Every time I post one of these (Billy Packer, Don Imus, Kelly Tilghman) we get a few folks that think it was bad and a few folks that tell me to shut up and not fall into the PC trap. Well this I think I’m going to side with the latter on this one, but the New York Times doesn’t appear to be doing the same.
The Announcer in question is ESPN’s Bucky Waters. He seemed to be excited about UConn guards Jerome Dyson’s (an African American Sophomore Guard) nine steals in a contest on January 8th, but let his analogies get the better of him…..
“I bet there weren’t any hubcaps left in the parking lot,” he said, adding later that Dyson “just stole everything — fillings, hubcaps, the works.”
After the game, while extolling Dyson’s defensive work, Waters went too far with his analogies.
“It was a holdup, it was a mugging, and I don’t know if he’s going out after this and hit a couple of convenience stores or not, but he had some night here,” he told viewers watching the game on SportsNet New York and MyTV 9 in Connecticut.
Further into the piece Bucky explains that he meant no harm and had been using the same analogies for years, and obviously the stereotypes were unfortunate. Yes I think he might have gone over the top, but there seemingly wasn’t any harm or intent with those words. Bucky isn’t the only person to use the theft analogy regarding steals, just the first person to get reprimanded.
Another Announcer Slip Up (New York Times)
(Thanks to reader Zach for the link)
