a_good_brotha Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 I hope I don't start a firestorm but I was wondering about an incident that occurred about 20 years (I think) ago. What did Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder say that was controversial? All I remember was him saying something about black athletes being better than white athletes. And then he went on to say something about a big black man and a small black woman having a big black baby. Can someone fill me in on the rest or straighten me out if I'm way off base? If I'm out of line for asking this can someone let me know? I won't do it again. Brotha aka Bro Man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilmer17 Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 He referred to Alvin Garett as "that little monkey". Of course he had been calling all football players white and black "little monkeys" for years. But that fact got ignored in the witch hunt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a_good_brotha Posted October 1, 2003 Author Share Posted October 1, 2003 Thanks Kilmer. I think some people are too sensitive at times. I remember about 8 years ago when Georgetown was playing Syracuse, Billy Packer called Allen Iverson "a tough little monkey." All of a sudden after the next commercial break he apologized. And of course the media talked about that. I'm glad he wasn't fired because I don't believe he was trying to be racist. Brotha aka Bro Man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TLusby Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 I believe it was Howard Cosell on MNF; Cowboys vs Skins, and he kept refering to Willie McGhee (I believe his name was, who was our return guy) as "ET" McGhee. He also stated that he was so ugly that only a mother could love a guy like that. At the start of the 3rd Qtr McGhee was running down the side line on a return and Howard said, "Look at that little monkey go!" That was it for Howard and ABC. I believe we were up by 21 points and Stalbauch came back to beat us. See guys, Norvitis has been around even before Norv Turner! It's REDSKIN football. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poidog22 Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 Jimmy the Greek also made a comment on why the black atheltes were superior to the white althetes b/c they were bred that way since the Civil War, with the slave owners making the largest and strongest black men breed with the largest and strongest black women. He then proceeded to go into the physiology of how the muscles in black people's legs are longer than white people's or something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Om Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 Poidog's got it. Greek was at a restaurant and apparently in good spirits - if you catch the drift - and in response to a question (from a reporter, if memory serves) expounded loudly and at length on the "blacks as better athletes through breeding" theory. The resulting firestorm forced CBS to fire him in short order. And it WAS Cosell who uttered the "little monkey run" line ... but I thought it was about Charlie Brown. Time has dulled the memory, though, so I will defer to anyone who actually looks it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codeorama Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 Poidog and Om are correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimboDaMan Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 Cosell's target was Alvin Garrett. In his defense, Garrett had just made a weird little scuttling move across the field to avoid a tackle. Howard meant what he said as a compliment. Unfortunately for him, he chose the word "monkey" instead of "gazelle" or something a bit more palatable. And, of course, the dang fool denied saying it even though millions of people heard him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Om Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 Right you are, just looked it up. It was Garrett. Glad we got that ironed out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbooma Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 The greek also went on saying that black nfl players jump higher then the white players, he went on and on, that is why he was canned. Did anything happen to Howard? I remember watching the movie about him when he said it and he and the gang were drunk when it happen. Turns out they alwasy had a few drinks before gametime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimboDaMan Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 I don't think there were immediate repercussions. Just one more nail that eventually sealed his coffin. Don't know about the drunk part. I heard him say it live and nobody was obviously sauced. My soon-to be wife and I immediately turned to each other and said "Oh boy, Howard really stepped in it that time". Then it was hilarious to hear him come back later and say "The boys in the control booth are insisting I called Alvin Garrett a monkey, but you and I know I never said any such thing". This to 50 millioon people who absolutely did hear it. Classic Cossell. Not to say the liquid refreshments couldn't have been a part cause. I heard Al Michaels on the Stern show once with Stern asking about Cosell drinking on the job. At first Michaels waffled about lots of beverages making their way into the broadcast booth, but he wasn't let off the hook. Stern: You know what I'm talking about. Rumor has it Cosell was sometimes just plain sloshed on the air. Any truth to that rumor? Michaels: < long silence> Stern: I wonder if my audience can hear you nodding your head over the air? :rotflmao: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbooma Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 If you want to hear exactly what the "Greek" said listent to espnradio.com, Dan Patrick is talking about it compared to what Rush said. He did mentioned the "Greek" was drinking and did say about how the slave owners got the big girls and guys to produce to make a superior slave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilmer17 Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 Jimmie the Greeks comments were obviosly racist and inflamatory. Rush and Cosells were not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost of Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 What's even more amusing is that Jesse Jackson himself pretty much agreed that there might be truth to the Greek's statements. And I'd ask this question: Were his comments truly racist? INflammatory YES. But racist? I'd say they were inaccurate, but were they racist? Here's a did you know: DId you know that Lorenzo Lamas has a ligament(or tendon) from a black woman's cadaver in his knee? WHy? Because that particular tissue tends to be stronger in black women(or blacks in general) than on whites or asians. West African descended blacks ARE, as an aggregate, better equipped to perform on short-distance, anaerobic activity like jumping, sprinting etc. They are ILL-equipped for long distance activities like marathons, etc. This is aggregate and doesn't take into account the countless "exceptions" to the rule. Nor is this about slave breeding, really. But there are differences between racial groupings, even if the same biologists will then say "oh but race is a social construct" Which is of course, why whites get sickle cell anemia. Oh they don't? Oh..ok Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gridironmike Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 Right. Cosell commented on Alvin Garrett and Jimmy the Greek commented on slave breeding. Al Campanis, GM of the Dodgers from 1968-87, also got canned for giving an interview to Ted Koppel on ABC's "Nightline" saying blacks lacked the "necessities" to be managers or executives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheKurp Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 Cosell was unfairly torched for his "little monkey" remark. Do you think Ali viewed Cosell as racist? I doubt he would have given him the time of day, much less the countless interviews if he even had an inkling Howard was racist. Howard's own grandchildren will tell you that he called them "little monkeys" long before he uttered that moniker on MNF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codeorama Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 Originally posted by Kilmer17 Jimmie the Greeks comments were obviosly racist and inflamatory. Rush and Cosells were not. I'm not trying to start something here, but were the Greek's comments that far off base? I'm not saying it was ok for him to say it, but didn't it really happen that way? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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