Stop calling John Daly fat. Just stop it

A few of my relatives on the Italian side of my family used to half-joke, half-gripe that Italians were the last group of people in the U.S. who it was still ok to bash for their ethnicity. They were and are still given gangster associations, called wops and other derogatory terms. And the fact is, they were right, as many in the media will use Italian stereotypes readily and happily.

But when it comes to degrading speech toward a segment of society, Italians can’t hold a torch to what the overweight in this nation go through. And how the media treats John Daly is perfect proof of this bias.

Because Daly may have a drinking problem. He may have a gambling problem. He may be undisciplined. But none of those faults bring the outright vitriol from the media as does the fact that he’s overweight.

The Canadian Press:

“He’s now a fat, middle-aged man who chain smokes Marlboros, downs Miller Lites by the six-pack, and travels the country in an RV looking for a tournament to play.”

San Diego Union Tribune

“Daly is a big, fat snowball at this point, tumbling downhill toward a gaping crevasse.”

St. Louis Post Dispatch

“Underachievement is not a felony, but fat and lazy are not normally considered a skill set.”

CBS Sports

“If Tim Finchem has an ounce of fortitude, he will stare across the table at his news-making problem child and bark in a harsh parental tone, a la Dean Wormer, “Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.”

Tampa Tribune

“Marred in yet another life/career crisis, golfer John Daly says he is thinking of answering critics by writing a country-western song that he will call “I Guess It’s My Fault, Even When It’s Not My Fault.” What, “Stumbling Through Life Fat, Drunk and Stupid” already has been recorded?”

If there’s one thing that gets under a male sports fan’s skin more than anything, it seems, it’s wasted talent. And Daly has been, for many years now, the epitome of just that. And that he is undisciplined and out of shape for a professional golfer is a big part of his problem.

But every time a writer (and note, I didn’t even mention any bloggers, only mainstream media newspapers) uses “fat” as a derisive adjective, it’s quite likely more than half who read it are offended and feel at the very least a twinge of pain.

Shaming and insulting overweight people to lose weight doesn’t work. If it did, the U.S. would be a nation of thin folks. Because experienced journalists can sneer about someone being fat, and none of their editors will blink an eye. And none of the examples I showed above were pointing out that John Daly doesn’t care about the conditioning necessary to be a top golfer. They were all used in a hateful form. Look at him - He’s fat!

So stop calling John Daly fat. It’s not funny, it’s not clever, it’s not insightful, and it’s not professional. It’s just hurtful. Just stop it.

–WKW