Bryant Gumbel is sad. He left the Today Show years ago to become the big, big star that he always knew he was. He was doing just great, then those bigots had to bring in perky, White girl Katie Couric to steel his spotlight. Guess those network executives couldn’t handle the public specter of a light-skinned, rich, nerdy Black man who prefers to be romantically involved with white women headlining America’s leading morning show. Racists! So Bryant started his own show, a pretty well respected show at that – Real Sports on HBO. He’s won Emmys and has spoken to some of the most influential athletes of our time, but still, its in the far reaches of cable and lots of people watch it, but its not the same. Where are the adoring crowds? Where are the screaming White women? Where are the endorsements? How does a poor guy like Bryant get back into the spotlight? Say something ridiculous, of course! The problem is, Bryant’s not really a “political” guy anymore. He doesn’t do the hard-hitting interviews or the breaking stories. He does sports. He has to come up with something outrageous to say about an industry that is filled with outrageous excess. Well, Bryant thought long and hard and came up with this brilliant analogy about the NBA lockout, comparing NBA Commissioner David Stern to a modern day plantation owner. That’s right, Bryant thinks Stern wants to be a slave owner, and the “boys” on the team are nothing more than slaves to him. Hey Bryant: if making an average of $5 million a year makes you a slave, sign me up! Its really easy to vocalize such ridiculous notions when everyone who could refute your claim with experience is dead. I can only imagine what someone who was actually a real slave during the darkest period of American history would say upon hearing you compare Black men making millions, living in mansions and driving expensive vehicles to SLAVES. Also, these men can quit anytime. I’m pretty sure Stern doesn’t have these guys chained to the locker rooms and benches on game days. I’m only guessing, as I’ve never actually been in an NBA locker room, but I feel its a safe assumption.
Bryant, you’ve been too rich for too long. Your idea of hardship and struggle is massively distorted by the view from your Manhattan penthouse. Maybe David Stern is a jerk. Maybe he really is a racist. I don’t know, but I don’t think you do either. The point is, this NBA lockout is a fight between millionaires and billionaires about who can keep more money, not slavery. Slavery is evil. The NBA is just entertainment. Your comparison sullies the memory and accomplishments of a people who survived one of the greatest horrors ever visited upon mankind. For shame. For shame.
You can see the whole thing for yourself below. Try not to puke.
Davis’ piece is music to many ears in the minority community because they have been saying the same things about Gumbal for many years – he was in that same little group with Justice Thomas and most recently Herman Cain. Shelby Steel explains that these people can live, and excel in the White Community as long as they don’t rock the boat speaking about America’s ugly historical parts. As soon as they do, they get ejected from the passanger seat like the guy in James Bond’s car in Goldfinger. Davis clearly reminds all minorities of what to expect when they join a certain establishments ranks, and then don’t play by the golden rules – Colin Powell is another living reminder of this.
It’s always that way with you guys…Play the race card; If a black man fails it’s racism, not that he’s an idiot or not talented…It can’t be that! Really?
The guys an idiot for saying that; Race has nothing to do with it!
Oh, and by the way….In case you hadn’t figured it out… Davis isn’t “endorsing” “Gumballs” behavior; He’s rippin’ on him! But you can see what you want to see bein’ Racist an’ all!
The “You Guys” comment says it all up front.
Gumbel has been a star with Emmy’s and fat paychecks for a very long time and I am sure if you do a LexisNexis about some of the disagreeable things he has said over the years on the air, you will likely find quite a few. However, rather than just deal with the Stern statement’s merits from a broader journalistic context, like coupled with Stern’s new clothing dress code (with which I agree), Davis’ comments have “Uppity N-Word” stamped all over them. “Romancing White Woman” – “Where are the screaming White Woman” – “Light-Skinned, Nerdy Black Man” etc. So the Race-Card was already present in the article and Davis is beating Gumbel up for bringing up Slavery. You missed the point that “Us Guys” and Conservative Shelby Steel get. People like Clarence Thomas, Gumbel and others have demonstrated a certain disdane for the Black Community and Culture, with some saying that like even with Candidate Cain, they want to raise the ladder out of reach for others, so it’s always refreshing when they are thrown off the train like Ben Kingsley did, or when a Michael Jordan is refused a Country Club Membership, even though he would be it’s richest member. Interestingly, the Minority Community also see those folks as being “Uppity N-Word”.