Perhaps you remember when the ESPN sports commentator and erstwhile famous pitcher Curt Schilling got into an epic Twi**er battle (if such things can be described as “epic”) with his fellow reporter Keith Law. Schilling, a creationist, emitted some remarkably ignorant tw**ts, and was handily refuted by Law, who for his educational efforts was temporarily suspended from tw**ting by his ESPN bosses. (See my reporting here.)
Given the scientific truth of evolution, it would seem to be embarrassing to publicly question it, but of course over 40% of Americans are creationists, and most of the rest will let creationism pass as an offshoot of the desirable institution of religion. And so sportscaster Dave Pasch publicly flaunted his ignorance last week when, as a celebration of his being named Arizona’s “Sportscaster of the Year,” he was given both a cake and a copy of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species by Bill Walton. (This occurred on ESPN’s broadcast of a basketball game between Colorado and Arizona.)
In the video below you’ll see Pasch reject the book gift proffered by Walton, a fellow sportscaster and once a superb basketball player. Pasch then offers to straighten Walton out by giving him a book that “counters” Darwin. Finally someone, showing a knowledge of ID, touts “irreducible complexity”.
Of course Pasch is religious—what creationist isn’t? (The only one I know is David Berlinski.) As The Blaze reports,
Pasch is a devout Christian who is generally more than open about his faith. In fact, he includes a reference to John 1:14 in his Twitter biography, a verse which reads, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” — a reference to Jesus Christ.
In a past interview with the blog Jesus N Sports, Pasch discussed his Christian faith and his sports career, mentioning John 1:14 as one of his favorite Bible verses. Among the subjects discussed in the interview was the honesty and openness with which Pasch said he discusses his faith. [JAC: pity he doesn’t discuss science with that same honesty.]
“I am pretty honest and forthright about my faith when it comes up in a conversation. I am a follower of Christ,” he said, describing how he would react to a colleague who asked about his beliefs. “I would tell them how I came up with that conclusion, continue to help someone understand.”
What is it with ESPN and their creationist broadcasters?
I hope the day will come, and I hope The Albatross will hasten it, when faith is seen not as a virtue but a flaw. I’d send Pasch my book, but if he rejects Darwin’s book out of hand there’s no chance he’d read mine.
h/t: Nathan
I often see American news shows complain when sports commentators talk about anything other than sports, specifically racism or gun violence, but spouting discredited pseudoscience in the name of religion seems to gain support from the same people.
I’d say Bill Walton was trying to do the right thing and simply use a little sarcasm by introducing a book to someone who needed it.
Waste of a good book as it turned out.
Personally, I’m kinda surprised that a sports broadcaster would so openly endorse rationalism. That’s something we should applaud!
b&
Walton’s intelligence & left-leaning politics worked against him when he was in the NBA.
🐾
You do have to love the Grateful Dead t-shirt that Jay Bilas is wearing. Bill Walton will undoubtedly be in Chicago July 3-5 for the Dead’s finale.
http://www.dead50.net/
I have the same Grateful Dead shirt that the guy in the video is wearing.
Too bad the Dead aren’t doing a nationwide farewell tour, I doubt I can make it to Chicago.
I would criticize ESPN for publicly supporting ignorance, but it’s kind of their bread and butter.
Yes, love the shirt, and good on Bill for making an effort. Deadheads include a wide range of political and religious viewpoints. Ann Koulter is a deadhead.
Yeah, would love to make that show, but unlikely. Surely the tickets will go fast. Anyway, Trey is good, but he’s no Jerry.
sub
Is Berlinski a creationist? I know he denies evolution, but does he claim to actually believe in creation?
He’s an intelligent design creationist.
Worse than that, he is an agnostic IDer: he chooses not to speculate what or who the intelligent designer might be. He also defends religion, but as a non-believer, does not assert any given religion as being right or true.
He, like his co-conspirators Ben Stein and Ann Coulter, would appear to be in the tradition of hucksters whose objectives are to 1) line their own pockets and 2) keep the masses ignorant and credulous so they are more easily fleeced by the plutocracy – or if the latter is not an objective per se, he is happy to contribute to the project as he has found an easy way to accomplish the former. Had he first found an easy way to get rich off of rationality I’m sure he might just as easily have taken that route.
I don’t accept that these people “believe” what they say. I don’t think they have any convictions at all. They are liars for Jesus of the most nihilistic stripe. Also too, I’m sure there is a great ego boost that comes from being the smartest guy in the room – which is much easier in ID land I am sure than it is among those who actually value intellectual rigor and accountability to humanity.
I think I’ll send Walton one of my newest T-shirt creations. If he wore it while he was on-air, ala Bilas, maybe he’ll be able raise the IQ level – not only of his co-host, but the bulk of his games-obsessed audience – a small notch or two.
http://www.screencast.com/t/GAiObsoO
For most, it’s a very slow and excruciating slog up Mount Improbable. Mr. Pasch – and all those who cheer him on – need all the encouragement they can get.
Walton appears to be giving Pasch a copy of the Modern Library trade paperback edition, with a Foreword by Edward J. Larson. This seems to be a reprint of Darwin’s first edition along with the Glossary of Scientific Terms that was added in the sixth edition.
To be VERY generous, perhaps I could suggest that maybe Pasch was holding out for the far more useful Annotated Origin published by Harvard University Press in 2009 – a facsimile of the first edition along with extensive annotations by James T. Costa? 🙂
Pasch’s bio notes that he was raised Jewish (conservative) and converted to Christianity at some point. My anecdotal observations over the years is that people who have trod that path are especially impaired by faith.
“I’d send Pasch my book, but if he rejects Darwin’s book out of hand there’s no chance he’d read mine.”
Why do you assume he can read? He is a sportscaster, right?
“I’d send Pasch my book”
(Consulting the bible:Matthew 7:6)
Caste ye not pearls before swine, Jerry.
I wonder how the censors at Oxford would redact that passage … ?
Matthew 8:31, KJV [revised ;)]:
“So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of [those whose name must not be mentioned].”
An atheist who is also a creationist is a creatheist or a cragnostic.
prof c, i will go in halvsies for you to send pasch your book. in fact i would start a fund to send a copy of WEIT to people who really need to read WEIT.