http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLqGDuLnVUw
In the above video, acclaimed sports play-by-play man Gus Johnson describes Tennessee Titans RB Chris Johnson’s impressive acceleration as “getting’ away from the cops speed.”
Given that Chris Johnson is black, and that there is a stereotype regarding young black men as criminals with something to hide, an initial outcry was heard.
Of course, the other key fact in this story is that the man who made the comment, Gus Johnson, is also black.
Some people have said that it makes the comment ok. Others feel he still poorly chose his words.
Johnson, for his part, apologized for his word choice after the incident.
I feel that this is a cautionary tale. While some might not consider play-by-play to be “sports journalism”, many people are going to associate the two. It pays to be careful about what you say on national television, because people are always ready to call foul.
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