Winter Olympics
"Count me among those who don't care about them and won't watch them. 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."
- Bryant Gumbel on HBO's "Real Sports"
Now, I feel the quote in and of itself generally, and especially given that one of the few American black athletes just won the gold in the 1000m Speedskating event. But let me be clear, I have NO idea how many American black athletes are in Turin given I have not watched one second of the Winter Olympics - so I'm hoping and feel pretty secure that "few" is relatively accurate. Gumbel's quote sort of brings into question the causality of the "state" of the Winter Olympics, but really, I think it simply is what it is: How many black folks do you know that would devote their younger lives to activities grounded in (white) snow, ice, and the kicker...cold?
I mean black folks operating in the cold is like someone drinking Diet Pepsi: "only if they absolutely had to."
- Bryant Gumbel on HBO's "Real Sports"
Now, I feel the quote in and of itself generally, and especially given that one of the few American black athletes just won the gold in the 1000m Speedskating event. But let me be clear, I have NO idea how many American black athletes are in Turin given I have not watched one second of the Winter Olympics - so I'm hoping and feel pretty secure that "few" is relatively accurate. Gumbel's quote sort of brings into question the causality of the "state" of the Winter Olympics, but really, I think it simply is what it is: How many black folks do you know that would devote their younger lives to activities grounded in (white) snow, ice, and the kicker...cold?
I mean black folks operating in the cold is like someone drinking Diet Pepsi: "only if they absolutely had to."
posted by Aristocrates at 1:28 PM
4 Comments:
I havent watched any of the winter olymipics...oh wait I watched some of that shuffle board on ice.....
I'm a fan of curling myself. Wouldn't mind being one of the ice sweeper people.
winter olympics? come on. black people been on thin ice their whole lives.
I have to say Bryant, that comment cost you a huge contingent of your white audience. But you know "Malcolm" c/o Wayne Brady, I'm thinking your view of the term athlete should carry a much broader context than skin color and amazing abilities. Just imagine for a second... What if, Perhaps, the Winter Olympics contained the greatest athletes in the world. How bad would it be? We have to ask ourselves What is an athlete? The origins of this word simply refer to a contestant or someone competing. You don't have to be "good", which is a subjective term anyway. The announcer/commentator for the Winter Olympics probably thought that given the conditions anyone who competes should be considered a great "athlete". Which brings us to the generalist's comment, the fact that people have the "luxury" to decide what conditions they compete in almost makes their accomplishments frivolous compared to what "thin ice" many (not all, but many) blacks in America "think, dance, jump, skate, roll and bounce" on in order to survive this game of life.
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