Bryant Gumbel and the Winter Olympics

[Old_Style]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/ ... d=tab1pos1

when is the argument about not enough black athletes/coaches going to end?
i totally agree with this article by Wojciechowski

[Red Stripe]

"White people love Wayne Brady because he makes Bryant Gumbel look like Malcom X"

[Madison]

when is the argument about not enough black athletes/coaches going to end?

It won't, and it's pathetic.

I'm in agreement with the author of the article.

[acsguitar]

Wow Gumbel is an idiot..

I like the comparrison of no white american players in the NBA allstar game.

Thats a good one.

Anyways Why aren't their more black players in the winter olympics.

Well one reason is that people with darker skin are mostly from countries that DON"T HAVE SNOW!!!

Africa, the middle east, Islands.

Ok well what about black americans who live here where there is snow.

Unfortunately a good portion of black america lives in cities where things like Mountains, and speed skating isn't popular.

Apollo trained in Colorado Springs for a year.

All of this costs a lot of money.

Winter olympic sports require lots of equiptment and the ability to travel to places that CAN hold winter sports.

Anyways Bryant made a weak argument

[Phatferd]

Wow Gumbel is an idiot..

I like the comparrison of no white american players in the NBA allstar game.

Thats a good one.

Anyways Why aren't their more black players in the winter olympics.

Well one reason is that people with darker skin are mostly from countries that DON"T HAVE SNOW!!!

Africa, the middle east, Islands.

Ok well what about black americans who live here where there is snow.

Unfortunately a good portion of black america lives in cities where things like Mountains, and speed skating isn't popular.

Apollo trained in Colorado Springs for a year.

All of this costs a lot of money.

Winter olympic sports require lots of equiptment and the ability to travel to places that CAN hold winter sports.

Anyways Bryant made a weak argument

Agree 100%, but all this does is prove what he said to be true. Maybe he did a poor job explaining it, but its still factual.

I just like how everyone wants to call him a racist (not saying any of you are, I am speaking for the majority of people I have heard in regards to this topic). The dude married a white woman. He isn't racist. Is he an idiot? Yes.

[3 run homer]

I had no idea that gumble was that racially biased.
I work with guy who's from Zimbabwe, i said dude have you watching the olympics, his reply what the hell do I care I'm from zimbabwae we don't have a winter team.
Then, back in the day when I was in the corps, I knew a black guy who was an alternate for the 4 man bobsled team
Gumble = idiot

[Art Vandelay]

I think Gumble's point has been overlooked because anytime someone brings up race in a discussion about sports, the rest of what they said goes out the window. What he is saying is that it is obsurd to call people 'the best athletes in the world' when at least half of the world is exempt from participation based solely on geography. It's also about class as much as race...most of the winter olympic sports have a prohibitive cost associated with them just to participate...and to participate and train often enough to get to the olympic level costs so much that at least 90% of the people that do live in a geographical area that is conducive to these games can't afford to participate.

[Pogotheostrich]

I think Gumble's point has been overlooked because anytime someone brings up race in a discussion about sports, the rest of what they said goes out the window. What he is saying is that it is obsurd to call people 'the best athletes in the world' when at least half of the world is exempt from participation based solely on geography. It's also about class as much as race...most of the winter olympic sports have a prohibitive cost associated with them just to participate...and to participate and train often enough to get to the olympic level costs so much that at least 90% of the people that do live in a geographical area that is conducive to these games can't afford to participate.

But they are the best athletes in the world at their respective sports. Its like saying NFL players aren't the best athletes in the world because a majority of the world doesn't play football.

[Art Vandelay]

I think Gumble's point has been overlooked because anytime someone brings up race in a discussion about sports, the rest of what they said goes out the window. What he is saying is that it is obsurd to call people 'the best athletes in the world' when at least half of the world is exempt from participation based solely on geography. It's also about class as much as race...most of the winter olympic sports have a prohibitive cost associated with them just to participate...and to participate and train often enough to get to the olympic level costs so much that at least 90% of the people that do live in a geographical area that is conducive to these games can't afford to participate.

But they are the best athletes in the world at their respective sports. Its like saying NFL players aren't the best athletes in the world because a majority of the world doesn't play football.

Exactly. So if the US (or any other country) was to host a football tournament, it would be silly to get excited about winning and say we won because we are the best athletes in the world. We would win because most of the world doesn't play football.

Also, the comparison to the NBA doesn't hold water. Basketball is played pretty much world wide, and nobody is excluded from playing basketball because of geography or cost.

[Pogotheostrich]

I just don't get the logic that says to be considered the world's best athletes you have to play a sport that is available to everyone. Not everyone is going to have access to every sport whether it is played worldwide or not.