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SB Nation column on Karl-Anthony Towns slammed by Wolves fans

Of the 1,613 words written in the column, only 40 were dedicated to Towns' play.
Nolan O'Hara|
Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) controls the ball against Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington (25) in the first quarter during Game 3 of the Western Conference finals at American Airlines Center in Dallas on May 26, 2024.
Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) controls the ball against Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington (25) in the first quarter during Game 3 of the Western Conference finals at American Airlines Center in Dallas on May 26, 2024. | Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

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Sports columnists are often critical about the subjects they cover. It's part of the job. The job is to share your opinion and call things as you see them. If a particular team or player is struggling on the court or demonstrating character issues off of it, it's more than fair to be critical of those actions.

There's no need to sugarcoat things. If an athlete has the worst performance of their life, write exactly that. If something happens that has you questioning an athlete's character, it's fair to write that, too.

That's known as constructive criticism.

Of course there's also the flip side of that, unconstructive criticism. While good sports writers will strive to be fair and avoid unwarranted and unnecessary criticisms, there was an excellent example of unfair and poor criticisms and writing in an SB Nation column from Abe Beame that was published on Tuesday titled: "An ode to Karl-Anthony Towns, the most annoying guy in the NBA."

As the title would indicate, it didn't offer much in terms of meaningful criticisms of Towns.

But even that would undersell how poor the column truly is. It has none of the elements that make good sports writing. It wasn't fair, it wasn't constructive, and frankly, it was flat-out disrespectful.

Beame’s column spanned 1,613 words, but only 40 were reserved for Towns' performance during the Western Conference finals against the Dallas Mavericks. There was no criticism of Towns' character.

So what did the other 1,573 words entail? It was a long-winded way of saying Towns is annoying.

There simply wasn't any valid criticism in the piece. It was poor sports writing, failing to include any elements that make a good column. It was critical, sure, but about nothing of any substance.

Some of those included that Towns looks annoying and that he's goofy, weird and awkward.

It was more reminiscent of a rap diss track than of a sports column. Beame may as well have quoted Kendrick Lamar's Drake diss track Euphoria in which he raps: "I hate the way that you talk, the way that you walk, I hate the way that you dress." That was about as constructive as the column.

Other criticisms included that Towns is a "tryhard," which seems like an odd insult for a professional athlete. That's typically a phrase reserved for the guy who's dishing out flagrant fouls in a pickup game at a YMCA. NBA players are supposed to be tryhards, it's the nature of professional sports.

And then there was also the criticism that Towns is cringy. The ultimate sin, I guess.

Now, it's not that Towns is above criticism. He has played poorly in the Western Conference finals. He's shooting just 28% from the field and 14% from 3-point range. Those are abysmal numbers that have contributed to the Timberwolves' 3-0 series deficit. Only 40 words were dedicated to that.

Had Beame's column been about Towns' very real struggles in the series and how his play could cost the Timberwolves a shot at the NBA Finals, that would have been fair. Towns himself would be the first to admit he's not playing up to the standard he's set for himself. He needs to be better.

But just 40 words were allotted for Towns' play. The other 1,573 words were criticizing Towns because he's annoying, looks funny or whatever other garbage spewed throughout the SB Nation piece.

It’s fine to have those opinions. There’s no need for them to be turned into a column.

Published
Nolan O'Hara
NOLAN O'HARA

Nolan O'Hara covers all things Minnesota sports, primarily the Timberwolves, for Bring Me The News and Sports Illustrated's On SI network. He previously worked as a copy editor at the St. Paul Pioneer Press and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota's Hubbard School of Journalism. His work has appeared in the Pioneer Press, Ratchet & Wrench magazine, the Minnesota Daily and a number of local newspapers in Minnesota, among other publications.

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