Revisiting “The Whitest Thing I Heard All Day”

Making Up Stories On-Air is Better than a Messy Personal Life

https://www.foxsports.com/presspass/bios/on-air/charissa-thompson/

I originally wrote about this in November 2023. An on-air personality for Fox Sports admitted to making up stories and quotes and spewing them to millions of viewers. Charissa Thompson remains with Fox Sports in a prime spot on Thursday Night Football. For Sports just underwent a purge where several of its Black hosts were given the axe, along with a couple of white guys who worked with them. Fox Sports canceled The Facility, Speak, and Breakfast Ball, taking with them the majority of Black on-air personalities working for the network. Farewell to Joy Taylor, Emmanuel Acho, Keyshawn Johnson, Michael Irvin, James Jones, LeSean McCoy, and Paul Pierce.

None of these shows was perfect. The Facility was the best sports talk show on television when it came to explaining/demonstrating the inner workings of football. They fell off a bit when discussing other sports. The current iteration of Speak lacked chemistry. The show never found its stride after public allegations involving Joy Taylor’s personal life, as well as those involving Michael Irvin and Paul Pierce. All of them were messy, but they didn’t make up lies about the teams and players they covered. Breakfast Ball was New York-centric and mostly comprised of white men, some of whom, Fox Sports announced, will be retained by the network. The white guys are temporarily gone, the Black people are gone, gone. I’m reminded that Fox Sports is still part of Fox Corporation, which owns Fox News. Here’s the original story:

“I wasn’t going to write about anything race-related today, but I heard a story that threw that goal out the window. Charissa Thompson is a television host and broadcaster, appearing on FOX NFL Kickoff and Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime, sharing pre-game, halftime, and post-game responsibilities. In a November 2023 interview with Barstool Sports, Thompson acknowledged she sometimes makes up some of the stories she reports from the sidelines.

“I’ve said this before. I haven’t been fired for saying it, but I’ll say it again. I would make up the report sometimes, because A) the coach wouldn’t come out at halftime, or it was too late and I didn’t want to screw up the report. So I was like, ‘I’m just gonna make this up, because first of all, no coach is gonna get mad if I say, ‘Hey, we need to stop hurting ourselves, we need to be better on third down, we need to stop turning the ball over and do a better job of getting off the field.’ They’re not gonna correct me on that. So I’m like, it’s fine, I’ll just make up the report.”

The white thing about this isn’t the fact she made up some stories she reported as fact on national television. It’s that she thought she was entirely within her rights to do so. After she repeated her admission on the Pardon My Take podcast, trouble finally found her, along with the realization she could lose her career. No Black or Hispanic journalist would think for a moment they could get away with that. Other female sports journalists let her know what she’d done.

“As one of only 3 women in the @ProFootballHOF I’m sickened by the insulting mockery being made of sideline reporting, a challenging role primarily manned by women — most of whom understand & respect the values of journalism and are integral, trusted members of a broadcast team.” — Andrea Kremer

“Shocked. Disappointed. Disgusted. What we heard today called all sideline reporters into question. My job is an honor, a privilege and a craft at which I have worked so hard. Trust and credibility. They mean everything to a journalist. To violate either one — in any way — not only makes a mockery of the profession, but is a disservice to players, coaches and, most importantly, to fans.” — Lisa Salter

“I hold myself to the highest standard in everything I do- I KNOW my hard working colleagues do the same. We earn respect the hard way. To those commenting on the irrelevant role of sideline reporters- beat it! WE ARE JOURNALISTS. THESE actions are not normal.” — Kathryn Tappen

“This is not normal or ethical. Coaches and players trust us with sensitive information, and if they know that you’re dishonest and don’t take your role seriously, you’ve lost all trust and credibility.” — Molly McGrath

New England Patriots host Tamara Brown said that Thompson’s admission made things harder for all women to be taken seriously in the profession, especially minority women who have always had to fight harder for opportunities.

“As a black woman who’s been GRINDING to get a network job as a sideline reporter this is infuriating. I’ve been told I wasn’t ready, nothing was open, left on read…you name it. Yet there are people like you in these roles not taking it seriously.”

Thompson has since issued an apology, stating that fabricating stories was a practice she employed early in her career.

“OK, let’s address the elephant in the room. I have a responsibility to myself and my employers to clarify what is being reported, I chose the wrong way to describe the situation and never attributed anything I said to a player or coach.

“I’m sorry. I have never lied about anything or been unethical during my time as a sports broadcaster. I have nothing but respect for sideline reporters and the tireless work they put in behind the scenes and on the field. I am also appreciative and humbled to work alongside some of the best in the business and call them some of my best friends.” — Charissa Thompson

A real journalist would be fired for making up stories. Leaving Thompson in place suggests that sideline reporters aren’t journalists, but rather eye candy. When this story was written, Thompson hadn’t been fired, suspended, or, to my knowledge, given a stern talking to. This story is the whitest thing I’ve heard today.”