FanHouse Brad Daugherty

Media criticism brings out bad things in people, but you manage to keep an even keel. You know that Duke bias is in fact just part of a systemic problem, not the product of a Blue Devil conspiracy.

That is not to say you're unannoyed by Dick Vitale, or Mike Patrick, or Jay Bilas (personally, I think Bilas is very objective), but chances are you don't yell at your TV as much you used to. That role is reserved for the pre-eminent Vitale-haters.

You're aware that ESPN employs Hubert Davis, Brad Daugherty, Stuart Scott and Peter Gammons, all former Tar Heels. And that they use Bonnie Bernstein, Len Elmore, Scott Van Pelt and Tim Kurkjian ... former Maryland Terrapins.

Or that Duke grad John Feinstein will, at times, rip into his former school. Don't forget CBS's Seth Davis ... a Duke grad and former towel boy for the basketball team. Heck, Sean McManus ... who runs CBS Sports ... also attended Duke.

The overall point being ... there is no overall point. The elites are biased towards a handful of elite programs because that's what they know. It will be ever thus, and we can only hope for improvements along the margins.

Judgment: You are a Reasonable Hater, Working Toward a Better Tomorrow.

Good luck in all that you do.

Not happy with your hater status? Click here to start over from the beginning.

Ok ... injure might be a little strong, but we're definitely in pain here. From a Fanhouse reader:

Could we please get Brad D. off of the air, he is horrible, now I could care less what color you are, you could be purple for all I care, but he is horrible and ruins NASCAR for me.

He is horrible indeed. But I needn't go on about it ... you already know. If not, please feel free to peruse more previous comments or better yet, watch the race on Sunday.

Daugherty's less than stellar performance certainly begs the question: Was he given his gig as an ESPN Analyst (and I use the term loosely) because he was a "former winning NASCAR owner?" Because he was better than all the other candidates for the job? Or because he is a person of color?

Now, I happen to be a fan of diversity ... but I'm no fan of affirmative action. It's a form of racism that many people in this country support or have come to accept, but I can't really get behind the idea of favoring any particular race over another for any reason.

I mean, who among us could believe that the former NBA baller was simply the best candidate for the job at the time he got hired? Especially considering they've still got Allen Bestwick, who knows more than a thing or two about NASCAR and is not at all injurious to fans, stuck in the pits most of the time.

Bring on Speedweeks.

Previously on Fanhouse
Why Are NASCAR Ratings Down? You Decide
Martinsville Ratings Drop on ESPN on ABC
Jarrett to Replace Ousted Wallace in Booth
NASCAR and ABC Blow Pre-Race Coverage
ABC Gives NASCAR the Boot for Primetime Premiere Ratings
Stewart to ESPN: Get the #%($ Away from Me
NASCAR on ESPN on ABC Still Sucks (Now with Video Proof)
Fans: NASCAR on ESPN on ABC Sucks

Serena Williams serves up some fast times with a tennis racket and some yellow felt, but can she get up to speed in a race car?

We'll find out tonight when she and 11 fellow celebrities dreaming of life in the fast lane join six NASCAR drivers in the new reality show, "Fast Cars & Superstars -- The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race."

In tonight's first episode, Kurt Busch pushes NFL Hall of Famer John Elway to the limit in the cars.com car, Surfer Laird Hamilton confirms that nothing scares him and Williams screams her way to shattering her own personal challenge.

The show will explore the interaction of top young stock car drivers with stars from the world of sports, music and entertainment, featuring drama and competition on and off the race track. In each episode, viewers will watch celebrities train with a Gillette Young Guns driver.

"Fast Cars" culminates with a one-hour finale where the celebrities will be coached from the pits by their Gillette Young Guns instructors and compete against each other during a time-trial race.

The series will be hosted by ESPN anchor Kenny Mayne and co-hosted by former Cleveland Cavaliers center and current ESPN NASCAR analyst Brad Daugherty.

*Sigh*

Can't ESPN give Daugherty a job in a sport he knows?

Tonight on ABC (8:00-8:30PM, ET).