Bu-Bye Bry!

If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you never will change the outcome. --Michael Jordan

This isn't the first time Bryant Gumbel has felt the heat for his witty remarks about life in the USA. But his criticism of the 2006 Winter Olympics.... Well, this statement is a fine example of how Freedom of Speech is not reciprocal.

Let's for a moment imagine, Bryant exchanging any other ethnic group for "blacks" in his statement below. How long do you suppose it would be before public "outrage" would break out around the world? How many would be killed in violent uprisings if "Muslims" were inserted instead, or what reaction would "Jews" or "Arabs" or "French" or "women" or "Asians" "or Homosexuals inserted elicit?"

And how long would it take for someone to lose his or her job? Think of the firing of Jimmy the Greek (but not Dan Rather) or Marge Schotz in the 1990s when her comments about black players caused such an uproar that she was fined and locked out of her own stadium (and she even owned the team).

The Bryant Gumbel Quote: "And finally tonight the Winter Games. Count me among those that don't like 'em and won't watch 'em. In fact, I figure when Thomas Paine said, "These are the times that try men's souls", he must have been talking about the start of another Winter Olympics. Because they are so trying, maybe over the next three weeks we should all try too. Like try not to be incredulous when someone tries 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 psuedo-athlete waits in what's called a "kiss and cry area” while some panel of subjective judges decides who won. And try to blot out all logic when announcers and sports writers pretend to care about the luge, the skeleton, the biathlon, and all those other events they don't understand and totally ignore for all but three weeks every four years.

Face it, these Olympics are little more than a marketing plan to fill space and sell time during the dreary days of February. So, if only to hasten the arrival of the day they're done, and we can move on to March Madness, for God's sake, let the Games begin."

We need uniform standards applied for these exercises in free speech and we certainly do not have them. The GOP is perfectly capable of defending its membership--and I hope it will--but Bryant's foray into irony is a path he should not have traveled until he knew whereof he spoke.

Yes, Bryant, there is a Santa Claus. You are certainly allowed to prefer watching sports with mostly black athletes. There's no problem in that. But, really, you should know that most people, regardless of their heritage, applaud at professional basketball and football games--where most of the players are black. And most people, regardless again of their heritage, can be seen applauding at ice hockey games, golf, and tennis matches--where most of the players are white. Must you use divisive language that inaccurately assults one of our political parties with anti-black insinuations? Can any good come of that?

I'm betting you won't lose your job like the others who made their controversial comments. You may say whatever you wish over the air waves, I'm sure, but people who hear you also have a freedom of choice to grab their remotes and click your arrogance into TV no-man's-land. "Bu-Bye Bry!"

By the way, Go USA!!

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Photo Credit: HBO Sports, Real Sports at HBO.com