Brian Gumbel's Comments Options

[Shmaloney]

Brian Gumbel on the Winter Olympics: "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."

I can't say that part of me doesn't agree with him (I am hungering for March Madness to begin), however, to liken the Winter Olympics to a GOP convention? Blackness, or the degree of melanin in the skin which constitutes it, was undoubtedly an evolutionary advantage for human beings clustered around the equator. I don?t know if many have visited a country on or very near the equator, but it?s usually very hot; California heat on some Balco supplements kind of hot; probably a bad place for snow and ice (I?m just guessing). Cultures and societies imbedded around the equatorial portions of our planet enjoy more sunshine year-round than do their cousins to the very north and south. For those who spend more time in the sun, melanin gives an evolutionary advantage by protecting the skin against sun damage. Winter sports tend thrive in cold weather (i.e. less sunshine). It is no wonder Disney made a movie about a Jamaican bobsled team. I mean, how many bobsledding Jamaicans do you know? Not that I'm an expert on race or anything, but the Winter Olympics don't strike me as particularly racist, or even that political for that matter. Sure, at its roots, the Olympics play to our nationalistic sentiments, but in and of itself, it doesn't attempt to make any overt political statement (that doesn't mean that athletes in the past haven't used the games as a medium to make their own political statements). The fact that the Winter games tend to have less people of color is just that - a fact. Thoughts please. . . .

[The Editor]

Sounds to me like Mr. Gumbel's comments are the ones that are racially motivated. What, he can only watch sports that have enough people with dark skin for his liking? I mean come on. Shmaloney your points are all very valid. Winter sports, based on the pigment of folks' skin where weather is cold, will be dominated by lighter skin folks.

A GOP convention? What the hell is this guy talking about? My guess is that a good majority of these athletes are liberal folks.

Brian Gumbel seems to be talking straight out of his rear.

I do feel him in one respect - let's get to March Madness damnit!! Enough of these lame sports.

[StevieMo]

GOP convention meant "a whole bunch of white people."

Gumbel was doing what, uh, I do when I write letters to the papers -- he's trying to stir it up a little. The racial zinger was to make a point and to draw attention to his take. Which happened to work, by the way.

He makes some good points; you really can't take the winter Olympics too seriously. The summer Olympics were the original and those athletes are legit. The Winter games are more like watching a guy who has gotten really good at backgammon play a few games. :shock:

[savathlete]

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.

Okay, I'm going to break down what Mr. Gumble was saying because it seems the editor and Shmaloney misunderstood him. Here's what he said without the comedic touch: "It's ridiculous to act like these are the world's greatest athletes when there are almost no blacks." He wasn't making any statement about politics or racism in the Olympics. He was saying that white people aren't as good athletes as blacks. He was implying that the higher the white to black ratio in a sport, the worse the athletes are. Basically what he said was pretty racist and uneducated if you ask me. Yeah black people on average have more fast-twitch muscle fiber, but not every sport depends merely on the athlete having fast-twitch fibers. For many sports, such as cross country skiing, that would be a disadvantage. And in most sports, aside from the few like track, much skill and coordination are involved, which have little or nothing to do with race. And obviously throughout the world there aren't nearly as many black people living in snowy areas as there are white. Gumble is an idiot, a lame nerd trying to shed his squarish uncle Tom image.

[HNIC]

yea thats a fukkin stupid ass comment. it seems like hes just trying to be edgy. who cares if they might not be the best all around athletes. they are at the top of their game. its always a pleasure to watch anyone be the best at anything.

[klew84]

For some odd reason, I thought Greg Gumbel's little brother's name was BRYANT (as in Kobe's last name), not Brian. Silly me.

I do agree with him to a degree. The best athletes in the world were not at the olympics, and it's not because there were hardly any blacks, it's because there are hardly any sports in the Winter Olympics. As I've said before, I have trouble calling most of these Winter Olympic events sports. I mean most of them really aren't.

But my beef is with his comments. If a white man made these comments about a lack of whites in a black dominated field like basketball, because the game lacks fundamentals, it would be seen as racially motivated.

I just think it's stupid that black people seem to get a free pass when it comes to these types of statements. I mean Donovan McNabb just got away with a huge one.

Rush Limbaugh was villified for statements that weren't racist in my book, but this Gumbel outburst isn't even an issue to most, and really hasn't received that much attention. This one goes under the radar, like most bigoted comments that blacks get away with.

[The Editor]

It is a joke if you really break it down.

[Potenterer2]

and more...
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regards, Potenterer2

[Ramya]

The Wallet

As I walked home one freezing day, I stumbled on a wallet someone had lost in the street. I picked it up and looked inside to find some identification so I could call the owner. But the wallet contained only three dollars and a crumpled letter that looked as if it had been in there for years. The envelope was worn and the only thing that was legible on it was the return address. (world of warcraft power leveling)
I started to open the letter, hoping to find some clue. Then I saw the dateline -- 1924. The letter had been written almost sixty years earlier. It was written in a beautiful feminine handwriting, on powder－blue stationery with a little flower in the left－hand corner. It was a "Dear John"letter that told the recipient, whose name appeared to be Michael, that the writer could not see him any more because her mother forbade it. Even so, she wrote that she would always love him. It was signed Hannah.

It was a beautiful letter, but there was no way, except for the name Michael, to identify the owner. Maybe if I called information, the operator could find a phone listing for the address on the envelope. The operator suggested I speak with her supervisor, who hesitated for a moment, then said, "Well, there is a phone listing at that address, but I can't give you the number. " She said as a courtesy, she would call that number, explain my story and ask whoever answered if the person wanted her to connect me. Aion kina

I waited a few minutes and then the super－visor was back on the line. "I have a party who will speak with you. " I asked the woman on the other end of the line if she knew anyone by the name of Hannah. She gasped. " Oh! We bought this house from a family who had a daughter named Hannah. But that was thirty years ago!" "Would you know where that family could be located now？" I asked. "I remember that Hannah had to place her mother in a nursing home some years ago, "the woman said. "Maybe if you got in touch with them, they might be able to track down the daughter. "She gave me the name of the nursing home, and I called the number. The woman on the phone told me the old lady had passed away some years ago, but the nursing home did have a phone number for where the daughter might be living. I thanked the person at the nursing home and phoned the number she gave me. The woman who answered explained that Hannah herself was now living in a nursing home. This whole thing is stupid, I thought to myself. Why am I making such a big deal over finding the owner of a wallet that has only three dollars and a letter that is almost sixty years old？

Nevertheless, I called the nursing home in which Hannah was supposed to be living, and the man who answered the phone told me , "Yes, Hannah is staying with us. "Even though it was already 10 P. M. , I asked if I could come by to see her. "Well, "he said hesitatingly, "if you want to take a chance, she might be in the day room watching television. "

world of warcraft gold,I thanked him and drove over to the nursing home. The night nurse and a guard greeted me at the door. We went up to the third floor of the large building. In the day room, the nurse introduced me to Hannah. She was a sweet, silverhaired old－timer with a warm smile and a twinkle in her eyes. I told her about finding the wallet and showed her the letter. The second she saw the powder－blue envelope with that little flower on the left, she took a deep breath and said, "Young man, this letter was the last contact I ever had with Michael. "She looked away for a moment, deep in thought, and then said softly, "I loved him very much. But I was only sixteen at the time and my mother felt I was too young. Oh, he was so handsome. He looked like Sean Connery, the actor. "

"Yes, " she continued, "Michael Goldstein was a wonderful person. If you should find him, tell him I think of him often. And, " she hesitated for a moment, almost biting her lip, tears welled up in her eyes, "I never did marry. I guess no one ever matched up to Michael. . . "I thanked Hannah and said good－bye. I took the elevator to the first floor and as I stood by the door, the guard there asked, "Was the old lady able to help you？"I told him she had given me a lead. "At least I have a last name. But I think I'll let it go for a while. I spent almost the whole day trying to find the owner of this wallet. "I had taken out the wallet, which was a simple brown leather case with red lacing on the side. When the guard saw it, he said, "Hey, wait a minute! That's Mr. Goldstein's wallet. I'd know it anywhere with that bright red lacing. He 's always losing that wallet. I must have found it in the halls at least three times. " ffxi gil

　"Who's Mr. Goldstein？"I asked, as my hand began to shake. "He 's one of the old－timers on the eighth floor. That's Mike Goldstein's wallet for sure. He must have lost it on one of his walks. "I thanked the guard and quickly ran back to the nurse's office. I told her what the guard had said. We went back to the elevator and got on. I prayed that Mr. Goldstein would be up.

On the eighth floor, the floor nurse said, "I think he's still in the day room. He likes to read at night. He 's a darling old man. "We went to the only room that had any lights on, and there was a man reading a book. The nurse went over to him and asked if he had lost hiswallet. Mr. Goldstein looked up with surprise, put his hand in his back pocket and said, "Oh, it is missing. ""This kind gentleman found a wallet and we wondered if it could be yours. "I handed Mr. Goldstein the wallet, and the second he saw it, he smiled with relief and said, "Yes, that's it！ It must have dropped out of my pocket this afternoon. I want to give you a reward. "

　"No, thank you, "I said. "But I have to tell you something. I read the letter in the hope of finding out who owned the wallet. "The smile on his face suddenly disappeared. "You read that letter？""Not only did I read it, I think I know where Hannah is. " world of warcraft power leveling

He suddenly grew pale. "Hannah？You know where she is？How is she？Is she still as pretty as she was？Please, please tell me, " he begged. "She's fine. . . just as pretty as when you knew her, " I said softly.

The old man smiled with anticipation and asked, "Could you tell me where she is？I want to call her tomorrow. "He grabbed my hand and said, "You know something, mister？I was so in love with that girl that when that letter came, my life literally ended. I never married. I guess I've always loved her. "

"Michael, " I said, "come with me. "We took the elevator down to the third floor. The hallways were darkened and only one or two little night lights lit our way to the day room, where Hannah was sitting alone, watching the television.

The nurse walked over to her. "Hannah, "she said softly, pointing to Michael, who was waiting with me in the doorway. "Do you know this man？"She adjusted her glasses, looked for a moment, but didn't say a word.

Michael said softly, almost in a whisper, "Hannah, it's Michael. Do you remember me？"She gasped. "Michael! I don't believe it! Michael! It's you! My Michael!"He walked slowly toward her, and they embraced. The nurse and I left with tears streaming down our faces. "See, "I said. "See how the good Lord works! If it's meant to be, it will be. "

wow power leveling, About three weeks later, I got a call at my office from the nursing home. "Can you break away on Sunday to attend a wedding？Michael and Hannah are going to tie the knot!"