Iowa's Gary Dolphin Suspended For Rest Of The Year

[Not A Serious Person]

Don't see how this is racist.  Seems like he was trying to pay a compliment (like calling a player a "monster")

Does intent matter?

Iowa radio announcer Gary Dolphin suspended for basketball season after 'King Kong' reference

https://www.hawkcentral.com/story/sports/college/iowa/basketball-men/2019/02/22/iowa-basketball-gary-dolphin-suspended-hawkeyes-gary-barta-maryland-bruno-fernando-king-kong-comment/2952771002/

Longtime radio voice Gary Dolphin has been suspended from broadcasting Iowa basketball games for the rest of the season.

The action comes following comments that Dolphin made during the postgame portion of Iowa’s radio broadcast of Tuesday’s home game against Maryland, in which he referred to the Terrapins’ Bruno Fernando, who is black, as “King Kong.”

The suspension, announced by Learfield Sports Properties (which owns the rights to Hawkeye broadcasts), is for basketball only. Dolphin has been Iowa’s play-by-play voice of Iowa football, as well, for the past 22 years.

As most around Iowa know, this marks the second on-air incident this basketball season that put Dolphin in public hot water.

Dolphin was suspended by the University of Iowa and Learfield Sports for two games for negative comments he made about the basketball program and backup guard Maishe Dailey that were inadvertently aired during Iowa’s Nov. 27 game against Pittsburgh.

In that incident, during what was supposed to be a commercial break, Dolphin was telling Hansen that Iowa needed to recruit better guards, then singled out Dailey to make his point.

"We get Maishe Dailey," Dolphin said. "Dribbles into a double-team with his head down. God."

What made that story blow up even more was further comments by Iowa athletics director Gary Barta that there were “ongoing tensions” between Dolphin and head coach Fran McCaffery.

McCaffery also lashed out at Dolphin’s November comments, calling them “inexcusable.”

Dolphin released a statement in the release, apologizing for his language.

“During the broadcast, I used a comparison when trying to describe a talented Maryland basketball player. In no way did I intend to offend or disparage the player," Dolphin said. "I take full responsibility for my inappropriate word choice and offer a sincere apology to him and anyone else who was offended. I wish the Iowa Hawkeye players, coaches and fans all the very best as they head into the final stretch of the season. I will use this as an opportunity to grow as a person and learn more about unconscious bias."

[Jockey]

I will use willfully ignorant to describe you’re comment.

King Kong (the original movie) was a racist allegory.

[Not A Serious Person]

I will use willfully ignorant to describe you’re comment.

King Kong (the original movie) was a racist allegory.

Them too?

Digital petition created to 'reinstate' Gary Dolphin after suspension
https://www.kcrg.com/content/news/Digital-petition-created-to-reinstate-Gary-Dolphin-after-suspension-506297041.html

An Altoona man has started an online petition to 'reinstate' Hawkeye radio sportscaster Gary Dolphin immediately. Dolphin was recently suspended after making controversial comments during a basketball game last week.

The petition, which was created by Levi Thompson, Sunday, on change.org, had already garnered more than 12,000 signatures in a span of about six hours.

"Gary Dolphin was wrongfully suspended for giving a collegiate athlete a compliment," Thompson said in his post about the petition. "If you take Gary Dolphin's comment as being racist, I challenge you to search your own heart and see where you stand."

Thompson, who manages the Facebook fan page Hawkeye Heaven, set a 15,000 signature goal for the petition.

[Jockey]

Whether he meant it as a compliment or not is not relevant.

Just as dressing in blackface in a Michael Jackson costume is not a thing that is done at this point in history, neither is calling a black man “King Kong”.

[Cheeks]

That guy is a beast

[TSmith34, Inc.]

I will use willfully ignorant to describe you’re comment.

King Kong (the original movie) was a racist allegory.

And there is a long history of racists comparing black people to monkeys.

Perhaps the guy was simply ignorant.  He isn't any longer.

[Pakuni]

That guy is a beast

It's not at all the same thing and I suspect (and certainly hope) you know that.
But just in case, next time you're playing ball or at the gym or at the beach, approach a large black man and tell him he's a like a big ape. See if he takes it as a compliment. Report back.

Anyhow, I doubt Dolphin had any racist intentions, and a suspension for the rest of the year seems harsh, but it was a remarkably ignorant thing for him to say and shouldn't have been allowed to slide or chalked up to a simple mistake. A professional communicator needs to know better,

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

I don't understand the porpoise behind the online petition.  He orca been banned for that whale of a comment.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

So Heisie, you are able to see racism in the NCAA because they make all college athletes, no matter their race, abide by the same rules, but you can't see racism when a white man compares a black man to a gorilla.

[Cheeks]

It's not at all the same thing and I suspect (and certainly hope) you know that.
But just in case, next time you're playing ball or at the gym or at the beach, approach a large black man and tell him he's a like a big ape. See if he takes it as a compliment. Report back.

Anyhow, I doubt Dolphin had any racist intentions, and a suspension for the rest of the year seems harsh, but it was a remarkably ignorant thing for him to say and shouldn't have been allowed to slide or chalked up to a simple mistake. A professional communicator needs to know better,

Do you even know who my statement was referencing?

[CTWarrior]

So Heisie, you are able to see racism in the NCAA because they make all college athletes, no matter their race, abide by the same rules, but you can't see racism when a white man compares a black man to a gorilla.

I sincerely doubt there was any conscious racism in the remark, but after the whole gorilla/guerilla thing with Serena Williams, you'd think a sports announcer would just know better.

[Cheeks]

I sincerely doubt there was any conscious racism in the remark, but after the whole gorilla/guerilla thing with Serena Williams, you'd think a sports announcer would just know better.

Speaking of which, that was also ruled not racist yesterday.

https://www.latimes.com/sports/more/la-sp-serena-williams-cartoon-20190225-story.html

[4everwarriors]

That guy is a beast

Dat's offensive ta animals, hey?

[Cheeks]

Dat's offensive ta animals, hey?

I recall a few years ago (2014 or 2015?) when the LA Times did a poll about who is the REAL Sportsman (SportsPerson?) of the Year....Serena or American Pharaoh.   Well, that got some folks all spun up that it was racist, not giving Serena her due, to include a horse.  Mind you, it was a poll, they were asking a question not stating anything as fact or even an opinion...it was a poll....but that didn't matter...the outrage machine was in full production mode.  Incidentally, the horse won the poll.  Sports Illustrated was dragged into it because they started the whole thing with their award after their own poll showed fans wanted Pharoah, from which the Times put out their own poll.  It, of course, led to all kinds of questions whether a horse should even be considered for an honor....after all it was Sports Person of the year.  You may recall back in 2000 when they did the greatest athletes of the last century, and multiple 4 legged friends were included like Secretariat. 

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/12/14/459705249/serena-williams-wins-sportsperson-of-the-year-poll-favored-american-pharoah

[Not A Serious Person]

So Heisie, you are able to see racism in the NCAA because they make all college athletes, no matter their race, abide by the same rules, but you can't see racism when a white man compares a black man to a gorilla.

Huh, when was that the discussion? The discussion was paying athletes.  I think they should be paid. 

I noted that many of the fat white guys here, like Cheeks. saying that opportunity to take English 101 and get a degree (a backhanded slap at intelligence) and Wades, thinking that Zion getting a couple of shoes and t-shirts is plenty of compensation for playing at Duke (because they cannot understand the value of money) were far more racist comments.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Feeling some Scarlet Bs coming from Rocky here...

[Not A Serious Person]

This reminds me of this case ...

Note he said "Guerrilla" and not "Gorilla." 

Nike had an entire campaign in the 1990s called Guerilla tennis.  It is a style of play that has nothing to do with the aminal.

https://sneakerhistory.com/2015/01/10/nike-guerilla-tennis-featuring-andre-agassi-pete-sampras/

Saying words with different meanings that sound like words that might have racist meanings are now racist comments.


Doug Adler, broadcaster suing ESPN after he was fired for Venus Williams ‘guerrilla’ comment, says network ‘killed me’
https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more-sports/doug-adler-espn-killed-venus-guerrilla-comment-article-1.3441842

Doug Adler says he had no choice but to file a wrongful termination suit against ESPN earlier this year after the network fired him for describing Venus Williams' strategy for charging the net as "the guerrilla effect."

[Pakuni]

Do you even know who my statement was referencing?

Is it relevant?
If not, I don't care.

[TSmith34, Inc.]

Huh, Chico’s and Heisy taking the position that things black people find racist aren’t really racist at all.  How surprising.

Thanks for clearing that up, white guys!

[Cheeks]

Huh, when was that the discussion? The discussion was paying athletes.  I think they should be paid. 

I noted that many of the fat white guys here, like Cheeks. saying that opportunity to take English 101 and get a degree (a backhanded slap at intelligence) and Wades, thinking that Zion getting a couple of shoes and t-shirts is plenty of compensation for playing at Duke (because they cannot understand the value of money) were far more racist comments.

Fat?  Uhm, no.  Laughable.  Please show me my backhanded comment about their intelligence and English 101....did I even mention anything about English 101?  I don’t recall, would love to see this.

[Cheeks]

Huh, Chico’s and Heisy taking the position that things black people find racist aren’t really racist at all.  How surprising.

Thanks for clearing that up, white guys!

Common sense ruling yesterday.

Nice racist comment you made on your part, however.  Not appropriate

[Cheeks]

Is it relevant?
If not, I don't care.

King Kong...that guy is a beast

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Common sense ruling yesterday.

I agree that it was the right ruling.  However what frustrates me is that again we have fallen into the trap of making a binary choice when it comes to racism.  It is either labelled "racist" or "not racist."  I think it is much more nuanced than this.  I doubt that the author had racist intent, but I can certainly understand why people would be offended.

Just like Dolphin's comment.  Is he racist?  I certainly do not think so.  But referring to a black player as "King Kong" is just wrong.  Comparing black people to monkey or apes has a long and sordid history not only here, but worldwide.  It was a stupid thing to do.  Even doubly stupid since he got in trouble earlier this year.

And what gets lost in this isn't the need to stamp out virulent racism, but the need to have a discussion which leads people to greater understanding and empathy. 

[Cheeks]

I agree that it was the right ruling.  However what frustrates me is that again we have fallen into the trap of making a binary choice when it comes to racism.  It is either labelled "racist" or "not racist."  I think it is much more nuanced than this.  I doubt that the author had racist intent, but I can certainly understand why people would be offended.

Just like Dolphin's comment.  Is he racist?  I certainly do not think so.  But referring to a black player as "King Kong" is just wrong.  Comparing black people to monkey or apes has a long and sordid history not only here, but worldwide.  It was a stupid thing to do.  Even doubly stupid since he got in trouble earlier this year.

And what gets lost in this isn't the need to stamp out virulent racism, but the need to have a discussion which leads people to greater understanding and empathy.

Well said and we agree.

The concern I have is the weaponization of it by some people.  Very sad and unfortunately causes a skepticism against those that are truly practicing it.  TSmith’s comments at the end, great example of doing exactly what he supposedly is fighting against.  I don’t think he even gets it

[Pakuni]

King Kong...that guy is a beast

So, not relevant.
I'm really having a hard time understanding how anyone is so obtuse as to not understand why what Dolphin said is offensive.