Grumblin' Gumbel

I still hope to do a Torino wrap-up with my final general thoughts on all of skating in the past fortnight and the Olympics in general. But before getting around to that I read this post by Ruvym and saw Bryant Gumbel's rant about the Winter Games. (This website has good links to the rant in several different formats (additional video format here); there's also an excerpt of the rant in text format if you can't/don't want to watch the clip. Full text of the rant is available here. It's not very long, so I recommend reading that before continuing reading this post.)

As I remarked in Ruvym's comments, I disagree with Gumbel both in his general sentiment and many of the specific statements. But I want to go a bit more in depth here, in something of a point-counterpoint fashion. (Just as a note: I'm a big fan of free speech, and I in no way mean to suggest that Gumbel doesn't have the right to make any of his remarks. I'm simply exercising my right to disagree, vocally, with those remarks.)

"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."

Okay, so the ancient Greeks didn't have many of the sports that comprise the Winter Games. So what? Most of the events in the Summer Games weren't around back then either. The Olympics have grown far beyond the scope of the Games held by the ancient Greeks. These are the modern Games.

"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."

It's true that there aren't as many black athletes in the Winter Games as there are in other sports. But that doesn't mean that those competing are not the worldn's greatest athletes. Without getting into the "Is it a sport?" question (we'll get back to that one), does Gumbel really mean to suggest that the Olympians are not the world's greatest athletes in their respective events, in part or whole because there aren't many blacks competing? I'm sure there's been discrimination in some sports -- Shani Davis's experience in speed skating comes to mind. And beyond specific acts of discrimination, there are certain financial or socio-economic barriers that may effectively discriminate against blacks. But that's certainly not specific to blacks, and I imagine it's not the full story. Many countries have specific strengths when it comes to the Olympics. We don't see many winter athletes from Australia, but they make a strong showing in the Summer Games, especially swimming. And the Scandanavian and Alpine countries, which often dominate some of the winter events, don't show up in the same record numbers for the summer events. So while I can respect any movement that seeks to break down the barriers that stand in the way of anyone who wants to participate, let's not disparage the athletes that are competing and suggest that they are not among the world's greatest.

But maybe Mr. Gumbel meant to suggest that the problem is more within our own country than the world in general - that really it's the lack of African-Americans that questions the legitimacy of ranking Olympians among the world's greatest athletes. But what about the lack of African-American athletes in hockey? Some people have pointed this out, but would Mr. Gumbel ever make similar comments about the racial inequities of the NHL? It also raises a question of how many African-American athletes are even attempting to enter sports like hockey or Winter Olympic events. (Admittedly, this becomes thornier if one contends that a culture of discrimination disuades such attempts.)

"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."

Now we come to a very common debate on whether events like figure skating are actual sports. I could (as many others have - to see both sides of the debate, I'd suggest these two articles that I recently came across) go on at some length to defend figure skating as a sport. Maybe I'll devote a future post to discuss this more. But sport or not, how could you not consider figure skaters athletes? Competitive skaters go through training regimens that are just as (if not more) strenuous than those of just about any non-pseudo-athlete Mr. Gumbel would care to mention. If performing triple axels and death drops do not qualify one as an athlete, then no offensive lineman or outfielder deserves the distinction of athlete either.

There are plenty of events in the Summer Olympic Games that have equally subjective judging. Are gymnastics and diving also non-sports engaged in by mere pseudo-athletes? Subjectivity is found in just about every sport; maybe not to the same extent as skating, but you have referees and linesmen that can have a large effect on the outcome. How many questionable on-the-field rulings have ultimately "decide[d] who won?"

And does it even matter whether the event is truly a "sport?" The Olympics are about the spirit of competition, and it doesn't have to be a sport to be competitive. After all, these are the Winter Games -- an event does not have to be a sport to qualify.

"And try to blot out all logic when announcers and sportswriters 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."

Maybe the announcers and sportswriters don't care about these events. But just because these events get attention only once every four years or so doesn't make these events less important -- especially to the athletes who compete in them. These events may not be as popular. They're certainly not promoted to the same extent as the activities Mr. Gumbel considers sports. But what's wrong with letting these athletes get a share of the limelight every once in a while? Perhaps Mr. Gumbel would rather just forget about most Olympic events. But maybe with a bit of coverage these events would be better understood and not ignored.

"Face it — these Olympics are little more than a marketing plan to fill space and sell time during the dreary days of February."

This is perhaps the most hypocritical statement of the bunch. Sure, the Olympics are marketed by television studios. And they have become commercialized. But does Mr. Gumbel contend that it's not the same or worse with any number of other sports in the United States? College football. March Madness. The World Series. The Superbowl. They're all about ratings and money too. And the stars of these "real" sports can look forward to lucrative paychecks and endorsements. What monetary reward is there for gold medalists in most Olympic events? They may get a tour on the late night talkshows, and if they're photogenic enough, maybe they'll pick up some endorsements. But most fade into obscurity shortly after the closing ceremonies. If any athletes are in it for the love of the sport, Olympic athletes are; at least far more so than any "real" athlete Mr. Gumble is likely to name.

So I wholeheartedly agree with Mike Wise when he writes, "Gumbel has a right not to like the Winter Olympics. He can trash curlers, lugers and snowboard-crossers all he wants. But who made him arbiter of all things culturally diverse? Superimposing your own idea of diversity upon athletes from 80 different nations, essentially equating diversity with only race, is just inane." It's entirely Gumbel's prerogative to dislike the Winter Games. He doesn't have to watch them, or report on them. (One has to wonder if he thinks any less of his brother for anchoring CBS's Winter Olympic coverage in the early 1990s.) But I think this rant is in bad taste, not only in what he says but in how he says it (I recommend watching one of the videos to get the full effect). There may be some valid points in there worthy of serious discussion, but much of that is lost in Gumbel's overall tone and rhetoric.

Finally, Gumbel needn't denegrate the athletes competing in the Games just because he doesn't appreciate the sports they pursue. No matter my personal preference on college basketball, I wouldn't attack the players. Why can't those of us who appreciate the Winter Games have a few weeks, every four years, to enjoy them? So let us have our games, Mr. Gumbel, and you can keep that March Madness you're so obviously fond of.

UPDATE: ESPN columnist Gene Wojciechowski has an article that takes a similar view of Gumbel's statements. Thanks to commenter JB from Brendan's blog.