HBO's Gumbel: Lack of Blacks Makes Olympics 'Look Like a GOP Convention'

Newsbusters.org ^ | 2/16/05 | David Pierre

[Airborne1986]

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 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."

[peacebaby]

ooooh, honey...I can't believe you said that.

LOL.

[indcons]

I am kind of torn on this topic: Gumbel is a joke and so is the winter "olympics"

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Gumbel is just trying to "keep it real." He's the whitest black guy on Earth but every now and then will make these statements just so other liberal blacks won't call him a sell-out or Uncle Tom.

[getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL]

[duckman]

Personally I would like to see more Muslim bobsledders.

[TheBattman]

Hey Bryant...what about the Jamaican bobsled team? ;-)

I guess they represent the "token" blacks in the GOP - like Thomas, Williams, and Keyes....

[dfwgator]

Gumbel is just like OJ, he only remembers he's "black" when it's convenient for him.

[pgkdan]

Imagine if a white guy said watching an NBA game was like watching a rap concert.

Or more to the point, a gang fight.

[dfwgator]

Personally I would like to see more Muslim bobsledders.

Or Javelin catchers.

[pepperdog]

Gumbel proves that idiocy can't be cured. It won't do a bit of good to tell him to get a clue, he's just stuck on stupid.

[Condor51]

***What about the Jamaican Bobsled Team.***

I've got a 'gazillion' on the Gambian Curling team with 'Bruno'.

If they don't medal I'll be Freeping from the trunk of an '89 Buick :-)

[OB1kNOb]

Gumbel: "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...."

The racist and and wife. How hypocritically ironic.

[ThanhPhero]

And just how would BG work this? Blacks have not shown as much interest in winter sports. Affirmative action for black athletes? Then he would have to complain about the lack of blacks among medal winners. Or must medals be awarded by AA, also? If so why bother to run the race? Just make the awards. If no blacks are in the luge event, just borrow one from the stands to receive the medal.

[hophead]

So he is calling the GOP a bunch of racists? Thats the kettle calling the pot black!

[Airborne1986]

"And then when I said I thought Mat Lauer was so cute"

I assume that this happened before Lauer got the buzz cut.

[Airborne1986]

"Gumbel is a joke and so is the winter "olympics""

I agree with you on both counts - although I will watch the hockey.

[johnpaul]

The old boy can't get over being black.

[dfwgator]

Reminds me of the scene in "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" where the militant black activist turned out to be married to a white woman.

[50sDad]

Certainly, we should follow the lead of the hugely effective Affirmative Action program, and select those black athletes who, though no fault of their own physical shortcomings or their choices in which sports they want to play, fail in any way to measure up to the minimum standards that all other athletes have to achieve. Alternatively, we might pay huge scads of money to less successful "athletes of color" that right now turn their noses up at cold-related sports in order to lure them into the Winter Games, where they can be humiliated by other, better athletes who actually like winter sports. (Once this is done, we can pay our "also rans" reparations money for the embarrassment they underwent when we forced them into serving us at an Olympics in a far-away land where they didn't really want to go.) After all, we all know that separating the Olympics into Winter and Summer games was done for one reason only...to embarrass and humiliate the black athletes.

I know all this, because at the direction of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, this is my week to Keep the Black Man Down.

Hey, "Winter" games means snow, which is white. Do I have to draw you a picture?

Signed,
The Man

[goresalooza]

LOL..is he the only one? LOL!!! shh...don't tell Gumbel.