Do you ever watch Charles Barkley on "Inside The NBA" and think, "I wish he would stick to things other than sports?" If so, then you just got your wish. TNT announced on Sunday that the Hall of Famer would host six episodes of a new series called "The Race Card," premiering in early 2017.
From the press release:
In "The Race Card," Charles Barkley wants to bust up the echo chamber mentality that so often has people retreating to corners of the like-minded, where views are reinforced and ideas are distorted into angry, unexamined groupthink conclusions. Each week, Barkley will take on the rapidly calcifying positions around today's hot-button topics. He will seek out the sharpest and most varied viewpoints from today's cultural leaders and tastemakers. He will then challenge and probe those ideas, even trying them out on himself.
No idea presented on "The Race Card" will be left in the abstract. Barkley will put ideas on their feet, with real-world proof-of-concept tests that will engage people and expose the truth behind their closely held beliefs. In the end, Barkley will reach his own conclusions guided only by his own wits and common-sense wisdom.
"We as Americans never discuss the issue of race in this country and how it impacts everything in our lives until something bad happens," Barkley said. "I see this project as a way to talk about race, class and cultural differences and challenge everyone's status quo."
The immediate reaction to this news was a mix of excitement and a sarcastic what could go wrong? Barkley is beloved for being unafraid to speak his mind on just about any subject on Inside The NBA, and that can be good and bad.
Supporters might say that this is a great opportunity to get important social issues in front of a large audience thanks to a charismatic host. Critics might argue that Barkley is the wrong charismatic host for the job, pointing to Barkley saying that the women of San Antonio need to "ease up on them churros" and calling Ferguon rioters "scumbags."
When Barkley mispronounces an international player's name or says he doesn't watch bad teams, it usually comes off as funny. On a show like this, mistakes won't come off the same way. The stakes will be much higher than on anything he's ever done before, and there is a huge responsibility on him and the producers to get it right.
