My Unbiased Opinion On Unbiased Opinions

Don't you hate it when someone asks for your "unbiased opinion" on something? What a pressure cooker! Little beads of sweat pop out on your forehead. You force that "unbiased," analytical, "sure-I-can-do-that" look onto your face, and nod. But you know good and doggoned well your opinion is anything but unbiased. The very fact that it was sought immediately biased you in some way. Admit it!

Unbiased opinion is just another of those fun little oxymorons we throw around. It makes about as much sense as jumbo shrimp, criminal lawyer, or Microsoft Works. I mean, good grief, who wants a criminal lawyer? These things make no sense!

Opinions are biased. That's what makes them opinions, dammit! You think what you think about a subject because of your biases, your preconceived notions, your affiliations, your beliefs, your likes and dislikes, what your momma told you, what your daddy didn't. It's just an opinion...and it is biased. But that doesn't make it tainted or irrelevant. It just makes it...biased.

You don't think the national media is biased? It is impossible - and decidedly "unhuman" - for them to be anything but. There is a reason Fox News and CNN can report the same facts and give you a completely different perspective or feeling about those facts.

Sports media is no different. They have their favorites...and their favorite whipping posts. Some in the "legitimate" media dismiss sports editorials like this because they are written by "fans." Pshaw! They are fans, too. If they aren't, who the heck cares what they think about sports in the first place?

I don't mind a sports journalist or reporter slanting or tailoring his work to suit his bias. I don't even mind it when his opinion is juxtaposed to my own (he's entitled to be wrong). Just don't do it with a stiff upper lip. Don't pretend to be above the fray, fair and unbiased. Don't be afraid of the truth, even if it does get in the way of your self-delusion.

So, why bring this up in the first place? Because everyone is entitled to my opinion. That's why.