![rome do you like this rome do you like this](https://64.media.tumblr.com/90608bc892e522c3381cf8a2701708be/f16d3051ca0f8061-24/s1280x1920/4c94c7e07ae026ebb7c22f894729c2f3b8f48e56.jpg)
The point Stern appears to be trying to make is that, in order for him to answer Rome's question, he by necessity has to agree that the league has rigged lotteries in the past and does engage in the practice of outcome-fixing, whether or not it did in this case. You incriminate yourself just by participating in the exercise. Whether you say yes or no, you are saying that you have been beating your wife. Stern, it seems, wasn't actually asking if Rome had stopped beating his wife he was evoking a famous logic game, a rhetorical move intended to put your opponent in an untenable position.
![rome do you like this rome do you like this](https://i.imgur.com/jjAdmyV.jpg)
Now, there's an important point to be made here. "Yeah, I don't know if that's fair," Rome responded. "Have you stopped beating your wife yet?" Stern asked. This time, Stern not only bristled - he swung. "I'll give you the easy one - no - and a statement: Shame on you for asking."Īfter emphasizing that his line of questioning intended no disrespect, Rome noted that he still thought the question valid, since many NBA fans and observers have openly questioned the validity and purity of the lottery. "Uh, you know, I have two answers for that," Stern said. "I know that you appreciate a good conspiracy theory as much as the next guy - was the fix in for the lottery?" "You know, New Orleans won the draft lottery, which, of course, produced the usual round of speculation that maybe the lottery was fixed," Rome said. Rome, a well-known radio host and former ESPN personality whose radio show is syndicated nationally by Premiere Networks and who hosts a daily television program on the CBS Sports Network, is married with two children, according to the bio on his website.ĭeadspin's Timothy Burke has audio of the contentious segment of the interview we've got a transcript after the jump.ĭuring their chat on the afternoon after the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Rome asked Stern about the belief held by some - including, as Yahoo! Sports NBA columnist Adrian Wojnarowski reported immediately following the lottery, multiple NBA executives - that the league office put its thumb on the scales and rigged the lottery drawing in favor of a team still under its stewardship and that it just sold, as a favor to its new owner.