Chris Bosh Shows Skip Bayless How to Conduct Himself with Class

Skip Bayless has made a living out of acting like a playground bully on First and 10. After a year of mocking Bosh, calling him "Spice Bosh"—a reference to Post Spice of the Spice Girls—Bosh showed up to talk to Bayless about the use of his name. 

Bosh didn't do what Jim Everett did when Jim Rome kept calling him "Chris." He didn't leap across the table and punch him in the head. Rather, in a level-headed and calm way, he just explained to Bayless that his family took pride in his name and gently asked him to not to use name in a derogatory way. 

Bayless then, being his classless self, went on to justify his childish antics by explaining that his criticism was fair. Fair criticism is fine. That's not the part I take issue with. 

I've argued that Bosh can be too soft also , but I haven't mocked him. There's a difference between criticism and taunting.  

It doesn't matter one iota how accurate the criticism was. It's the manner of it that is wrong. Bayless explains that people have made fun of his name and uses that to justify his own treatment of Bosh.

Bayless needs to realize that, even if he's right, it doesn't justify behaving wrongly.

Some may say that Bosh is being too sensitive. Again, it's not the point. If someone acts offensive, it's hard to blame the person who is offended for being offended. Bayless was acting offensively.

Whatever Bosh or anyone else's reaction, though, is still beside the point. Bayless' words aren't made or wrong or right by Bosh's reactions. They are wrong in their intent, which is to mock. That is wrong. 

Put it this way: If your child was doing it to one of his classmates, would you be proud of him or correct him? And if it's wrong for a child, how much more wrong is it for an adult?

Criticism is one thing, but ridicule is another. We live in a society now where it's gotten to the point of children being scarred to the point of suicide and/or murder because of verbal abuse. Bayless himself has said on more than one occasion when it suits his purpose, "Do we want to tell our kids...?"

Do we want to tell our kids that childish taunts and mocking are OK? Would we really take pride in our child if he were calling one of his classmates "Bosh Spice' or "LeChoke?"

Bayless never apologized for the childish taunts, and that's to his shame. I'm not the biggest fan of Chris Bosh, but I'll say this much: He was a much bigger man that Skip Bayless on the show, displaying tremendous class and poise. It's just too bad Bayless couldn't do the same.