MSNBC personality and former ESPN sportcenter anchor Keith Olbermann has squared off with ESPN blogger Bill Simmons over a column Simmons wrote Wednesday comparing Tiger Woods' return to the golf course to Muhammed Ali's comeback from being jailed over draft dodging charges during the Vietnam War.
Olbermann panned the comparison and trashed Simmons, quipping "I am again left to marvel how somebody can rise to a fairly prominent media position with no discernible insight or talent, save for an apparent ability to mix up a vast bowl of word salad very quickly."
Simmons quickly fired back via Twitter - the official celebrity response mechanism these days - by stating the following: "KO, please know the feeling is mutual. You’re my worst case scenario for my career in 12 yrs: a pious, unlikable blowhard who lives alone."
While Olbermann may have a point regarding the comparison - which admittedly is something of a stretch - his attack on Simmons is unfounded. Olbermann, you'll remember, rose to fame as a Sportscenter anchor more than a decade ago. Given that his notoriety grew due to his position as a talking head - or someone who could be accused of having no discernible insight - it rings hollow when Olbermann hammers Simmons so hard.
In fact, Simmons has offered more of an opinion than Olbermann ever did for the total sports network, and has inspired a nation of sports bloggers to chase their dream.
Simmons may have been wrong for making the comparison in his column. But Olbermann is simply using his status as a political commentator to put himself on a pedestal above the "lowly" sportswriter.
Perhaps Olbermann should consider the road he took to get to MSNBC before he starts trashing people who work for the network that got him his real start.
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