[quote]Professor X wrote:
What retarded question? I have no idea who the fuck he is so asking questions about who he is for the rest of the world to know can’t possibly be stupid.
There are some well known rap artists in Houston, TX…that no one in New York has even heard about. Imagine that.[/quote]
Imagine that you’re him. You’ve just won gold. Now a journalist comes up and pretty much demands you to state your name etc. She could just SAY “I’m here with speedsater Sven Kramer who has just won gold etc”. I don’t know about you, but I find it disrespectful to any medallist to ask them to introduce themselves in such a way.
The way she put it deserved a stupid answer. I agree that he should have just said who he was and what he did out of politeness, but you can’t deny that the reported was rude in her approach. [/quote]
There was a video recently posted of Kai Greene walking down the street in LA and some dumbass runs up to him and starts harassing him for a good 50 feet worth of the walk. Kai could have lost it and no one would have faulted him for it…until it hit the internet. Now, to the world, Kai Greene is a nobody…but I guarantee he wouldn’t have acted like that in the same situation even if he did win gold.[/quote]
Now, if Kai Greene won the Olympia, should he have to identify himself to a reporter when stepping off the stage? Doesn’t make sense. If you’re there to cover the event, you should know who the competitors are. Anything else is incompetent and/or lazy.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
What retarded question? I have no idea who the fuck he is so asking questions about who he is for the rest of the world to know can’t possibly be stupid.
There are some well known rap artists in Houston, TX…that no one in New York has even heard about. Imagine that.[/quote]
Imagine that you’re him. You’ve just won gold. Now a journalist comes up and pretty much demands you to state your name etc. She could just SAY “I’m here with speedsater Sven Kramer who has just won gold etc”. I don’t know about you, but I find it disrespectful to any medallist to ask them to introduce themselves in such a way.
The way she put it deserved a stupid answer. I agree that he should have just said who he was and what he did out of politeness, but you can’t deny that the reported was rude in her approach. [/quote]
There was a video recently posted of Kai Greene walking down the street in LA and some dumbass runs up to him and starts harassing him for a good 50 feet worth of the walk. Kai could have lost it and no one would have faulted him for it…until it hit the internet. Now, to the world, Kai Greene is a nobody…but I guarantee he wouldn’t have acted like that in the same situation even if he did win gold.[/quote]
Now, if Kai Greene won the Olympia, should he have to identify himself to a reporter when stepping off the stage? Doesn’t make sense. If you’re there to cover the event, you should know who the competitors are. Anything else is incompetent and/or lazy.
That said, his choice of words was unfortunate.[/quote]
I agree. It’s one of the worlds biggest stages, the very least you can do is educate yourself before covering the event. These athletes take 4 years to train for such events, a reporter could take 4 minutes to study the event and its participants.
Imagine if a reporter asked Tom Brady who he was after winning a Super Bowl. I would expect the very same reaction.
What you guys don’t understand is that this reporter has to interview athletes all day long. This guy isn’t Tom Brady winning the Super Bowl - It isn’t Kai Greene at Mr. O. It’s a guy from a country most Americans couldn’t find on a map participating in a sport we watch once every four years. Cut her a break - stupid questions are supposed to be responded to with good manners, not arrogance.
[quote]PaddyM wrote:
It’s a guy from a country most Americans couldn’t find on a map participating in a sport we watch once every four years. Cut her a break - stupid questions are supposed to be responded to with good manners, not arrogance.
[/quote]
I doubt most Americans can find their own country on a map. But you’re right, why should anyone respect athletes that don’t participate in sports that are popular in your country.
[quote]PaddyM wrote:
What you guys don’t understand is that this reporter has to interview athletes all day long. This guy isn’t Tom Brady winning the Super Bowl - It isn’t Kai Greene at Mr. O. It’s a guy from a country most Americans couldn’t find on a map participating in a sport we watch once every four years. Cut her a break - stupid questions are supposed to be responded to with good manners, not arrogance.
[/quote]
What you don’t understand is that it isn’t always about us. In his home country, he is as famous as Tom Brady, and speed skating is on the same level as the MLB and NBA. He skates in a speed skating rink that is comparable to many of our top sporting venues here in the US.
Who cares that Americans are ignorant, can’t find it on a map, and don’t know much about the sport? That doesn’t justify being ill prepared when reporting on one of the biggest sporting events in the world.
[quote]PaddyM wrote:
What you guys don’t understand is that this reporter has to interview athletes all day long. This guy isn’t Tom Brady winning the Super Bowl - It isn’t Kai Greene at Mr. O. It’s a guy from a country most Americans couldn’t find on a map participating in a sport we watch once every four years. Cut her a break - stupid questions are supposed to be responded to with good manners, not arrogance.
[/quote]
This.
An adult with a good personality would take that question in stride, answer what needs to answered and give the shout outs that he wants. He got asked who he was because his sport isn’t popular in america. If he doesn’t care, that’s fine, but if he wants to increase popularity and maybe avoid a similar question in the future he should have been more receptive.
I made an edit to my post… guess it didn’t take. On top of all of those things. A lot of interviews start with that question for the guy who later has to edit the film and type up this guys name and accomplishments for when the interview is aired.
[quote]PaddyM wrote:
What you guys don’t understand is that this reporter has to interview athletes all day long. This guy isn’t Tom Brady winning the Super Bowl - It isn’t Kai Greene at Mr. O. It’s a guy from a country most Americans couldn’t find on a map participating in a sport we watch once every four years. Cut her a break - stupid questions are supposed to be responded to with good manners, not arrogance.
[/quote]
What you don’t understand is that it isn’t always about us. In his home country, he is as famous as Tom Brady, and speed skating is on the same level as the MLB and NBA. He skates in a speed skating rink that is comparable to many of our top sporting venues here in the US.
Who cares that Americans are ignorant, can’t find it on a map, and don’t know much about the sport? That doesn’t justify being ill prepared when reporting on one of the biggest sporting events in the world.[/quote]
Not to mention when you are at the Olympic Oval where the guy JUST finished winning the gold in his event and JUST set an Olympic record then she really is stupid if actually didn’t know who she was interviewing. Every other reporter and commentator manages to not only be able to reasonable pronounce the names of the athletes they’re discussing but they also know some personal info about them. Kramer could have shown a bit less attitude but the reported really was stupid and incompetent.
[quote]PaddyM wrote:
What you guys don’t understand is that this reporter has to interview athletes all day long. This guy isn’t Tom Brady winning the Super Bowl - It isn’t Kai Greene at Mr. O. It’s a guy from a country most Americans couldn’t find on a map participating in a sport we watch once every four years. Cut her a break - stupid questions are supposed to be responded to with good manners, not arrogance.
[/quote]
What you don’t understand is that it isn’t always about us. In his home country, he is as famous as Tom Brady, and speed skating is on the same level as the MLB and NBA. He skates in a speed skating rink that is comparable to many of our top sporting venues here in the US.
Who cares that Americans are ignorant, can’t find it on a map, and don’t know much about the sport? That doesn’t justify being ill prepared when reporting on one of the biggest sporting events in the world.[/quote]
Actually, when the microphone says “NBC” on it, it IS all about us. If interviews were selected based on the popularity here he wouldn’t have been within 50 feet of a NBC camera.
[quote]PaddyM wrote:
What you guys don’t understand is that this reporter has to interview athletes all day long. This guy isn’t Tom Brady winning the Super Bowl - It isn’t Kai Greene at Mr. O. It’s a guy from a country most Americans couldn’t find on a map participating in a sport we watch once every four years. Cut her a break - stupid questions are supposed to be responded to with good manners, not arrogance.
[/quote]
What you don’t understand is that it isn’t always about us. In his home country, he is as famous as Tom Brady, and speed skating is on the same level as the MLB and NBA. He skates in a speed skating rink that is comparable to many of our top sporting venues here in the US.
Who cares that Americans are ignorant, can’t find it on a map, and don’t know much about the sport? That doesn’t justify being ill prepared when reporting on one of the biggest sporting events in the world.[/quote]
Not to mention when you are at the Olympic Oval where the guy JUST finished winning the gold in his event and JUST set an Olympic record then she really is stupid if actually didn’t know who she was interviewing. Every other reporter and commentator manages to not only be able to reasonable pronounce the names of the athletes they’re discussing but they also know some personal info about them. Kramer could have shown a bit less attitude but the reported really was stupid and incompetent.[/quote]
Exactly. I can’t help but feel some people have lost context. This is not a made-for-the-internet clip. It was an interview done immediately after he raced, won and was celebrated.
[quote]PaddyM wrote:
I made an edit to my post… guess it didn’t take. On top of all of those things. A lot of interviews start with that question for the guy who later has to edit the film and type up this guys name and accomplishments for when the interview is aired.
[/quote]
What ever happened to “Hi I’m talking to So-so who just won blah blah on the blah” ?
It’s moronic to expect an interviewee to speak to a reporter like that so it fits a technical template.
Regardless of the reporter’s incompetence, or lack of nuance, I think many are assuming that she did not know who this speed skater was. It may very well be the case that the reporter was asking the skater’s name and what country he was from for the technical reason mentioned above or for the audience back in the U.S. (since N.B.C. is a U.S. network.) This skater’s lack of class or patience is the reason why several commentators here have criticized him. Manners mean something, the fact that he just won a gold medal doesn’t grant him a free pass to call someone he does not know “stupid”. After all, the implication of the question he posed to the reporter was that she was stupid. Rudeness is rudeness; nationality, success, fame, money, etc. does not diminish the fact that this guy is unschooled and rude (and I’ll throw arrogant in for good measure.)
So what was the point in saying that she is stupid and crazy FOR asking a not-so-stupid and crazy question??? IT was even more retarded to act as if the reporter was the rude and incompetent nitwit.
Was she asking personally for his name??? OR was it so the WORLD could know more about him?? Regardless,he could have had more tact in dealing with an “absurd” question instead of being an arrogant and insecure “champion.”
he is not like tom brady in holland. I lived there for quite a while and it was all soccer. Nobody ever mentioned him or any other speed-skater. He’s not that famous even in his own country. (I could be biased though because I lived in the north, it might be more popular in the south or something).
That is not to say, however, that skating is not bigger there than in the US. But it is not as big there as some people have made out–it is not like the Mlb or nfl
Guys… seriously think about it from his point of view. Did any of yall ever compete in anything?!? The guy just got off the ice… winning gold. Announcers probably screaming his name etc… hes excited and not thinking clearly because of all the emotions.
A reporter walks up and asks you your name when you just won gold… first of all there isn’t even a lot of competitors in that race, and secondly… you just won gold and had your names screamed a million times. There was no reason for her not to know who he was.
Should he have answered like that no… but if you put yourself in that situation you can see how he took it the wrong way(maybe she had other intentions with the question… but he isn’t going to see it like that immediately after a race)… especially when he hadn’t even had time to get his composure together.
[quote]Big_Boss wrote:
So what was the point in saying that she is stupid and crazy FOR asking a not-so-stupid and crazy question??? IT was even more retarded to act as if the reporter was the rude and incompetent nitwit.
Was she asking personally for his name??? OR was it so the WORLD could know more about him?? Regardless,he could have had more tact in dealing with an “absurd” question instead of being an arrogant and insecure “champion.”[/quote]
Exactly.
Tell THE WORLD your name.
That is what she was getting at. It was NOT a dumb question since I don’t know who the fuck he is.
She could also be assessing if he spoke English, like I wrote before.
Either way, his fucking response was SHIT and he deserves all of the criticism for it.
Not one of you here would support some doctor for saying, “What are you, stupid…how could you not know my name when it is clearly posted on the front of the office door?!”
That doc would lose a patient…yet some UNKNOWN athlete to the rest of the world is this arrogant just because she asked him to state his name?
Bullshit.
And everyone defending this jackass for it is full of it.