The Asher Archives
Asher’s Radio Interview
November 16, 2051
This story is a follow-up to The Loophole Owner. For best understanding, it is highly recommended that you read that first.
KYLE: Welcome back, everyone — you’re listening to The MaraThon with me, Kyle Mara, here on 94.9 The Owl — it’s the show for thoughtful conversations on the sports issues of today.
As promised, we’re now on the line with who I think is one of the most talented sportswriters in the business right now, and I don’t just say that because we’re friends, although I’m very lucky to call him one. It’s Asher Raines. How are ya, my man?
ASHER: Not too bad, not too bad. How’ve ya been? How’s the family?
All good, man. Thanks.
Asher, I’m always excited to talk to you because I love how you’re always finding unique angles on some of the most interesting stories in sports. Now, your latest is actually a profile on Tyson Colburn, the controversial owner of the Oakland Ospreys of the Basketball 2.0 League, “The “Loophole Owner” as the piece was titled.
Now, it’s been shared quite a bit in the last few days, but if you haven’t read it yet, it’s a fascinating look at a guy who’s been drawing headlines all season long for his team’s unique take on home-court advantage.
I was surprised when this came out because we haven’t really seen you dip your toes into profile writing, so I was curious how this even came about in the first place?
Well, you’re right that it’s been quite a while since I’ve been able to tell a story in that way. But for me, I think it starts with the idea. I’ve been following the Ospreys pretty closely all season — you know, it’s not often that something so out of left field (if you can pardon me using a baseball metaphor for a basketball story) happens in the sports world, and this is even in a league designed to be a little different.
So this was something I wanted I tackle, and then it comes down to finding the best way to do that, and the idea of a profile was something that appealed to me a lot, because everyone has their opinions on Tyson and that team, but we haven’t really heard Tyson’s side of the story outside of a few statements he’s released saying that his team hasn’t broken any rules.
I’m kind of wondering if there’s something in particular about these new, experimental basketball leagues and tournaments. Because one of your first really big stories was your — I guess we’ll call it a report — of the first Summer Madness tournament back in 2047. But even before that, you covered the NBA’s Centennial Legends Simulation. And now obviously you’re back with Tyson Colburn and the B2.
Well, it does seem kinda funny when you line those all up together like that. I mean, am I specifically seeking out these stories? I don’t think so, but they certainly keep happening.
I think any time there’s some new venture or someone does something we’ve never seen before, it presents an opportunity to really examine the motivations behind it. You know — why did this happen? And especially when something generates a lot of attention, you can learn a lot about human nature. So in the case of Tyson and the Ospreys, there were these really clear questions of “why did this person do this?” and “why do people care so much that he did?”
That’s kind of interesting. Because you talk about having these questions, but we don’t really hear much of your opinion on what you discovered. You say at the end that you have opinions but really leave it there. And that’s different from what we’re used to. You’re usually someone that — even when you’re reporting on something, you like to give your opinion on it, and I think a lot of people follow you because of that.
Yeah — while I certainly appreciate that I’m kinda given the ability to do that, and that people have responded positively. I’ve always kind of thought that neutrality in journalism is kind of a myth.
To give a really simple example, in sportswriting you’re often told not to be biased — you know, don’t root for or against anybody. But that’s kind of ridiculous because naturally, everyone has their favorite teams and vice-versa. I think it can help create a real connection with your audience if they know you and who your teams are, and that shouldn’t impact your work. You should still be able to criticize a team you like or commend one you dislike as long as you’re accurately portraying what happened to the best of your abilities.
But I think that really applies to anything. If you’ve done the work to really examine something, you should be able to say, pretty objectively, “here is what’s happening” and then also say “here’s how I feel about it.”
And you know, I really think Tyson appreciates that I’m willing to put my informed opinion out there. He doesn’t do many interviews. But he accepted this one, and he asked me multiple times what I thought of different aspects of him and his whole situation, and I told him.
But he’s someone that’s really kind of mysterious — no one knows what he thinks or why he did everything that he did, so I think in this case, when I was writing his profile, I really mostly wanted to leave things in his own words.
Well now you’re just teasing us. How do you feel about him?
Haha. I think he’s someone that’s very much still in transition. And I’ll explain what I mean by that, but first I want to say that I do like him. I found him to be very respectful — he’s a smart guy, and I enjoyed our conversation. That being said, I have a lot of problems with the way he’s run his team.
When I say he’s in transition — I fully support everything he said about how he grew up in a very competitive environment — I definitely share some of that — and how he’s kind of realized that his success hasn’t brought him a ton of happiness. And so that led him to question a lot of things, and his motivations, and to realize, y’know, that he didn’t really understand why he was doing some of the things he was doing in his career. He was just following what felt like the path he was supposed to take.
And so I commend him a lot for reaching a point where he decided to step back, take some time away from everything, and then decided to pursue things that he finds interesting, and valuable, fulfilling. He’s lucky enough to be in a position to do that.
But here’s the problem — choosing to pursue all of that stuff is fine as long as it doesn’t infringe upon other people. But that’s exactly what he’s doing. Even if he’s not breaking any rules, he’s intentionally deciding to go against the spirit of the league — he knows that he’s not supposed to be able to do any of the tricks he tried. Yet, he chooses to anyway, and it loses the league credibility.
Worse than that, though, is how he treats his own team. None of them signed up for this. They’re just trying to make a living and prove themselves as professional athletes. But now they have to deal with all these ridiculous playing conditions without having a say in the matter. It’s humiliating.
Tyson talks so much about growing up and living inside a system where all these pressures were constantly placed upon him and his peers and so much of their lives felt forced — you have to do this, you have to do that. And he talks about how it was bad for his mental health and how much he resented living that way.
But then, what does he do with the Ospreys? That exact same thing. He places all of these ridiculous expectations on his players and his staff, who just have to deal with it. Their opinions don’t matter. Tyson’s the one in control, and he’s only looking out for himself.
You think he cares about the fans? The experience of going to one of their home games is terrible. Their attendance was at the bottom of the league despite how much attention they received. And of course it was — who would go to a game knowing they might have to wear earplugs the whole time to deal with the constant sirens?
He’s ruined things for so many people, and I think he’ll realize that at some point — but right now all he cares about is doing what he wants without thinking of the consequences.
Wow. I mean, I think you make some good points, but at the same time, I really liked what he did this season. I thought he was a guy who was committed to winning and was going to stay true to his beliefs regardless of the flak he got for it. And so I respected that.
And I was always intrigued to see what he would do next. A lot of people were. In-person attendance is one thing, but his games always got the highest ratings. It was good for the B2.
I mean, in some ways, yes. He certainly helped the league gain publicity, but what’s the reputation? It comes across as poorly run and kind of a joke.
And look — a lot of people were intrigued by the Ospreys, you’re far from alone. That split of public opinion is a big part of what makes this story so interesting. And I’ll even say that part of me wonders what might be possible and thinks that if there’s a market that cares, Tyson should be able to pursue all of these weird experiments.
But it should come as part of a different league — one where everyone involved is on the same page.
Maybe he would be the commissioner of that league.
Perhaps. At the very least, he’d need to have a big say in putting it all together. That was my #1 takeaway. He wants to always be in charge.
Don’t we all want to feel in charge of our own lives?
I guess, but I think he takes it to another level. You know, at one point we were talking about how — even though it often made him feel isolated from other people and no one was really happy for him — he just enjoyed the freedom of not having a boss.
So then he looks me dead in the eyes and says “you, know — we’re the same age. And you’re a successful writer, Haven’t you ever thought about going independent? Do you really want to spend your whole life working for someone else?”
That’s pretty forward. What did you say?
I told him it wasn’t that easy. Right now, I’m in a spot where I have a lot of creative freedom but I also get the benefit of working for a bigger outlet that can help with access. You know, actually send me places, or even just get people to be willing to talk to me. I don’t know if I could get that by myself.
I think you could.
Well, who knows what happens down the line. But I’m happy where I am.
Good deal. Look, Asher, as always, it’s been a pleasure to talk with you and hear about your writing process and how you thought about this story, and then obviously your thoughts on Tyson and his story in general. And I’ll say it again, for any of our listeners that haven’t read “The Loophole Owner,” I highly recommend checking it out.
Thanks, man. For the kind words, and for having me on the show. I look forward to it every time.
I appreciate that. One last thing before I let you go — are there any stories or projects you’re working on now that you’re excited about?
Um, yeah. Haha. There definitely might be. I’m not trying to give away any details at this point, but uh…be on the lookout.
Fair enough. And you know we will be. Alright, take care, bro. See ya.
Yup. See ya.
Asher Raines Stories
An Overindulgence of Madness
Taysom Hill Plays Other Sports
The Loophole Owner
Asher’s Radio Interview (a follow-up to The Loophole Owner)
For All-Time’s Sake
A Grand Goodbye
