Meet Jason Whitlock, sports columnist turned controversial political pundit
From stints at the Kansas City Star to ESPN, Jason Whitlock, 58, is a sports pundit who's won awards for his commentary. But he's also courted much controversy. In recent years, Whitlock has transitioned to politics, even bagging his own podcast on the conservative Blaze Media network – which was founded by ex-Fox News host Glenn Beck . No stranger to making controversial statements, Whitlock made headlines last year when he said the WNBA was reliant on men and the success of the NBA. Ratings for the WNBA plummeted after star player Caitlin Clark ended her rookie season, sparking debate about the impact one person can have. Notably, Whitlock claimed that WNBA was 'living off the charity of the NBA'.
Here's what to know about Jason Whitlock. He has loved sport since childhood
In a piece published on the The Shirley Povich Centre for Sports Journalism's platform, Whitlock described how he played football, basketball and was good at track as a child. He said he had a happy childhood, even though his parents split when he was about four or five. Whitlock said he was always an Indiana Pacers fan and growing up there was no ESPN, which meant he had to keep up with his team through the local newspaper.
Whitlock became an avid reader of the sports section and when he got a football scholarship to Ball State University, his plan was to be an accountant. 'A friend said 'Hey, dude, you love sports, you love reading the sports section, you should become a sportswriter.' And so I switched my major first semester of freshman year to journalism.' He's known for his work in sports journalism Jason Whitlock is outspoken on the topic of masculinity. Photo: @bentleyfierro/Instagram
Whitlock catapulted to fame as one of America's most prominent sports reporters while working at the Kansas City Star from 1994 to 2010. He was known for speaking about race, social media and sports, with his work scooping numerous awards, including the Scripps Howard National Journalism Award for Commentary in 2008.
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