HBO's Gumbel: Lack of Blacks Makes Olympics 'Look Like a GOP Convention'
By Dave Pierre | February 16, 2006 | 00:58
There were some eye-opening remarks from Bryant Gumbel on the most recent episode of HBO's Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel. According to a transcript posted by a television columnist named Seth Frelich, Gumbel said the following in his closing monologue last week (emphasis mine):
"Finally, tonight, the Winter Games. Count me among those who don’t like them and won’t watch them ... Because they’re so trying, maybe over the next three weeks we should all try too. 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."
Audio clip (31 secs): MP3 (185 KB).
The comments have received scant coverage, with the San Francisco Chronicle (in a betting column) and The Columbus Dispatch (in a "People in the News" column) among the few outlets that have even mentioned the episode.
Kudos to radio talk-show host Larry Elder for highlighting the remarks.
Gumbel's remarks have been followed by many angry posts at HBO's Real Sports Bulletin Boards. The story was also picked up at Free Republic, where one poster wrote, "Remember what they did to Rush over the McNabb remark. I will contact HBO."
You'd think these remarks would have received more attention than they have. (Well, maybe not.) It's just hard to imagine a Bill O'Reilly or Sean Hannity getting a pass on something like this. Don'tcha think?
Flashback: MRC: "Bryant Gumbel: Liberal Activist Masquerading as Impartial Journalist"
UPDATE 9:30pm EST Thursday: FNC’s Hannity & Colmes on Thursday night devoted a segment to “Gumbel’s Bumble,” with guests Juan Williams, an NPR correspondent, and Robert Woodson of the Center for Neighborhood Enterprise.
