Bob Knight reveals his softer side in interview

Written by David Rogers on 02 March 2013.

Why is ESPN college basketball analyst Bob Knight so unpleasant and angry all the time? Ask him yourself. In a recent interview from the New York Times, Knight opened up and answered numerous questions about his demeanor, offering insight on his past and how it has shaped him as a person.

Knight wasted little time in opening up in the interview, stating that he believes "hope" is the worst word in the English language. This belief likely stems from his childhood where his Grandma installed a negative line of thinking in a young Bobby Knight at an early age. Uplifting, I know.

Later in the interview, Knight answered questions about his view on the media, further proving that the man's view on sportswriters should limit, or prevent him ever having a role on television. In the past, Knight had referred to sportswriters as being "one or two steps above prostitution" a comment which he supported in his latest Q & A:

"I enjoyed needling the press. If I didn’t enjoy it, I wouldn’t have done it. Writers have rarely played, so as a coach you have antagonistic feelings about some guy writing up the story of the game who’s never even attempted to play it."

Talk about painting with a broad brush.

The full interview, which you can check out here, paints a pretty accurate picture of who Bobby Knight is as a person. Clearly, he still has the anger issues he became famous for as a coach and has only hardened his outlook at life as he's aged. He has no remorse for any of his previous actions or comments and continues to live a life where he doesn't care how he is viewed or what others think about him. He seems like he's perfectly content being miserable.

With all of this in mind, is this the type of person you want representing your network or organization either on TV or in print? Probably not. Maybe that's why his days at ESPN are reportedly numbered.

(H/T New York Times)

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