruiting stories (which aren’t Tipton’s beat either, or else he’ll beat them then too). Most of them just want to be Jerry Tipton, a respected member of the press corps that cover UK basketball. A respected journalist nationally.

I don’t blame them for being jealous. At our newspaper, we try to beat the big newspapers. But it never fails, how much our very talented beat reporter, Travis Waldron, tries Tipton always gets first scoop on everyone. Tipton’s good. It happens when you are around the same program for 20 plus years. Quit being jealous little girls.

So what do they do? They look for ways to undermine Tipton. It’s replusive. Because Jerry Tipton does not try to openly show UK in an absolute heavenly light that most blogs and online writers will do (by the way guys, are you sure you aren’t committing recruiting violations? That would be worse than Tipton’s alledged hurtful questions).

And then fans are calling for Tipton to be fired and for boycotts of the Herald-Leader and of their advertisers? Get over yourselves and your bullshit.

Jerry Tipton did his job. Get off his back. Quit trying to get the man fired. That’s the most obnoxious thing to do in sports–call for a man to get fired. Put yourself in Jerry’s shoes. What if someone called for you to be fired from your job, when you did nothing wrong.

Jerry Tipton is not UK public enemy number one.

UPDATE: I forgot this part, sorry. Anyway, I do have to agree that sometimes Tipton tries too hard to NOT be a UK homer. Not a fireable offense. The question regarding young players commiting early is completely valid. You can’t prove otherwise, when the story is about the young players.

As for the questions regarding Tipton calling Gillispie an “ass” and “arrogant”, if Jerry did so, that would be out of line. But you have to remember that Tipton is not you’re average, young reporter. He’s been around a while and he has a dry approach to him. It could be that Jerry was not airing personal opinion, but it came off that way.

All in all, you can argue about Tipton and his writing all you want. But if you call for someone to get fired and cancel newspaper subscriptions and e-mail advertisers in order to accomplish this purpose, you are out of line. Just think if the spots were switched. Use your mind, use your heart, THINK people.