Gumbel plays race card about Olympics
February 16th, 2006Bryant Gumbel made some disgusting remarks about the Winter Olympics recently on his HBO program:
“So try not to laugh when someone says these are the world’s greatest athletes, despite a paucity of blacks that makes the Winter Games look like a GOP convention. Try not to point out that something’s not really a sport if a pseudo-athlete waits in what’s called a kiss-and-cry area, while some panel of subjective judges decides who won … So if only to hasten the arrival of the day they’re done, when we can move on to March Madness — for God’s sake, let the games begin.”
So Gumbel isn’t watching the Winter Olympics. Not watching — kinda like what most people are doing to his show.
Hat tip: Drudge
Gumbel has shown his racist stripes in the past so this is no surprise. Can you imagine the uproar if the same comment was made in reverse by a white guy during the basketball portion of the summer olympics or the NBA playoffs? The poor sap wouldn’t be able to resign fast enough.
If someone said the same thing, only referring to whites and the NBA, they would be crucified and EVERYONE in the media would be dropping the hammer. There is obviously a double-standard here.
I do agree, though, with his figure skating remarks.
wasn’t condi rice at the GOP convention?
While the GOP comment may be slightly off-line, I couldn’t agree with him more.
I’m not his biggest fan, but what is digusting about the remarks. And Larry wrote: “Gumbel has shown his racist stripes” before. Examples? That’s pretty weighty.
What’s disgusting about suggesting that the Winter Olympics aren’t full of athletes because there aren’t many blacks there? How is that not a racist statement?
That’s not what he said. “So try not to laugh when someone says these are the world’s greatest athletes, despite a paucity of blacks that makes the Winter Games look like a GOP convention.”
There not being enough black athletes makes it difficult to determine if the current competitors are the world’s greatest athletes.
I think part of what he’s getting at is the sociological aspect of all of this. These sports cost a lot of money to play–hockey, skiing, skating, etc. Like golf 20 years ago and baseball 60 years ago there needs to be a process to get more people included in these sports.
You and I are understanding his comments differently then, because it certainly seems to me that he’s saying these can’t possibly be the world’s greatest athletes if there aren’t many blacks there. Regardless of color, these people competing in the Olympics are the best in the world at their sport, whether Gumbel thinks so or not.
And as others have pointed out, the double standard here is glaring. If a white commentator had said something similar, everybody would be screaming for his head on a platter.
I was intrigued by the reference to skaters as “pseudo-athletes”. While we agree that figure skating is not truly a sport, (as opposed to say, NASCAR ;)) if he thinks those skaters are not athletes, he should try it sometime. Many professional athletes would not have demonstrated the show of courage and determination that Zhang Dan did in skating pairs the other night.
And I agree with you, Tim. This is definitely a racist comment.
Zoner, While I appreciate the fact that you are giving Gumbel the benefit of the doubt (and a huge one at that) — though I disagree with your assessment — it was still a really stupid remark that could have been completely jumped on by the media had it not been REVERSE racist remarks. The double standard is the most disgusting part (at least to me), which is exactly the kind of stuff that continues to fuel racism in America.
I see where you all are coming from, I guess I just don’t see it that way. As far as the double standard, if you can name a sport where whites have been shut out, I might agree.
He certainly would agree that they are the best in their sport. I think what he’s saying is that the sample needs to be bigger in order for them to be called ‘world’s best’. I don’t think the benefit of the doubt is huge—he’s been on TV forever and is savvy enough to know what will get him in hot water. When I saw the show I thought nothing of his comments.
Let’s see if he elaborates after this hubbub.
Here is the whole quote
“Because [the Winter Olympics] are so trying, maybe over the next three weeks we should all try too. Like try not to be incredulous when someone tries to link these games to those of the ancient Greeks who never heard of skating or skiing. So try not to laugh when someone says these are the world’s greatest athletes, despite a paucity of Blacks that makes the Winter Games look like a GOP convention. Try not to point out that something’s not really a sport if a pseudo-athlete waits in what’s called a “kiss and cry area” while some panel of subjective judges decides who won. And try to blot out all logic when announcers and sports writers pretend to care about the luge, the skeleton, the biathlon, and all those other events they don’t understand and totally ignore for all but three weeks every four years. Face it, these Olympics are little more than a marketing plan to fill space and sell time during the dreary days of February. So, if only to hasten the arrival of the day they’re done, and we can move on to March Madness, for God’s sake, let the Games begin.”
funny Zoner, he isnt moaning about the Summer Olympics being 99.99% black though, is he? Nor is he moaning about the basketball he used to cover being predominantly black huh? If Costas or Nanatz inferred not to watch basketball because its about all black, they woulda gotten Greeked or Campanised. Call it like it is, reverse racism.
Well said, Peter.
“And Larry wrote: “Gumbel has shown his racist stripes” before. Examples? That’s pretty weighty. ”
http://www.mrc.org/projects/gumbel/anthology.asp
Just for starters.
Haha. Hard to argue with that Larry. Well done.
I don’t think that’s hard to argue with at all. Those are statements of political leaning, not racism.
“funny Zoner, he isnt moaning about the Summer Olympics being 99.99% black though, is he? ” Because it’s not and the summer sports for the most part are inclusive to all classes and races whereas the winter games are not.
Oh, how sad? Inequality has a new face. What comes around goes around…
“I said to somebody that if O.J. killed his first wife, Marguerite [who is black], and her friend, then do I think George Will and William F. Buckley would have written about it? No way. Not on God’s green earth. They wouldn’t have even noticed.” – In a Los Angeles Times Magazine profile, January 12 (Brackets theirs).
Not to mention the fact that Gumble talked several times in just these quotes alone (with regard to J.C. Watts for example) about it not being appropriate for black people to be republicans or conservatives. If that’s not racist I don’t know what it. It is making a snap decision about what a person’s political beliefs should be soley on their skin color.
Nope, no racism there at all.
BTW Zoner, could you provide some evidence that certain classes and/or races of people are excluded from winter sports and if so by whom? Those seem to be serious charges as well. Mind you, I’m not saying evidence they don’t participate at the same rate as others but that they are actively prohibited from doing so.
Zoner, imagine if Gumbel said that long-distance running isn’t a real sport because all the Kenyans win everything and the Danes don’t participate.
By the way, Zoner, go here for plenty of Gumbel fumbles.
But the Danes could participate.
BTW Zoner, could you provide some evidence that certain classes and/or races of people are excluded from winter sports and if so by whom?
The lower class, in America anyway, is not privy to skiing, skating, hockey. In a WaPo article, Paul Farhi has described the winter games as “almost exclusively the preserve of a narrow, generally wealthy, predominantly Caucasian collection of athletes and nations.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/03/AR2006020302280.html
I think that’s what Gumbel meant. Here’s another take: http://www.slate.com/id/2136338/nav/tap1
And kind of what I was getting at: In the true spirt of Olympic competition, why cannot the IOC provide economic/educational sponsorship for promising “brown,” “yellow,” and “black” atheletes to study/train in the northern climate continents on behalf of their own country of origin? IOC international atheletic training scholarships would serve obvious dual purposes of global athletic “diversity,” and provide advanced academic studies to students whose educational opportunity would otherwise be severely limited by culture, economics, geography, etc. It’s not a new idea; isn’t that a standard recruiting practice used by universitites and all major league sports in the U.S?
Athletes from warm climates and poor countries do participate in the Winter Olympics. Or have you not seen “Cool Runnings”? Yesterday I saw a Brazilian woman make the semis of the Snowboardcross. Also saw a black American, Shani Davis, go from the projects in Chicago to world record holder of the 1000m speedskating.
If the Moroccans don’t care to go to Switzerland and learn to bobsled, that doesn’t mean we aren’t seeing the best athletes in Turin. I see Asians dominate ping-pong in the summer Olympics, and yet every other country has a chance to play. It wouldn’t be difficult for a kid in Swaziland to take the “sport” up. I just don’t think they would care.
Ye gad, my point: Despite all the riches in the world, the U.S. can’t even field someone in cross-country or biathlon to get in contention in these Olympics.
You don’t see too many Southerners in the Winter Olympics either. We could be there if we wanted to. We just choose to stay in temperate climates and perfect our indigenous skills (barbecue, quail hunting, etc.). We have the theory that mountains are nice to look at from the bottom and snow is to be avoided when ever possible.