The Barkley Experience. Tighten your seat belt. The Charles Barkley roller-coaster is leaving the platform.
The outspoken analyst formally begins his gig as an analyst for the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship tonight as the First Four gets underway on truTV in Dayton, Ohio.
Media spectators are beginning to line the track to see if Barkley has a cataclysmic off-message derailment.
Sports Illustrated media critic Richard Deitch posed “twelve burning media questions going into NCAA tournament” on Tuesday, and three of them dealt directly with Barkley. To wit:
- Charles Barkley is an outspoken guy. Will he criticize the NCAA during the tournament?
- So Barkley has some issues with the NCAA. What do his bosses say about that?
- Give us an example of a Barkley rant on college basketball.
The answers were (1) yes, (2) he’s educable and (3) well, you’ll have to click on the story to read the rant.
Leading up to the tournament, Barkley appeared Monday with David Letterman. He was on message, more or less.
What can you say? Barkley can be funny and interesting, and you’re certainly going to get what’s on his mind.
Enjoy the ride, Sir Charles.
