The world is set to explode after CBS blogger Anna-Megan Raley(operating under the pen name ‘Claire Crawford’) went out of her way to call NBA Oklahoma City Thunder cheerleader, Kelsey Williams chunky.
Opined the CBS blogger: ‘[Mrs Williams] has been criticized by some folks in [Oklahoma] for having “pudginess” around her waistline… Is this chick “too chunky” to be a cheerleader?’
At the time the post also included a poll where readers could select from three choices:
‘She has the perfect look to be an NBA cheerleader,’ or ‘She could use some tightening up in her midsection,’ and finally, ‘She has no business wearing that outfit in front of people.’
That’s when shit happened and calls to have the CBS blogger fired started coming in. Yes that’s right kids, us bloggers are never allowed to write or question things that might upset some of you. That’s why we all write with a big script hand crafted from the politically correct police in the sky.
Wrote some commentators: ‘This is a disgusting waste of an article.’
Others wrote to say that NBA Oklahoma City Thunder cheerleader, Kelsey Williams was simply photographed from a bad angle.
‘I find this offensive and rude. How would you like this written about someone you know or care about?’
Agreeing, another commenter wrote: ‘It’s a hateful attack on a beautiful, talented, motivated woman, and articles like this contribute to the degradation of society, as well as the negative body image so many women struggle with BECAUSE of media outlets.‘
Eventually the article was nixed by CBS (cached versions are still available). Then again maybe in the end it raises the question of freedom of speech even if feelings are sometimes hurt. Or if sometimes it pays for one to employ some degree of finesse when it comes time to broach sensitive themes?
The CBS blogger has since gone on to nix her twitter, linkedin and MySpace accounts have also been deleted.
At last word neither Williams nor CBS have commented.
Update: Meanwhile Mrs WIlliams, who has cheerleaded for three years, thanked fans for their support on her Twitter account.
She wrote: ‘We wouldn’t know what blessings were if we didn’t go through trials. Thank you to EVERYONE for the compassion and love today. I’m in awe.’
I see you don’t understand how the First Amendment works.
I can’t believe you just called “models/actresses/women in the news media/hooters girls and yes-cheerleaders” one step away from Hookerville. I don’t care if you’re a man or a woman, noone has the right to make this kind of degrading comment about another human being. Freedom of speech is not a free-for-all insult fest on every man, woman or animal that doesn’t please your eyes. Here’s another law thats been grossly misrepresented and lost in translation.
shes not chunky, the blogger needs glasses, she looks fine
I think she is smokin hot. Some people are so ignorant.
Athletes are evaluated/critiqued based on their talent and performance all the time. When a women’s stock-in-trade is appearance and “hotness” they open themselves up to similar commentary. If you don’t like it stop trading on your looks. I’ve always thought that models/actresses/women in the news media/hooters girls and yes-cheerleaders, and others who “capitalize” on their faces/t’s/a’s and other body parts are one step away from Hookerville. It must make many of them sad deep down-not to mention insecure knowing that their appeal and sometimes livelihoods depend on their looks, which of course will fade in time. To be judged merely on the superficial without many caring about a woman’s deeper value might not be something to envy. As our culture has become more and more shallow and beauty obsessed, we collectively reduce women to whore status (check Madison Ave.) And there seems to be no shortage of women willing to participate for the “rewards”. It might be more productive than holding a discussion about one particular cheerleader’s appearance to ask why it is being held at all.
Here’s the thing. I’m not fat, but I’m not fit enough to wear that outfit in front of thousands of people and dance. She’s not fat, but again, she’s not fit enough to wear that outfit in front of thousands of people and dance. Not many could look good in that. Basically, they need new outfits.
This girl is the perfect size!! No chunkiness whatsoever, but no ribs sticking out. Wonder what the blogger looks like….
She is beautiful. And in no definition of the word could she be called fat or chunky. Any of the losers posting on here that shes fat are obviously just doing it for a reaction, bet they wouldnt turn down a chance to go out with her. My problem isn’t so much with the fact that someone thinks she’s fat,as i said it’s so obviously false that it’s laughable. My problem is that she even wrote a whole article about this. Why? There was no need for this dumb article. I think she wrote it out of jealousy
Am I the only one who is wondering why a sports blogger is blogging about cheerleader weight and not….sports?
where do you see chunky?
Double barf
What’s weird to me is if you read the article, the blogger states “some people say” the chick is too chunky, but then goes on to say “we think she’s beautiful.” what do you think? so everybody is mad at this blogger who never actually said the chick was too chunky. Hmmm. Is this a statement on how well today’s average internet surfer can comprehend what they read.
Personally, I think she’s gorgeous.
She has some junk in the trunk for sure.
But this is America, where we love beautiful lies and nobody is allowed to say ugly truths.
Yay freedom!
it’s not offensive to call a chunky woman chunky
barf
Yep, any horse’s ass can say anything as “freedom of speech”, but that doesn’t say that his sexist opinion is valid. She’s a very pretty woman, and not the grossly, stick thin model that Hollywood demands. Let’s post a picture of the blogger and rate his looks before we read his opinions!
Let me get this straight…bloggers have freedom of speech, but people who read them do not? A CBS blogger wrote something that was offensive to the majority of the readers on the website–or at least to the majority of those who commented on it. By your account, those readers didn’t have a right to express their opinion of that blog.
And your categorization that “us bloggers are never allowed to write or question things that might upset some of you”? Oh, pleeeeaaasse! You’re a BLOGGER. You’re not an investigative journalist uncovering corporate wrong-doing that will save lives or someone’s life savings. You’re complaining about NOT being able to criticize a woman for not meeting some blogger’s standard of “cheerleader beauty.” Wow, boo hoo. I’m so sorry you feel that bloggers can’t spew whatever inane shit that they want to without being criticized by reader. If you can’t take the heat, get off the computer.
Claire Crawford’s account on twitter, linkedin and MySpace may be shut down, but that has nothing to do with Anna-Megan Raley’s freedom of speech. She can post her trivial observations anywhere she wants. She just might not be able to get CBS to pay for them.
She looks like a REAL woman to me!!
This is not a case of you “bloggers never [being] allowed to write or question things that might upset some.” This is an issue of catty bitchiness that has absolutely no business on a sports blog. As if women don’t already have a tough enough time being taken seriously in the world of sports journalism (and I use the term “journalism” loosely when it comes to blogging). This is the case of one woman (Williams) having accomplished something that this failed “sports blogger” could not, which is making it as a pro sports cheerleader (Crawford auditioned for the Dynamo MLS team and failed miserably to make the team). No, this is crap that belongs on a gossip blog. So the case for “Crawford’s” firing can be made that she’s an idiot who should stick to what she knows–being catty and jealous.
this girl is HOT!!!
is this guy gay?
This isn’t a question of freedom of speech… But just newsworthiness. It seems as if the blogger was a failed cheerleader (auditioned to be a soccer cheerleader and didn’t make the cut) who let her personal emotions cloud her journalistic integrity. I don’t see how her story was relevant to anything but tasteless gossip. I’m completely a supporter of free speech and press, but the constitution protects your “rights” to say things or print things, but it doesn’t protect your job if you say or do things that upset your employers or consumers. People never seem to understand that.
wow! She is beautiful! What a douche that blogger is! You HAVE to be crazy skinny to be a cheerleader? I thought it was about all around beauty and dancing! Because this girl is much more beautiful that SOO many pencil thin girls.