Comments on: The Monday Meltdown with Big Daddy Drew

By: Paul Peter Paulos

Paul Peter Paulos — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 18:01:00 +0000

Jimmy the Greek. That’s the guy I kept forgetting who got fired for linking the inputs of slavery with sport’s outcomes. Many before him had, but he did it as if it was fact (which it isn’t)…but that’s the guy. He was the Imus of his day..worse

By: Toonces51 - Hendrick's Gin

Toonces51 - Hendrick's Gin — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 14:27:59 +0000

The list of things more interesting than listening to Childress is not a short one. You’re right that a lot of racially sensitive questions can’t easily be asked without the asker being shouted down–although I’m also not sure that sports shows are where the questions should be posed.

I’m not sure who the columnist/announcer would be–only three I remember raising a stir were Howard Cossell back in the day, Jimmy the Greek (who wasn’t raising the question, so much as just insulting), and Rush Limbaugh (often the first to raise controversy, and one of the last who should).

By: Paul Peter Paulos

Paul Peter Paulos — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 14:17:00 +0000

There was a well respected (though obnoxious columnist ? announcer ?) who was canned for asking the same questions. Problem was he threw out his own answers and that’s a no-no since sometimes people don’t want to address an issue even if there is no problems or shame in that issue. As a counselor, in family therapy or alcohol abuse circles, that is called a no-talk rule, meaning, obviously, that the “issue” (hate that word) concerns something people wish to not talk about. Which really is counterproductive since burying something never makes it disappear.
And the questions I bring up are not earthshaking and maybe do not need to be addressed any more than seeing that hockey is, predominately, a white sport. Nonetheless, I find stuff like this in sports more interesting than listening to Childress…but who doesn’t ?

By: Toonces51 - Hendrick's Gin

Toonces51 - Hendrick's Gin — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 13:47:38 +0000

Oh, those questions. I just don’t have any meaningful insight on those questions. Fast twitch and long distance running have never been of great interest to me, lacking speed and any desire to be a long distance runner.

By: Paul Peter Paulos

Paul Peter Paulos — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 13:43:37 +0000

Toonces…good pt, but my post above was meant to address my other questions, not the trivial one about athete’s names but that one is interesting nonetheless but a little fluffy.

My other questions about the makeup of athlete’s playing various sports is more interesting and has been addressed in many places more scholarly than here. As for answering those questions (as on 3:16 above) I’ve admitted already I don’t have any clue, but that doesn’t mean the question is somehow mean spirited or racist, but i wish, nonetheless, that I didn’t bring it up now, since these little post entries can’t do those questions any justice when I have seen entire courses while at the U of Florida address the same concept. Sorry you took it the wrong way.

By: Toonces51 - Hendrick's Gin

Toonces51 - Hendrick's Gin — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 02:38:02 +0000

I’m confused–how is a discussion about where and when athlete’s strange names started to come about going to “raise the integrity and intelligence” of this blog?

And why wouldn’t it be perceived as somewhat racist? You mention several names, all of whom happen to be minorities, and them imply some sort of negative conotation, since you wonder if players from the Purple People Eaters days would “dare to sport such names.”

Maybe it isn’t how you meant it to sound, but I certainly can’t blame people for wondering.

By: Paul Peter Paulos

Paul Peter Paulos — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 01:05:21 +0000

Although my input in this particular blog is not filled with my usual “Drown the Vikings” rhetoric, I do ask questions, albeit unusual ones, concerning the makeup of pro sports, and I have to admit that I’m surprised that no one has taken those questions seriously, choosing simply to sidestep such issues or bury it under the one size fits all rubric of racism. Too bad. An open discussion of such a difficult subject could not help but raise the integrity and intelligence of this space. But, if simple name calling is what you want or rah rah Viking posts, go at it.

By: ramon

ramon — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 23:35:13 +0000

Stu - In light of Allison’s record-setting reture, would you please please please do a Huntdown for Lance Rentzel? I promise you will not be disappointed.

By: Paul Peter Paulos

Paul Peter Paulos — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 21:29:35 +0000

I e-mailed my blog above to a friend of mine at his work, and he had an interesting addition. We are both Olympic’s freaks (except for figure skating. Yechh ! Can you say “bite the boards”..Ooooops now someone else will be mad at me)

Anyway, he pointed out that except for the occaional Russian or Frenchmen, usually all the sprints are won by Americans, American blacks, even though black athletes train and live in many countries. So what is it about (his question) America that we produce so many of the best athletes in the world, Rocket ?

By: Paul Peter Paulos

Paul Peter Paulos — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 21:16:36 +0000

tru enuf about the name’s stuff stu, but ever since the “slavery’s revenge” nonsense has been put to sleep (by Nova I believe…yet people still believe that thesis) no real explanation has been put forth for black dominance in sports. Look at the common “fast twitch” muscle thesis, one I believed in since though I went to State as part of a 4×400 relay, my 3 black teammates being much faster.

Anyway, (this argument is not mine) when exercise scientists (or whoever does these experiments) go to the African countries most devastated by slavery, they often find great distance runners if those runners can train at altitude but no speed burners as in Olympic caliber sprinters. So, if the original gene pool is not loaded with fast twitch, where did it come from ?

That’s the open question. I don’t have a clue why the disparate dominance in sports then, but it’s obvious, don’t you think, and it’s no monster sin to ask why…It’s not like I think the Vikings shold load up on slow white guys in the off season, so back off Rocket et al. I was just wondering out loud. It happens…