Bryant Gumble And The Olympics

On a recent episode of HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumble, Gumble made the following comment:

“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..."

Many are calling for Gumble to be punished or even terminated for what are perceived to be "racist" comments.

Were they? No. Gumble, despite his self-righteous smugness, was only stating a fact - there aren't a lot of blacks at your typical GOP covention because blacks don't align themselves with the GOP in any significant numbers.

Still, it feels like he's saying, "there are no blacks because you guys are racist". I mean, that's what it all comes down to, isn't it? The feelings these kind of comments invoke?

Throughout the right side of the Blogosphere, the inevitable comparisons:

"What if Bill O'Reilly said he didn't want to watch the NBA game because it looked like a Compton Swap Meet?"

"Certainly Gumble would have been canned had he been white and made some remark about how the NBA looks like the dining hall in a Louisiana state prison."

"What is someone said the Super Bowl looked like the DNC Convention?"

Yeah, you know exactly "what if?" Still, you kind of wish someone would take up the challenge and put it to the test, don't you? If only for the chance to point out the double standard.