Bryant Gumbel's Olympic Rant

[Anita Dunham-Potter]

This is just unbelievable. I have HBO "On Demand" and watched this tonight after hearing about the bru-haha. The following is Bryant Gumbel's remarks in closing his show "Real Sports" on HBO:

"Finally, tonight, the Winter Games. Count me among those who don’t care about them and won’t watch them … Because they’re so trying … Like, try not to be incredulous when someone attempts 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 … 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.”

The guy is a jerk!

[stephen_s]

Yup, I agree that he's a jerk for saying that. I admit I haven't watched any of the Games, but I keep up to date on the medal count....GO USA!

[Ned]

Originally posted by Anita Dunham-Potter@Feb 17 2006, 01:38 AM
This is just unbelievable.* I have HBO "On Demand" and watched this tonight after hearing about the bru-haha.* The following is Bryant Gumbel's remarks in closing his show "Real Sports" on HBO:

"Finally, tonight, the Winter Games. Count me among those who don’t care about them and won’t watch them … Because they’re so trying … Like, try not to be incredulous when someone attempts 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 … 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.”

The guy is a jerk!
20517

Anita, don't tell me it took you until now to know that Bryant Gumbel is a pompous, bombastic, egotistic, pretentious, parvenue ass. Sorry about my French.

[summergirl825]

IMHO....he has always been a jerk!!!

[Anita Dunham-Potter]

Originally posted by Ned@Feb 17 2006, 08:47 AM
Anita, don't tell me it took you until now to know that Bryant Gumbel is a pompous, bombastic, egotistic, pretentious, parvenue ass.* Sorry about my French.
20530


Hi Ned!
LOL, no. He's stupid to say what he did though. Plus, it was mean-spirited and Gumbel probably can't even ski or skate.

Anita

[weblet]

Such an a$$. I hate it when people bring race into the issue. I mean, really, all you have to do is know your geography to see why the winter games and the summer games are the way they are. And I don't hear him ranting about the summer games.

[missalf]

Okay, to demonstrate what an egocentric idiot this guy is, change the venue:

Imagine he's at one of his childrens' soccer games. Take each of those comments, change them slightly and they all would fit.

God forbid he have to take time out of his busy life to do something he personally doesn't like, but other people value.

Although I doubt there will be any fallout for him, I hope he gets roasted in some manner, or at least recognized as the buffoon he really is.

[Ned]

Originally posted by missalf@Feb 18 2006, 11:26 AM
Okay, to demonstrate what an egocentric idiot this guy is, change the venue:

Imagine he's at one of his childrens' soccer games.* Take each of those comments, change them slightly and they all would fit.*

God forbid he have to take time out of his busy life to do something he personally doesn't like, but other people value.

Although I doubt there will be any fallout for him, I hope he gets roasted in some manner, or at least recognized as the buffoon he really is.
20621

I beg to differ with your assessment that Gumbel is a buffoon. He is no buffoon. He is a very bright, articulate, egocentric, Afrocentric racist. He gives incredible short shrift to any athletics which doesn't heavily involve African Americans because as he would have everyone believe, it's only real athletics when African Americans are involved. Doesn't this sound a lot like Hitler's claims about white athletes. Heaven help the person who would make the same comments he made, if they were turned around. Talk about HBO's double standard.

[neutraldog]

bryant gumbel's a ^%&##in' dumbass after making that remark about the winter olympics..cuz check this out....shani davis, an african american, just won a gold medal.

[deangreenhoe]

Maybe Bryant should be forced to participate in the next season of "Skating With Celebrities" as his penance...with Tonya Harding as his partner. I'd pay good money to see that. :lol:

[Anita Dunham-Potter]

Originally posted by deangreenhoe@Feb 20 2006, 10:20 AM
Maybe Bryant should be forced to participate in the next season of "Skating With Celebrities" as his penance...with Tonya Harding as his partner.* I'd pay good money to see that.* :lol:
20706


Oooohhh, good one! I'll gladly donate the baseball bat. :P

Anita

[missalf]

Originally posted by Ned@Feb 19 2006, 08:33 PM
I beg to differ with your assessment that Gumbel is a buffoon.* He is no buffoon.* He is a very bright, articulate, egocentric, Afrocentric racist.*
20683


Okay, point taken and accepted for the mainstream definition of buffoon. Let's just substitute "jackass".

And you're also correct, Ned, in your other assessments, yet I'm sure no fallout will ever come from his insensitive comments, nor will he realize he was out of line -- after all, if you don't agree with him you aren't worthy of notice.

[TravelGal30]

I would like to see Bryant Gumble's overweight body on a skeleton sled, shooting down an iced track at 80 mph. Once he's released from the hospital, then he can tell us how ungifted the atheletes that compete in winter games are.

[John Davis]

I just watched an NBA basketball tonight. Looked like an NAACP convention.

[guest]

no he's not a jerk

he's telling the truth

and the truth hurts

bottomline Blacks play sports the best

whites play boring stuff that even old ladies wouldn't watch

[Ned]

Originally posted by guest@Feb 25 2006, 12:11 AM
no he's not a jerk

he's telling the truth

and the truth hurts

bottomline Blacks play sports the best

whites play boring stuff that even old ladies wouldn't watch
21189

What's a matter you moron? Afraid to register and tell us your name so we can put a moniker with your racist absurdities.

For everyone else, here's Gene Wojciechowski's take on Gumbel. Gene Wojciechowski is a terrific national columnist who writes for ESPN and others.

"Question of the Day:

Was Bryant Gumbel's necktie restricting the air flow to his brain during a recent episode of "HBO's Real Sports?"

I hope so. Otherwise, Gumbel has some 'splaining to do for his dissing and dismissing of the shusshing and wusshing that goes on at the Winter Olympics.

After saying he dislikes the Winter Games and refuses to watch them, Gumbel casually mentioned, "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."

Gumbel then took a blowtorch to figure skaters, calling them, "pseudo-athletes," mocking their "kiss-and-cry area," and criticizing a system under which a "panel of subjective judges decides who won."

OK, let's count the number of true statements made by Gumbel. It won't take long.

Yes, Bryant, there is a paucity of blacks in the Winter Games. Lillehammer was mostly lily white in 1994. Same for Nagano and Salt Lake City. And, there isn't much color in Torino, either.

But Gumbel's not watching the snow-and-ice edition of the Olympics because there aren't enough blacks is like me saying I'm going to boycott the NBA All-Star Game because there aren't any white-American players (the fifth time in the last eight years, according to Michael Wilbon's research). It's a cheap argument, filled with more holes than Johnny Weir's fishnet costume.

Look, I don't know why there aren't more black winter Olympians. Geography? Culture? Economics? I'm also guessing not a lot of kids, black or white, put their heads on their pillows hoping that one day they can medal in curling. And if they do, how much does a whisk broom cost?

If you want to ignore the Olympics because you can't pick Latvia out of a police geographical lineup, or you think the biathlon is an alternative lifestyle, or you're convinced skeleton is the dumbest sport ever invented, then, please, stick a fork in Bob Costas and the NBC fireplace set.

But to do a Gumbel and reach for the TV clicker based on contestant color is ignorance personified.

I'm no ringhead (that's what regular sportswriters call Olympic beat writers), but Austria's Thomas Morgenstern sure looked like the world's greatest ski jumper during his gold medal win in the men's K120. The guy was in the air longer than some commuter flights. Just because he happened to be white didn't ruin it for me. And as far as I know, there isn't an anti-black ski jumping conspiracy in place, is there?

Chicago's Shani Davis became the first African-American to win Winter Olympic individual gold. Is his victory any less meaningful because there weren't any other blacks in the 1,000-meter speedskating competition?

Is it Norway's fault that its population is more than 90 percent Caucasian, and that Norwegians know how to ski better than Bode Miller these days? Their medals have more to do with skill level, not skin color.

And I don't recall Gumbel, who adores golf, popping off about the paucity of blacks when he hosted NBC's coverage of the PGA Tour in 1990. Does he boycott watching the majors because Tiger Woods is the only African-American on a Tour that is whiter than a sleeve of Titleists?

I'm not watching much of these games, but it isn't because I think ice skaters are pseudo-athletes. They're athletes. Period. OK, they're athletes in sequins and chiffon, but they do amazing things on a blade of steel not much thicker than the width of Gumbel's collar stays.

As for the kiss-and-cry area, Gumbel should know better than anyone that those post-skate reactions are what producers call "good television." They have the same things in baseball. They're called dugouts.

And while we're on the topic of getting in touch with your soft side, Davis wore a White Sox cap and held a stuffed toy bear during his victory lap in the 1,000. Gumbel is probably anti-stuffed toys, too.

Yes, Bryant, there is also a panel of subjective judges who sometimes do ridiculous things. Guess what, G-man? The same thing sometimes happens in the diving competition at the Summer Olympics. Remember? You anchored NBC's coverage of the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul.

Of course, the same subjective calls are made by refs during your beloved March Madness. And in baseball by umpires. In football (Seattle Seahawks fans will fill you in) by line judges. And by rules officials in your precious golf. Gonna tune those out, too?

If Gumbel does indeed ditch the Winter Olympics every time they light the flame, then he's missed some hellacious moments: The Miracle on Ice at Lake Placid ... Eric Heiden's five golds at those same 1980 Games ... Bill Johnson winning the 1984 downhill (memo to Bryant: "Real Sports" just did a story on Johnson) ... Great Britain's Michael "Eddie The Eagle" Edwards surviving the ski jumping competition at the 1988 Calgary Games ... Bonnie Blair winning gold at Albertville, and a unified Germany in the 1992 Games ... Tonya and Nancy at Lillehammer, along with Dan Jansen's gold ... Picabo Street's gold at Nagano ... Sarah Hughes' figure skating stunner at Salt Lake in 2002 ... and now Davis' gold at Torino.

You want to stiff the games, Bryant? That's fine. Just come up with a better reason, will you?"

[jfrenaye]

I apologize for the previous poster. I am not sure how he was able to post as we did restrict the posting on this board to registered members (except the poll section).

I have reviewed the permissions and all appear to be in order so hopefully this will not happen again.

[weblet]

No problem, John. It brought Ned out of his shell.... :lol:

[deangreenhoe]

No problem, John. It brought Ned out of his shell....
...and we all know how seriously difficult THAT can be. :P

Actually I enjoyed the article Ned posted in response. So it worked out. Those were good points, Ned.

AFA the anonymous post...we all know that trolls don't have real names, so what's the difference? I just ignore those pot shots from under the bridge.

[Ned]

Racism is one of the most offensive attributes of humanity. It just makes my blood boil. I'm glad you enjoyed Gene's article.

I have found that ignoring racism doesn't work.