Jay Mariotti proves karma is real Posted by Zach Mentz on August 21, 2010 · 1 Comment

Before I begin this column, may we all please put our hands together for a round of applause for Jay Mariotti for being one of the biggest jokes in all of American sports writing! Congratulations, Jay! With the breaking news from the Los Angeles Times this morning, you’ve really outdone yourself! (no one claps)

Now if you haven’t heard the news already, Jay Mariotti of Fanhouse.com & a regular panelist on ESPN’s Around The Horn, has been arrested by Los Angeles Police and booked on a suspicion of felony. A source close to the case described it as a domestic disturbance charge involving Mariotti and his girlfriend. Mariotti is currently being held on $50,000 bail. For more details, check here.

In short, Mariotti hit a woman, perhaps the most cowardly act a man could perform. It was reported that Mariotti and his girlfriend got into an argument at a club in Santa Monica. The argument then continued at the couples apartment and police were eventually called and Mariotti was arrested after some sort of physical altercation occurred. It’s amazing what modern technology can bring to you. Not only the details of this case, but the details of Jay Mariotti’s booking information are online.

I have never been a fan of Jay Mariotti’s. Never have, never will. He’s too much for me (and most people) to put up with. If you have seen him on Around The Horn, you know him to a degree. You know that he is loud, obnoxious, arrogant, overly judgemental and scrutinizes athletes for every mistake they make. Mariotti even once called Dolphins running back Ricky Williams a “terrible human being” and a “disgrace to humanity” for smoking weed. Mariotti also once called sports bloggers “amateurs”, only to become the lead columnist of Fanhouse.com, a sports blog, after previously writing for the Denver post and more recently the Chicago Sun-Times.

Don’t think that Mariotti hasn’t been in the middle of controversy before, though. In early 2004, Chicago White Sox broadcaster Ken Harrelson called Mariotti “the biggest sports fraud.” After taking shots at one another via the media, the two were eventually involved in a physical altercation at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, the former home ballpark of the Minnesota Twins. Following the incident, Mariotti suffered a broken nose.

In June of 2006, Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen publicy called Jay Mariotti a “fag.” Guillen later apologized for using the slur, but did not apologize to Mariotti. Mariotti later called for Guillen’s firing, which never happened.

Then I woke up this morning and heard the news. Jay Mariotti is being held on $50,000 bail in a Los Angeles jail after being arrested overnight after being involved with a physical altercation with his girlfriend. I’d like to say I’m surprised, but to be honest, I’m really not.

It’s almost funny in fact. I’m not saying that domestic violence is funny, because it is anything but funny, but Jay Mariotti is funny. He’s a joke, and jokes are meant to be funny. The same guy who ridicules athletes for every wrong decision they make has now made in irreversible mistake that his name willy carry for the rest of time. It’s laughable because it is ironic and it is Jay Mariotti.

Now as I mentioned before though, Around The Horn is shown on ESPN every day during the week at 5 pm. Mariotti is known best by sports fans around the country for his time on Around The Horn, not at Fanhouse. Therefore, where will ESPN come out on all of this? Will ESPN fire Jay Mariotti? Will they suspend him for a certain time period? Or will they sweep it all under the rug and act like nothing happened? To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if ESPN chose option C and swept the whole situation under the rug.

I don’t like the way ESPN has conducted itself in recent history. To me, ESPN seems more like a celebrity network than sports reporting network. Rather than showing walk off homeruns and game results, we see Brett Favre’s plane as it lands in Minnesota. Rather than seeing analysis of the NFL off-season moves, we see LeBron have his own hour long ESPN special just to announce which team he will play for this upcoming season. Sure, Favre’s plane and LeBron’s decision will attract viewers which in turn attracts more sponsors, but maybe that’s exactly the problem. When you give up your dignity to attract viewers and cash, you seem to have lost it all. I won’t go on an ESPN tangent though, this column is ALL about Jay Mariotti and his latest act of stupidity.

For such a smug, outspoken, arrogant man to finally get what he has deserved for years is an act of karma. Mariotti has been doling out harsh words towards those who do wrong in our society, mainly professional athletes, for years. Well, Jay, now is your turn. Prepare for an arsenal of jokes, puns and mean words directed your way in the near future, because in the end Jay, what goes around comes around.