Bryant Gumbel’s Racial Ruckus
By Robert Ecksel February 16th, 2006Bryant Gumbel’s remarks spark firestorm
Bryant Gumbel, star of HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, sometimes says the darnedest things. Since the raison d’etre of Gumbel’s show is to unflinchingly examine the good, bad and ugly in the wide world of sports, it was only a matter of time before he or one of his crew went too far and stepped over the line.
“Finally, tonight, the Winter Games,â€? Gumbel said in his closing monologue on last week’s (Feb. 7) show. “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 (italics added). 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.”
Gumbel’s remarks, which were prepared and vetted in advance, and which he read off a teleprompter, have garnered a heated response from a variety of sources. The Free Republic, a well-known if not universally respected reactionary right wing website, pounced on the African-American’s remarks, lambasting his reference to the Winter Games looking like “a GOP convention.â€? Larry Elder, himself a black man, and a “firebrand libertarianâ€? according to Daily Variety (libertarians are the ultimate fence-straddlers, neither fish nor foul, political bisexuals who want the freedom to do whatever they choose in their personal lives, but insist on sticking it to the poor), took umbrage at Gumbel’s testimonial. And the usually passive posters at HBO’s Real Sports Bulletin Boards accuse Gumbel of being a “racist,â€? a “transparent racist,â€? a “true racist,â€? a “semi talented racistâ€? (sic), an “ivory tower,â€? “stupid,â€? an “angry black man,â€? “privileged,â€? a “scum bagâ€? (sic), a “divisive person,â€? “irresposibleâ€? (sic), “ignorant,â€? “no Bob Costas,â€? “a dinosaur,â€? “full of himself,â€? an “incompetent moron,â€? a “contentious moron,â€? “a damned moron,â€? “insulting,â€? “dismissive,â€? “atrocious,â€? “shameful,â€? “a narcissist,â€? “offensive,â€? “ethnocentric,â€? “quasi-intelligent,â€? “obscene,â€? a “biggeted foolâ€? (sic), a “small minded man,â€? a “vile, little man,â€? a “blowhard,â€? “heartless,â€? “uneducated,â€? “disgraceful,â€? an “idiot,â€? “arrogant,â€? “offensive,â€? “disgracefulâ€? and a “charlatan,â€? more or less in that order.
We’re not thrilled with Bryant Gumbel either, but we’re even less thrilled with people who cannot spell. We do insist, however, as a matter of principle, that everyone, the controversy-starved BG and his cheap shot detractors alike, has their say, no matter whose nose goes out of joint in the process. And while Gumbel’s comments are his own and do not necessarily reflect the policy of HBO, one of the good things about Olympic Boxing, which will soon be coming to a TV near you, is that editorials of that sort, where the race card evokes a game of Three Card Monte played in the shadow of the Superdome, are rendered null and void by the cold, hard realities of the fight game.
February 16th, 2006 at 4:59 pm
Dear Mr. E:
Apologize for the above comment. YOU ARE NOT CLUELESS. I just read an interview with you by the Adirondack Review. I was very impressed. You are very knowledgeable and thoughtful. I appreciate your views on terrorism and the world in general.
And I am also from Philly and a writer.
(but you’re still wrong about Libertarianism, though, re: the “sticking it to the poor” part).
-Chris
February 16th, 2006 at 5:36 pm
Does Bryant Gumbel feel like he’s at a GOP convention when he goes to bed at night?
February 16th, 2006 at 6:07 pm
I don’t have a problem with Gumbles comments. I don’t believe they were racist at all. He did not talk negative about any race. I believe the majority white media waits for a man of color to say anything that they can talk about. “Information we get today is wack. Ask yourself why is that” Krs 1.
February 16th, 2006 at 6:21 pm
If Gumbel can not be fired for his comments, then Cosell, Rush etc. should never had been fired. Gumbel’s remarks are direct and racial loaded. The pompous ass thinks that you have to be black to be atheletic. There is more to being atheletic then running the fastest and jumping the highest.
February 16th, 2006 at 8:04 pm
Gumbel has every right to state what he is stating. Never you all mind that that what he be sayin proves that that boy ain’t got himself one lick oh sense. But I just beya that he be lookin out for his people. Think of how much “extra” relief dollars could be goin to the black folks in Africa when us “white devil Republicans” set about settin up snow making machinary over there, so them colored folks can get a ready for da next winter games. Now never you mind that the temperature in darkest Africa averages about 80 plus farenheit, and da snow it be meltin at about 33 degrees. Heck, us “white” devils can just keep sendin in more oh dat money to keep a makin more oh dat meltin snow. Just like da relief money over in Amerika, dat neve be runnin out. And by golly, maybe that Master Gumbel he might hisself be takin up da skiin, thanks to us “white Republicans.” Now that be nice wouldn’t it. In case Mr. Gumbel fails to understand the message here, and he might, he has proved he is anything but bright, I be mockin him and his pea brained opinions. Thank God that all Black people are not equally dumb!
February 16th, 2006 at 9:32 pm
I guess we should all watch only basketball because more blacks are involved!
February 16th, 2006 at 9:46 pm
WHEN DID AMERICA STOP BEING AMERICA AND FREEDOM OF SPEECH CEASE TO EXIST, BG, MAY HAVE PUT HIS FOOT IN HIS MOUTH , BUT WHO HAS’NT. WE ARE ALL HUMAN, WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES, AT LEAST HE’S NO RUSH LIMBAUGH!!!!
February 16th, 2006 at 11:22 pm
Bryant Gumbel can be a condescending jerk. His winter olympics bashing was ridiculous. I prefer to watch it than March madness. The ice hockey is phenomenal and the skating is amazing. There is no racism in the olympics. Some of these countries do not have black citizens. They are located very far north. Get over it!!
However, I DO consider the republican party a truly racist organization.
Their agenda is to take from the poor and give to the rich, and refuse to rebuild the levees in New Orleans because it’s “too expensive” even though they’ll spend like drunken sailors on the unjust Iraq debacle.
They continue to slash Medicare, Medicaid, College education grants and want to dismantle Social Security. Twelve GOP senators still refuse to sign onto a bill apologizing to victims’ families for not enacting anti lynching legislation earlier than it did. They continue to stop blacks from voting with ridiculously stringent new laws like the $30 fee to get a voter ID in Georgia. They are also suing the NAACP and then they have the nerve to turn around and ask for their votes!!
I only wish Gumbel didn’t deride the fine sports in the Olympics with comparisons to the white supremacist republican party.
February 16th, 2006 at 11:26 pm
The guy was right that Libertarians and the GOP could give a rats ass about the poor. Nevertheless, Gumbel showed incredible ignorance.
February 17th, 2006 at 12:16 am
It is so tempting to send trash talk back at BG for his racist and stupid comments about the Olympics but I won’t. Everyone has a gripe with some organization like the guy who equates Republicans with white supremists. Lets just try to have equal responsibility for equal action. That guy may have some legitimate complaints but he knows that a white guy saying anything close to what BG said would be out of a job the next day. He should be a role model but certainly didn’t help anyone with those stupid Olympic jabs. Also, so much for pride in his country. Shame! Shame!
February 17th, 2006 at 8:43 am
While Mr. Gumbel lives in a country that many men of all colors have died so he can express his opinion, it is also true that is remarks are like many who are ignorant. Blacks, for what ever reason are sparsely represented at the Winter Olympics. I believe this is due in large part to their desire to stay out of the cold. They don’t show up swimming in the summer games either. Why? Can’t tell you. However Mr. Gumball, your characterization of these athletes not being the best in the world is very wrong. These are the best atheletes at their sport in the World. There is no restriction on color for the Olympic Trials. You sir are an ignorant, boring, obtuse oaf, whose golf game is trampled by the skills of my 2 year old. You were never a very good athlete and could not have carried my jock in any of the 3 sports in High School or the one sport in college that I lettered in. Until such time as you are intelligent to say something pertinent keep quiet. It is better to be quiet and thought an ass than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. If HBO continues your contract, I will call my Cable operator and have HBO removed from my system and will as well urge my friends to do so as well.
February 17th, 2006 at 9:06 am
READING THE COMMENTS FROM U IGNORANT FOOLS JUST PROVES THAT WHAT MR. GUMBEL SAID WAS TRUE. AMERICA WILL NEVER OVERCOME IT RACE PROBLEM, IF PEOPLE ARE NOT BOLD ENOUGH TO ACCEPT FACTS. WHAT MR. GUMBEL SAID WAS THAT THE WINTER OLYMPICS IS LILY WHITE. IS THAT NOT THE CASE? AND ALSO CAN ANYBODY IN THEIR RIGHT MIND TELL ME HOW SNOWBOARDERS AND THE LIKE CAN BE REFERRED TO AS ATHLETES? LET US BE HONEST HERE, THE WINTER OLYMPICS DOES LOOK A GOP CONVENTION. THOSE COMMENTS BY MR. GUMBEL WERE NOT IN ANYWAY RACIST. HOW MANY OF U PIOUS BASTARDS ACTUALLY RELISH WATCHING THE WINTER OLYMPICS EVERY 4YRS? I WILL BET A MILLION DOLLARS THAT IT’S NONE. THE ONLY THING BG DID WAS AIR AMERICA’S DIRTY LAUNDRY(RACE) IN PUBLIC, AND IN THIS COUNTRY OF HYPOCRITES THAT IS A CARDINAL SIN, ESPECIALLY FOR SOMEONE “SO PRIVILEGED.” ALL OF U WANT THE MAN TO STAY IN HIS PLACE. SO TO U WHO DO NOT WANT TO HEAR ANY BLACK PERSON CALL OUT AMERICA, U ALL CAN KISS MR. GUMBEL’S ASS. HE IS ONE OF THE BEST THING ON TV. THE MAN IS EXTREMELY INTELLIGENT, ARTICULATE, HANDSOME, HONEST, CLASSY, AND I WILL BET U THAT MOST OF U IMBECILES WISHED U WERE LIKE HIM. BLACK POWER.
February 17th, 2006 at 9:25 am
I am glad somebody with enough sense like Fred smith responded to the comments that have been posted here. Some of the comments were virtrolic. Somebody called BG dumb. BG dumb? Are U kidding me. Listen to the man speak. He is as intelligent as they get. If u do not like what he said that is fine, but to call him dumb just show that people are not able to articulate their viewpoints well, so they resort to name-calling. That my brothers is juvenile. I agree 100% with what BG said. The winter olympics my friends is not a true reflection of America. Is that an unfair criticism? Maybe, but it is also factual. Maybe the reason why the winter olympics is not diversified is that most black people in America, and around the world do not care for winter sports. So what BG was doing was stating the obvious. That is not racist. What needs to be done is that more efforts should be made by the USOC to bring more people of color to winter sports. There are a lot of young men and women of color who do not want to play basketball, football, or run track. So want to skate, snowboard, ski, bobsled etc. what they need is encouragement, and what BG did was start a dialogue about how we as Americans can make all of sporting activities are diverse as we are as a people. May GOD who searches the heart grant u and your family everlasting blessings MR. GUMBEL. U ARE THE BEST IN THE BIZ
February 17th, 2006 at 11:16 am
This is another example of racial bias in the country, Gumbel has the right to say what he said, but why is it ok? Why is it ok for black people to be racist? Dr Martin Luther King Jr. said “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” All of those athletes in the winter Olympics should ask this of Mr. Gumbel.
February 17th, 2006 at 11:33 am
Bryant Gumble should be fired by HBO immediately !!!
February 17th, 2006 at 11:46 am
This is pathetic. He should be canned just like any white man that even HINTS at race. Perhaps if we shouldn’t watch the winter Olympics because it’s the “GOP”, then maybe we should also stop watching football, basketball, MTV, etc. I am so sick of watching minorities get away with saying anything they want and white people sitting back like a herd of antolope watching one lion maul one of their own. If white people finally get fed up and spending their dollars on inner city entertainment and professional sports maybe then the black community will give us just a LITTLE respect. But, I know, I am such a racist for being white and upset that my people have been getting the short end of the stick lately. I am sure I will be blasted apart for this comment, but at least I’m “keepin’ it real.”
February 17th, 2006 at 12:30 pm
Mr. Gumbel has the right to say what he wants just like anyone else in the media. BG has responsibilies since he is educated as some other writers have noted. What BG says on camera is what he reads. He does read well from notes and a teleprompter. The remarks he made were not merely his own. They were reviewed by the people supporting his show. BG is a willing mouthpiece for a ratings starved HBO show.
The remarks BG made were intentionally provocative. BG and his coworkers clearly believe that BAD attention is better than NO attention. The rest of us are being manipulated by a the slimey staff of a failing cable show.
February 17th, 2006 at 12:32 pm
The Winter Olympics are indeed not a true reflection of America, but are they supposed to be? The Olympics are a WORLD stage. BG seems obsessed with the tagline “world’s greatest athletes,” so why aren’t the Kenyans and Austrailians successful at the winter games? Well, they’re mostly at home enjoying the summer heat.
I’ll take BG’s claim seriously when he decides to take a shot at NASCAR’s diversity. (Maybe he already has? I don’t know…)
Look at the Italian men’s hockey team. More than half of the team is from North America! Obviously, Italians are more inclined to grab some skis, a soccer ball and pasta before they reach for some hockey sticks, a baseball and a falafel.
You can’t expect or force anyone to participate in cross-cultural activities for the sake of diversity, whether it’s San Diego or Senegal. BG was scraping the bottom of the barrel, but don’t call him a racist. I also wonder if he was trying to take a shot at his former employer, NBC.
P.S. - If being a libertarian means being a responsible individual, then call me a fence-straddler.
February 17th, 2006 at 12:48 pm
I agree with BG, I mean it’s So hard to try not to laugh when someone says that black colleges are really colleges, despite a paucity of whites that makes the Grambling campus look like a prison.
Obviously that was just to make a point, he should be fired and labeled a racist like he would if a white person would have made the same comment. But, since their is a double standard in the US, their will be no fuss. Just like when Dusty Baker, Barry Bonds, Nolan Richardson make similiar racists remarks.
February 17th, 2006 at 12:48 pm
Why is it the responsibility of anybody to bring black people into the winter olympics? If they want to train for years in skating, then go ahead. Nobody is stopping blacks from doing so. This continues to show the black mentality that everything has to be given to them because they all believe they have some inherent right to everything. If black people don’t want to snowboard, are they supposed to just discontinue the event? The world does revolve around black people only, get that through your heads. If black people aren’t good enough for curling, then deal with it. Do white people complain about not having enough basketball players represented in the summer olympics? Should they? No, because if you’re not good enough, you move on. Gumbel should change the name of his show from real sports to black sports. Just because he’s bored by these sports, doesn’t make them less of a sport. It will be a travesty if this racist man is not fired. Get this through your heads, black people are just as racist, if not more, than everybody else. If you want equality, don’t be hypocrites. You can’t have both.
February 17th, 2006 at 1:43 pm
Frank and Frederick need to go to whatever country they think is better than the USA and take Bryant (I wish I was white Gumbel) with them. Can either of you snowboard, snow ski, ice skate, bobsled or any of the athletic events of the winter olympics????? I doubt it, but you both know how to play jungle ball….be it football or basketball….and you know how to run fast as you have practiced it all your life running from the police and knowledge of other important education that would give you insight into not being prejudiced or maybe you should ask yourself why you hate white people when there are no white or black people, check a color chart in Home Depot and you will find nobody is black or white which makes you really stupid in your thinking and proves your ignorance by not accepting that we are all Americans in the USA, the best country in the world where you are allowed to be ignorant and open your stupid pie hole. Not happy here then leave and go back to whatever jungle you are from and try to achieve your same lifestyle there. The bet is over a million dollars that you can’t do it. Put up or shut up stupid. By the way the trying to prove it may just cost you your freedom you have in the USA.
February 17th, 2006 at 2:11 pm
There are double standards for everything in this life in the USA…and beyond. The mainstream press is so “SPIN-WEIGHTED,” how can you believe anything you read or see on the tube? White media would love to talk about blacks in the manner in which they REALLY THINK, but they are not comfortable doing so as it may impact their lifestyle, which is pretentious and a by-product of their vanilla PC attitude. If Bryant feels that way he has the right to feel that way and the vehicle to express it; the white media is only jealous of not being able to say it themselves. As far as we think we have come we really have not, and whites hate to see blacks succeed beyond their success (whatever success really is, it aint MONEY). The double standard will remain as long as the majority of us are hypocrites. The press would be great if they used the power they have to ever do some good. But that is too hard and they may lose $$. Live Life!!
February 17th, 2006 at 2:11 pm
Imagine how fast and how hard the shit would have hit the fan if a white sports commentator stated that he would no longer watch basketball because of an absence of white starters. If an NBA team has no white starters, intelligent people rightly assume that it is because the coach is color blind and has simply put the most talented athletes on the court - and those athletes happen to be black. But if downhill skiers hurtling down a mountain at speeds exceeding 60 mph are all white, somehow it’s because the International Olympic Committe along with the USOC is conspiring to ensure that the athletes are the same color as the snow. Let me understand this: Gumbel refuses to watch the White, er, excuse me, the Winter Olympics because there are few if any black athletes. That’s his criteria. If white fans watched sports on the basis of how many white players were on the field or on the court, the NBA and the NFL would have few fans in attendance. Frederick Smith and Tom Gregory live by the adage “If at first you don’t succeed, scream racism.” Point the finger at whitey and holler til you go hoarse. Life in general and whitey specifically are to blame for being a loser. Isn’t that right, fellas? Gumbel may not be a racist but he is most certainly a race baiter, in addition to being a buffoon and a blowhard. If black Ethiopians dominate distance running, we look beyond their color and applaud their dominance. But if white Scandanavians dominate cross country skiing, Gumbel tells us it’s only because there are no blacks in cross country skiing. Thank you, Bryant, for showing the world what an imbecile you are.
February 17th, 2006 at 2:21 pm
White people always speek of equality but the truth is they always want to be on top of the world. And they always will be. I like the idea change the shows name from REAL SPORTS to BLACK SPORTS. Then it will be equal 1 Black sports show to 10000000000………..etc White sports shows.
February 17th, 2006 at 2:57 pm
why did Bryant stop where he did in his criticism? should he not also have mentioned professional golf or women’s tennis? the percentages of black to non-black participators in these sports are probably more skewed than the total participators of the winter olympics. because there happens to be players that are black doing well, it makes it really tough for a person of color to make a sweeping generalization that it is not the best athletes or that they are not even sports… add 2 black athletes to the pool already over in torin, italy, would that change the percentages at all? no. if one of them was the favorite to win a gold in women’s figure skating and the other was the favorite to win the gold in men’s downhill would Bryant Gumble have said what he said? I bet not. because there is know black athlete to live vicariously through, Bryant should not belittle the accomplishments of all the athletes, who are the best in the world in the sports they represent, that are competing.
By the way Bryant, by your logic: Boxing is also not a sport and boxers are not athletes. Please do us all a favor: the next time two boxers are done fighting for twelve rounds and waiting for a decision… go inside the ring and ask them if they feel like pseudo-athletes while they wait in there “piss and cry” ring for the results. I have a feeling great reality TV with surely follow.
February 17th, 2006 at 3:12 pm
Excuse My Typo’s I’m In A Rush!
White - Black….why dont we all get over the color and see it for what it really is. Demonic spiritual manipulation of the human soul(s). Most of these so called White people who call themselves keeping the black man down are only serving a greater twisted power than themselves. Black men like BG have enough sense to know this ( I wonder). Yet the human spiritual presense of mind is so “weak” that most of us who have the ability to take in the facts know that the so-called White race is a spawn of the so-called Black race. We are all human beings and there should be no White and Black. So called whites are better at Winter sports because of there ancestrial orgin. BG should have enough sense to show respect towards white athletes who are talented enough to perform in these games. I’m not a Winter Sports fan but I know I cant do what they can! I also know that just not anybody can perform on the level that Winter sport athletes can. These athletes deserve respect no matter what BG thinks period! When people call white people devils they have it partially wrong. There are devils / demons all around us and they dont have skin color. They just reside and manipulate those who are servants to the beast. The United States and it’s world views and policies are more subserviant to the beast than any other group of organized people on this earth. Even though the so-called white man is ruler of this American land. It would not be the so-called whites land alone without the help of so-called blacks who beat back more crueler manipulated spirits in the European theater of World War II. Spiritual warriors like the 761st Tank Batallion and the 332nd Army Air Force (Tuskegee Airmen) who never lost one single Air Bomber to German land or air power while bombing Germany into submission! There are White spiritual leaders as well who have done right by all people of so-called color. One so-called white spiritual leader I can mention is still alive today. His name is Bill Clinton…check his record concerning the so-called black race. Devils are what rule spirits and people…NOT THEIR SKIN COLOR!!
An African American - Bobby D
February 17th, 2006 at 4:59 pm
BG was off in his comments and really shows his lack of knowledge when it comes to sports. Ice rinks, mountains, etc are not usually located in highly populated minority areas in the states. But that doesn’t mean the US is not trying to diversify it’s winter sports. Look at the Willie O’Ree program that introduces minority children to hockey. (Actually one of his first year’s kids just got drafted.) They just began a hockey program in Harlem. Compare the costs associated with winter vs. summer sports. For many urban youth skiing and skating are just financially out of the picture. But it takes great athletes to bring these sports to a more diverse population. Why doesn’t he get off his seat and try the ski jump….I can see the agony of defeat.
February 17th, 2006 at 5:23 pm
Nice language skills there, Vic. It seems to me that if any black athletes were at all interested in competing at the winter events, they would not only be there, but they probably would excel at whatever sport they were involved in. Why, you ask? Because these are the BEST ATHLETES the WORLD has to offer to compete in the events chosen for the Winter Olympics. If there was a ” color barrier” to be broken, I’m sure that promising, determined and dedicated black atheletes would have shattered it by now, don’t you? Here’s a thought… obviously THEY DON’T FREAKIN’ WANT TO! Tiger Woods is a classic example of what I’m talking about. He is the only reason I watch golf… and I’m white.
Cultural diversity is a GOOD thing, and I am so sick of narrow minded, shallow, ignorant people attempting to turn it into something ugly, and inflict their piss poor attitudes on those of us who try to accept and respect each other for who we are. Not what we look like. We are all inherently different. Get over it.
So Gumbel, I couldn’t care less why you aren’t watching the games. Maybe you have some suggestions for a way to diversify the Winter Olympics… or you have uncovered some covert Olympic scandal that proves that some athletes were alienated because of race… or maaaaybe you’re just another ignorant jackass with a microphone, a public forum, and a bad case of diarrhea of the mouth.
The name of the show should be…
“I’m Gumble, Dammit!…
The Asshole Monologues”
February 17th, 2006 at 5:26 pm
This ass should be fired immediately, and his white wife should be taken away from him. Jimmy The Greek’s family should be given reparations for his firing over a totally true physiological comment he made on TV.
February 17th, 2006 at 5:47 pm
What do you think would happen to any white sports announcer who would have the nerve to say “the NBA doesn’t represent the best athletes in the world due to the paucity of white players in the league? How long do you think it would take for that person to be fired?
Rush Limbaugh got fired for simply saying that the mostly white sports media wants Donovon McNabb to be successful, because they want to be able to talk about a successful black QB. What’s wrong with that? It’s just another opinion. He shouldn’t have been fired, and BG shouldn’t be fired either for expressing his opinion. I don’t happen to agree with either opinion, but both had the right to express their opinion without getting fired for it.
February 17th, 2006 at 6:41 pm
However uncomfortable it may be, frees peech is one of the great rights in this country. Heck, if we can have organizations like the KKK and to a lesser extent Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter and other spewing hatred and stupidity on their radio talk shows, what is the problem with Bryant Gumbel expressing his opinion? Also, for all you folks out there responding out of anger and frustration, BG is far from being stupid, dumb or dumb ass, he is a very intelligent, well spoken and good looking guy. You may not like what is says, but he certainly is not stuipid. Limbaugh and Coulter are very intelligent people as well, and republicans certainly don’t think they are stupid. It just depends what side of the fence you’re on. I like being a liberatrian and sitting in the middle. I truly believe we would all be better if we learned to give in from time to time instead of being extreme right or left. Getting back to BG’s comments. I believe these kids participating in the Winter Olympics do have great athletic ability, and it’s too bad that more minorities do not get involved in these type of sports. But the fact remains that these sports are more exhibitions than sport and unfortunately for the participants, it’s not that fun to watch. By the way, I also think NBA basketball, MLB and NHL are not fun to watch. The only sport that I believe sparks interest in most people in the US is the NFL. We can all agree that at least there black and white races are well represented and it’s still fun to watch…..Can’t we all just get along?
February 17th, 2006 at 6:58 pm
Let’s see……we have the Black Entertainment Channel, Black History Month, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Ebony Magazine. Maybe if we want to be politically correct we should have the White Entertainment Channel, White History Month, National Association for the Advancement of White People and how about Cloud Magazine. Sounds good to me……maybe Mr. Gumbel should move to the Black Entertainment Channel because as a paying customer of HBO I don’t want to listen to his racist remarks. Has everyone forgotten about the Jamacian bobsled team?? Anyone can participate, you just have to be willing to work for it………..
February 17th, 2006 at 7:29 pm
Mr. Gumbel has the right to say what he wants, as we all do. But when you exercise your right to free speech you also accept the ramifications. I find it interesting that the minorities are the ones that add fuel to the race issue. He fits right into the liberal elite attitude. He has done pretty well for himself in this country, being a former washed-up black athlete. I would love to see him strap on skates or skies and compete. Sports are supposed to be color blind. I am sure he felt the same way about golf ten years ago. So in the summer Olympics according to Mr. Gumbel’s racial profiling do we need to cut out the swimming events? How many blacks swim? I wonder how many blacks competed in the ancient Greek games. Just to set the record straight, I like the winter games and support the American athletes, as I also enjoy the summer games and support all our athletes. White, black, Hispanic, whatever. I also think basketball sucks. In closing Mr. Gumbel needs to hit the road with Jesse Jackson and preach his crap to the Rainbow Coalition
February 17th, 2006 at 7:42 pm
If a black man talks about the lack of black in the winter olympics, he’s considered a hero. If a white man talks about the lack of whites in the summer olympics, he’s a racist. This man is nothing more than a lowly piece of crap that made it big bacause a network was forced to hire as an EOE. Now he’s using his position to play the race card.
Mr. Smith, I have no desire to be like BG, nor am I a Republican, but Lynn Swann is (and he was going to get my vote). So if this is how all YOU people feel, c’mon Rendell. He (BG) is not the first person “of color” to allow his mouth run away from his brain. There’s Reggie White, Charles Barkley, and Barry Bonds, just to name a few. The only difference is that some are more civilized and know how to turn the other cheek when stupid comments are made. You can bring up slavery, but look to your mother land to see where slaves were originally sold from. Maybe this is why Donovan McNabb considers his bout with TO a black on black crime.
For those whom think these people in Italy are not athletes, maybe they should hire someone to shoot their wife/girlfriend, do drugs until you go from a star pitcher to a street bum, get into bar fights because you’re no longer winning in the ring, or rape a girl in a hotel room. Then you can truely be considered athletes in the eyes of the great Bryant Gumble.
Maybe in four years, they will add new sports like drive-by-shootings, shoplifting, and doing nothing. We could then have a true representation of the U.S. the gold will go to the one with the most illegitimate kids.
February 17th, 2006 at 8:26 pm
Yes, some of the things BG said did not make sense, but he made sense on others. I actually love the winter Olympics and have been watching them the entire time, but the ratings are not good and other shows are killing them. The talent at the Olympics are great and it has nothing to do with race. The athletes are the best at what they do, but there is a disconnect between the viewing audience and the Olympics. I do not think it has to do with color, but maybe there is a disconnect. It is not about Black and White. White people do not need to have a white history month or anything that emphasize white unity because it is acknowledge everywhere all the time throughout the world. In about 100 to 300 years it may be less important for African Americans also. What we all can do is just support the athletes by watching it and try to prove BG wrong. If we do not or cannot, then maybe he is right in some half-assed way.
February 17th, 2006 at 9:39 pm
Imagine what would happen if Jim Nantz said, “So try not to laugh when someone says these are the world’s greatest athletes, despite a paucity of whites that makes the NBA All-Star Game look like a Black Panther Convention.”
February 17th, 2006 at 10:14 pm
i’m sorry BG is bored with the lily white winter olympics. i’m sure he doesn’t have a problem playing golf at all the formerly (sic) “white only” and “no jews allowed” country clubs across the country. hypocrite!!!!
February 17th, 2006 at 10:29 pm
What a bunch of pure BS!! Of course BG’s remarks were condecending and most definitely racist. Of course he was putting down caucasions in his own way. For those of you who disagree…you are either dumb as a rock, or just don’t want to admit it. Gimme a break! But yes, what makes this great country of ours, is our right to mouth off such BS, and some of the BS of others like fred smith. FS’s remarks are so freakin idiotic they are almost laughable. Who the hell says the only way you can be an athelete is to run the 40 in lightening speed, or dribble a ball down the court, make a few evasive moves and put a ball through a hoop. Try skiing down a steep slope at 80+ mph and negociating a few turns along the way. So you like a little ball control down the court. Try skating on the ice and contolling a slippery puck along the way. And the list could go on and on.
So BG was just airing out our dirty laundry(racism). And we don’t want a black man to call out America. Call out America?????????? Gimmie a freakin break. Your remarks are about as idiotic as his were. So the community gets upset with remarks that are obviuosly racial and condecending(and we’ll assume it’s the white community, b/c the black community hardly EVER calls down a remark by an African American no matter how poor it is, unless it’s directed at the black community ala Bill Cosby… have you ever noticed that????), and now they(white community) are racist…lmfao. It’s taken a long time for me to finally get fed up with this reverse racial crap…I NEVER used to feel this way, but I’m so damned sick of it these days!!!!!!!
February 18th, 2006 at 12:21 am
So in 4 years, just to make Bryant happy we can have only Greeks, in the nude mind you, throwing discus and hammers. Because THAT is what they Olympics were. After that, lets all watch basketball - Bryants favorite black sport - invented by a CANADIAN!
February 18th, 2006 at 12:49 am
Typical double standard, if Rush Limbaugh had said something like …the summer olymics reminded him of an NAACP Convention,,,he would be clearing his office , losing everything. We need to start standing up against racist blacks without fear of them raising their voices…enough is enough
February 18th, 2006 at 8:21 am
I think it’s interesting to hear and read so many blacks coming to Gumbel’s defense. He has spent his broadcasting career being ripped by blacks for personifying the coconut. Why has this comment brought him back into the fold? Oh yeah, a racist is a horrible, disgusting thing. People have a tendency to throw that word around way too casually. Gumbel’s comments don’t warrant that description. If they do then we’ll have to come up with a new word for what Daniel Carver and Louis Farakan are.
Racism is the new McCarthyism.
February 18th, 2006 at 9:07 am
Bryant Dumbel should be fired I am sick of this double standard. HBO should be held responsible for airing his racsst comments. Bryant Gumbel is an uncle tom who is trying to pose as Real Black Man. Those comments coming from an obvious poser like him is almost laughable. He is as lily white as snow at the winter olympics. Part of the confusion is, Is Bryant Gumbel really black? I guess he is just as black as Micheal Jackson!
February 18th, 2006 at 9:11 am
This just goes on to prove that any black person (especially media) can make any racial comment they want and it’s o.k. However, if a white person makes a comment about a race other than white they are racist and should be fired.
Seems that there are some serious double standards happening out there and people are still pretty sensitive. Bryant Gumbel knew exactly what he was doing and doesn’t care what people think of his comments or he wouldn’t have said it.
February 18th, 2006 at 9:42 am
THE RESPONSES BY THOSE WHO ARE ATTACKING NOT ONLY MR GUMBLE BUT ALSO ANYONE WHO AGREES WITH THE PARTIAL TRUTH IN ANY OF HIS STATEMENTS, OBVIOUSLY THINK THAT FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IS A RIGHT GUARANTEED ONLY TO WHITE MEN. BY THE WAY I AGREE THAT THE WINTER OLYMPICS ARE THE MOST BORING COLLECTION OF PSUEDO ATHLETICS EVER CONTRIVED. REMEMBER ALSO THAT WHILE THEY WERE ALSO ORGANIZED BY MOSTLY WHITE MEN, BOXING , FOOTBALL , BASEBALL, AND BASKETBALL ARE AT LEAST ENTERTAINING AND INTERESTING.
February 18th, 2006 at 11:54 am
Maybe Gumbel can get away with saying what he said without losing his job, not because of a black/white double standard, but because HBO has no white bread, Middle America advertisers to answer to. HBO’s revenue comes from millions of loyal subscribers, a crowd that digs The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Taxicab Confessions, four-letter words, etc., so a little racial dustup from a little man on a little watched sports magazine show isn’t gonna rock Time Warner’s boat.
February 18th, 2006 at 1:20 pm
Facts: BG is a bright man who has worked the system to his own benefit very well over the years, and he is entitled to his own opinion. BG is wealthy, owns beautiful homes in white neighborhoods, lives life like a stereotypical white man with country club memberships, beautiful white wife, access and privelege. BG reaps all the financial benefits of the white world he lives in but still plays the race card to garner attention to himself. BG is supposed to be a very good golfer. Should his skill at golf be demeaned because this is perceived to be a “White Sport”? Tiger Woods is probably the greatest golfer ever. Is he not an athlete? BG has traveled all over the world and benefitted from being in the right place at the right time when American businesses were giving preference to blacks to make up for the inequalities in the workplace. Like any TV personality he has his good moments and his bad ones. He makes mistakes like anyone else. His current mistake exposed his own prejudice, bias and racism.
Question: For a moment forget the fact that BG is a black man and ask yourself these questions. Should we expect more of him because he is a TV personality? Don’t we all have our own built in bias? What makes him more of an expert to comment on what makes up a great athlete than you do? Does he possess some extraordinary skill or insight because he watches an athletic event with his secret superhuman powers of observation, from a seat with a better view than the average person, and then relays his opinion over the TV airwaves?
Answer: He is capable of being just as right as anyone else and conversely he is entitled to be just as wrong. Does it make someone more of an athlete because he is exceptionally tall and able to throw a basketball through a 10 feet high steel hoop? How about being a great baseball pitcher? A pitcher can be in poor physical condition and still excel at the sport because it requires a highly developed skill that does not necessarily require any great athletic ability at all. What makes a football player a great athlete? Is is because they are physically larger and stronger than most, run faster and have the ability to shove each other around and knock down their opponents while carrying a ball while trying to run across a line in a field? How about famous swimmers who swim across the English channel? Are they not great athletes because they don’t push, shove or hit another competitor during the course of their sport? Does the color of the skin of any athlete make him or her perform any better? How about their eye color, their hair color, the length of their noses? Do any of these physical attributes make someone a better athlete? Do you think professional bowlers are athletes? They can probably be the most out of shape of all professional athletes, but they have developed a skill, or a knack, for throwing a hardened rubber ball at 10 pieces of wood and knocking them down. I can go on and on about each sport but I think you get my point. BG has his preferences based on what he likes. There is no right or wrong answer here, but his words gave the world a glimpse into one man’s own prejudice. Would he think that the matching or two identical cars, one black and one white, in a NASCAR race would favor the black car simply because of its color? No sensible human being would come to that conclusion. The same holds true when it comes to athletes. Skin color does not matter at all. It comes down to the physical skill, committment and desire to win that separates a champion from the pack.
Summation: Intolerence and ignorance are built on a foundation of erroneous assumptions. Regardles of his color, BG showed himself to be just another guy who can make an insensitive remark showing his prejudice, bias and racism just the same as millions of other people. Does he get a free pass on his remarks because he is black? If a white man had made a similar remark would he have already been fired? It will be decided by the businessmen who employ him. If they find his remarks to be a cause for them to lose revenue, then he will be let go. If it benefits them, he will stay. It is all about money.
Please remember this one thing: being on TV does not mean you are smarter than anyone else, nor does it give you the right to insult others. I remember being at the World Trade Center on 9/11. There were no African Americans, no White Americans, no Hispanic Americans, no Italian Americans, no Jewish Americans, no Irish Americans and so on. We were all just Americans! Let’s keep it that way and not let the progress of race relations in our country be brought backwards by the insensitive remarks of anyone. Too many good men and women have given their lives to get us to this point of equality and opportunity for all. Good luck and God bless you all, my fellow Americans.
February 18th, 2006 at 1:51 pm
Me as a black male thinks that BG really shouldn’t have said that. It was really no reason to. Most blacks don’t really enjoy skiing but that just our choice. I don’t really like skiing , but I respect what the winter olympic athletes can do cuz I sure couldn’t. They are winning medals for our country and everybody should repect them for that, and I agree with Ken.
February 18th, 2006 at 2:33 pm
How can he tell whats on tv with his head so far up his a_s. He should be fired howard and jimmy the greek both got let go for comments like this. If HBO doesn’t fire him then they do believe in racism. Why is it that a black man can say a racist remark and he gets defended. Grow up Ms GUMBEL you are a racist fire the twit HBO WE ARE AMERICANS NOT BLACK, WHITE, MEXICAN, ASIAN OR ANY OTHER RACE
February 18th, 2006 at 3:42 pm
Byant Gumble is a racist f-ing nigger!. This country had better start calling racist blacks like Gumbel out the way they call racist white people out. There is a double standard in this country that has to stop or people will die.
Racism is racism no matter who it comes from…unless it comes from a black person?
Bullshit!
February 18th, 2006 at 5:10 pm
complain all u want, it wont do any good. cancel hbo and bryant will be cancelled.
February 18th, 2006 at 8:19 pm
If a White Broadcaster would’ve made a similar remark about not watching an NBA game because of the lack of white players, and used stereotypical racial analogies, the White Broadcaster would be lynched by the mainstream media.
Remember what happened to Jimmy the Greek.
Unfortunately the mainstream media allows the trashing of Whites, Conservatives, Republicans and Christians.
Nothing will happen to Gumbel because HBO is part of Time Warner and I’m sure the african american CEO Dick Parsons of Time Warner will not fire Gumbel because its alright to trash “WHITEY”. Parsons will surely protect Gumbel.
You ever notice how the media will always refer to Blacks as African Americans, but its still OK to call us WHITE PEOPLE white. I’m not an albino so I wish to be referred to as a European American from this point on.
February 19th, 2006 at 3:28 am
Its funny when a white person makes comments they hear for NAACP OR JESSIE JACKSON WITH IN A FEW MINUTES.
February 19th, 2006 at 11:15 am
amazingly god loves bg as much as he loves everyone else
February 19th, 2006 at 4:53 pm
Blacks are generally better athletes than whites but also generally not as smart. It’s OK to say the first, but God help anyone who mentions the second.
Thanks to affirmative action, our colleges are not filled with the best students nor are our corporations filled with the most qualified workers.
Hey, I wonder if whites can get quotas on NBA and NFL teams.
February 19th, 2006 at 4:56 pm
I just got done talking to God, and he said he doesn’t like Bryant Gumbel anymore. God said BG’s a racist pig and should be fired by HBO. God also said we need to have more caucasians in basketball, football, and the NAACP or He’s gonna be really pissed!
February 19th, 2006 at 5:44 pm
When you look around the world you see black people living the same way irregardless of location; in squalor and violence and always they complain that it is the fault of “dirty jews and evil whitey.”
In Zimbabwe they murder on a regular basis white farmers along with their wives and children, do a search on the web and you will find the pictures, they do not care, it happens in south africa as well, and if and when they are caught, it is only because they are black that they are prosecuted and not because they have murdered.
This same thing occurs here in America and as always the black community and it’s leadership as well as cowardly whites will defend them as the “real victims” when they in fact are the murderers, look for this black on white hate crime to continue and to escalate over the coming years.
February 19th, 2006 at 7:38 pm
The problem here is a lack of understanding of American culture. Whites will be forever punished by the slavery issue. All whites will be blamed for slavery. All whites, regardless of how non racist they are will always be lumped together with the few that have done the black man harm. So to be realistic, there is nothing any white person can say to make mainstream blacks view them in a positive light. White people lose their desire to show that that they care about blacks after they get irrationally slapped in the face time after time. The ball’s in the black man’s court. If blacks want whites to care, they need to stop constantly ridiculing the entire white race. Is there any thing that whites can do to not be labeled racists? After living my whole life as a white guy, the inflamatory remarks about what I must be make me lose my desire to try anymore. I’ll just live my white existance and not be racist internally. But I will always be viewed as part of the white devil….. Bryant Gumbel’s remarks are just another example of why I should give up on trying to improve the white man’s image in the black mans eye.
February 19th, 2006 at 10:50 pm
What kind of ruckus would Jim Rome (ESPN) have started if he had said the NBA All-Star Game was like a NAACP convention….I’m sure the media would have picked it up and.. you know the rest of the story.
February 20th, 2006 at 1:13 pm
lets look at the facts 1. everyone knowa b.g. is a stuck up uncle tom with a good sence for sports journalism and 2. winter olympics do suck
February 20th, 2006 at 10:12 pm
Mr. Gumbel has proven once again that ignorance is bliss…most of all about basketball or any other so-called major sport compared to the Olympics…the true essence of sport lies with the competition, not the rich, indulgent, coddled professional so-called athletes in major sports….and his true ignorance lies in the choices competitors make..such as which sport to pursue, or if 15 minutes of glory for your country and yourself is more important than pursuing the golden horn of pro sports….at best, only several thousand athletes each generation are capable of playing any type of professional sport, while countless more will pursue a level of excellence through what Mr. Gumbel obviously considers too “minor” to appreciate.
For myself, being a fan of “sports” means ALL LEVELS and TYPES of SPORTS. If Mr. Gumbel is so dead set against every sport that isn’t major, American, or to his liking, then his show should be renamed “Pro Sports America through the eyes of a Marginal Talking Head” instead of “Real Sports,” since Mr. Gumbel doesn’t even have the intelligence to recognize anything else!
February 21st, 2006 at 8:37 am
I love how this hasn’t even become front page news. If some obscure sportscaster (that happens to be European American) in Billings, Montana would have said something about all sprinters being black because they were bred to run then it would have been front page news on USA Today. These racist remarks by BG are flying a little under the radar. I wonder why?
February 21st, 2006 at 9:55 am
It is a shame that Bryant Gumble has to make such insane remarks. Is his ego such that he feels he is ‘above’ everyone and that he can make these ridiculous comments? Perhaps he needs to look in a mirror to see where his real problem lies. Why doesn’t this become front page news? And we thought Terrell Owens was off the chart with ‘ridiculous’ comments. Give Terrell the show…I am certain he would do better. :>)
www.keeppunching.com
February 21st, 2006 at 10:02 am
Let us not forget that once upon a time BG was considered by many in the black community to be the ultimate Uncle Tom. He was often the butt of many jokes that described him as a “sell-out.” I for one studied him and could not see the connection. He is an articulate, seemingly intelligent human being who tells it like it is. As much as I wanted to make the sell-out connection in order to at least be able to laugh along with those making the jokes, I often found myself agreeing with him and appreciating the honesty in reporting stories and facts. Let’s face it. The winter games are terrible. You don’t need BG to tell you that. The ratings speak for themselves. The ratings fall FAR behind the summer games. Is it wrong for BG to state that facts? Or perhaps it is wrong for him to state the facts and be black while doing it. There are very few faces of color (not just African American) in the winter games. Of course it is not the fault of white people and BG never suggested that it is even an issue to examine. He simply points out the “Greatest Athletes in the world are NOT represented at the winter olympics, the sports are very eurocentric and do not appeal to American audiences in general. They are just plain tiresome and would lull anyone with a pulse to sleep (black white green or brown). Not so with track and field events or boxing or ping pong for that matter. White america should stop being so defensive. The reference to “race card” diminishes any claim a person of color may make when pointing out an obvious wrong doing where race is at the heart of the matter. White people use it in the workplace and anywhere possible as a weapon to automatically “dismiss” any claim being made where race is at the heart of the matter. I know. I’ve done it myself. That methodology is based on ignorance and nothing more. The man (BG)simply points out some obvious truths that I for one (and most of america watching) agree with. (There is little interest in the winter games and the greatest athletes in the world are certainly not represented). Truth..!! Again, check the ratings people. Oh by the way, I’m white, republican and a proud American.
February 21st, 2006 at 2:40 pm
Bryant Gumbel said what he felt, and that is not wrong. I agreed with most of it myself, and applauded the guts he had to say this to his (former?) employers (a lot of HBO employees are working on the Olympic Telecast). He is a little over the top racially, and even as a Hispanic man, I don’t like to hear that kind of stuff. He could have easily pointed out the dearth of Hispanic athletes, Polynesians, etc., instead of going only with his own race. There are many sports which are not played in cold weather countries, and I wonder if he ever lamented the lack of Eskimos in the Summer Olympics…
I like freedom of speech and I agree that the Winter Olympics have too many subjective ’sports’ that many find boring. I don’t like bland, opinion-less people. If you want to make another case, you could complain that allowing countries to participate when their athletes are not in the top levels of the sport, while other countries are leaving behind athletes who are better, but are over quota, waters down the competition. The top fifty, or thirty, regardless of country should all be allowed to attend.
February 21st, 2006 at 4:10 pm
Bryant Gumble and Ray Nagin have a lot in common, both are considered essentially “white” by the black community. This perception irks them to such a degree that occassionally they must lash out and show their true “blackness.” Unfortunately for them, in the last couple of weeks they both came off as true morons.
February 21st, 2006 at 5:43 pm
It’s about time somebody speaks the truth. Black people are still the minority and are treated as such. Gumbel is not a racist but he keeps it real and people hate it because it’s the truth. When america wakes up out of the discriminating blacks then they will understand what Gumbel is saying and appreciate it.
February 21st, 2006 at 6:05 pm
ALL OF YOU ARE A BUNCH OF RACE CONSCIOUS SOB’S - GET OVER IT - TIME CHANGES ALL THINGS AND THAT GOES FOR THE RACE CONSCIOUS USA AND THE WORLD - OH, BY THE WAY, I CONCUR WITH MR. GUMBLE’S STATEMENT.
February 21st, 2006 at 9:10 pm
Black people today are victims of themselves; their own irresponsibilities, they refuse to take responsibility for their own actions and wish to blame white people for all of their problems, this IS racist; to blame a people for YOUR problems.
Gumble was not telling the truth, he was hiding it as is common amongst the black communities leadership and stand out personalities today, no sense of responsibility, you have opportunities but you refuse to take advantage of them, you want a free ride.
To top it all off they have the nerve to be taking advantage of what their ancestors went through in order to make themselves out to be the victims, their ancestors were victims but this generation is not a victim of anyone but themselves.
February 22nd, 2006 at 5:49 am
For Michael S and all of you who will be offended by this and I assure you most of the caucasians readers will. Who else are the black people to blame for the situation we’re in now? Who brought our ancestors to a foreign land against their will? Who treated our ancestors worse than animals for almost three centuries? Until the Civil Rights movement of the sixties black people were looked at and treated as less than humans. IE: Lynchings, separate toilets, separate restaurants, couldn’t ride in the front of the bus, couldn’t go to the same schools. Obviously, if we were not allowed to do the same things that white America did we could not be equal. This was not relegated to one or two people, it was to an entire race. Even though slavery ended, our race was still oppressed. Hence the majority of poor blacks living in ghettos. If we could not even attend the same schools as you, hold the same jobs as you, what type of existence could we have? We did not choose to live like this, you put us there. Yes, we as a people are making progress but we are victims of what your ancestors did to our ancestors. We are not less smart than you are, we simply did not have the same opportunities as you. Racism, handed down from generartion to generation, still has the majority of white people believing that. They are not willing to look into the reasons as to why whites are ahead of blacks, AT THE MOMENT. This will all change as time progresses. White Americans, cannot expect after almost 300 years of slavery, followed by 100 years of opression, that we as a people are suppose to be on the same level as they are. Just because there are certain programs in place to assist us it does not wipe out centuries of opression. Were it not for the way we were treated, from slavery to this day, even though it’s not as prevalent today, we would not need your programs to get our feet in the door. In no way am I saying that white people are better than black people, we are just as intelligent and driven as you are, the only difference between your race and mine is that you’ve had a 400 year headstart.
February 22nd, 2006 at 4:23 pm
black america has been catered for years. i would just like to hear of one big company tell the naacp where to get off. they can boycott our product, but we are not going to put anymore blacks in our tv ads.
February 22nd, 2006 at 6:42 pm
Steven, your argument does not hold up in my opinion, all over Africa the conditions are horrible, in areas where no whites live and may never have lived, there is a lot of crooked leadership problems there as there is in the black community here, this is your communities biggest problem, not “white people”.
I do think that did a good job of articulating your argument and i understand what you are trying to say, but i just have to disagree on this one.
February 22nd, 2006 at 11:54 pm
BG IS DUMB….
February 23rd, 2006 at 12:58 pm
Gumbel is clearly misguided, I hope he didn’t watch that mockery of an all-star event called the Dunk Contest a week ago. If he did he saw a bunch of grown men make numerous failing attempts before completing a task and waiting for the judges to give them a score. The fact that there are few if any black/hispanic folks in the winter games doesn’t mean much to anyone. Honestly, there’s very little difference between the skill level of summer vs winter atheletes, both are great at what they do and the best in the world.