The Clippers got what was by far their best win of the season on Friday, but unfortunately, the team's longtime play-by-play man Ralph Lawler wasn't in his usual courtside spot to see it.Lawler and color commentator Michael Smith were suspended for Friday's game, for what the team deemed to be inappropriate remarks the two made during the Clippers' telecast on Wednesday, when the team faced the Memphis Grizzlies.
The comments in question were regarding Hamed Haddadi, who is a rookie and the first Iranian player to appear in the NBA.
FOX Sports Prime Ticket is the network that televises the Clippers' home games, so they're the ones that issued the suspension, and this statement to go along with it:
Now at this point -- besides questioning the size of the audience of a mid-week game between the Clippers and Grizzlies -- you're probably wondering just exactly what the "inappropriate" comments were that caused the suspension. Thankfully, Diane Pucin of the L.A. Times has the transcription of the exchange.
We won't reprint the entire thing here, but suffice it to say that the comments included a repeated and intentional mispronunciation of the word "Iranian," along with a Borat reference, topped off by a "I guess those Iranians can pass the ball" statement that came after Haddadi made a nice play inside.
Lawler and Smith likely meant no harm, and were probably just doing some late-game shtick to try to keep the audience entertained, considering there were under two minutes left when Haddadi checked in and the Clippers were trailing by 17 points at the time. But it's never a good idea to start riffing on another player's ethnic background, so the suspension, while it may seem severe to some, is completely understandable.
Oh, and about the size of that audience? FOX Sports wasn't exactly flooded with letters and phone calls requesting the heads of the announcing team. Apparently, all it took was one complaint from a single viewer to get the network to apologize and hand down the suspension.
Comments (Page 1 of 12)
All I can do when reading articles from the likes of this guy Pollakoff is shake my head at the utter stupidty and political correctness we are all faced with. Very very very sad.
it's always political correctness, until someone is talking about your family or your race or your ethnicity or your religion.
"I guess those Iranians can pass the ball"
_________________________________________
They shouldn't be suspended for political correctness, they should be suspended for being so stupid. Is this what passes for wit in the NBA?
It is not an issue of political correctness. It is rather a matter of simple courtesy --- treat others as you wish to be treated. Apparently these two forgot the Sunday school lessons from their youth.
PC is going to be the death of civilization, which is what I think the real goal is. Here we had all these people who gave their lives so we can have the freedom of speech and we don't even have it anymore because some minorities who shouldn't even be citizens of this country have to whine.
Who cares what white people say. The minorities will grasp at any straw they can get to bring the whites down so they can be replaced by a minority.
Nothing against you but try to see how I look at all this. These people may have said somethings that they should have not due to peoples feelings getting hurt right? And they get suspended for it. Ok so let that be a spank on their hands. So if they can be suspended for a few words they said that can hurt others feelings because they are worldwide on their broadcast then why is AOL allowing people to talk even worse about others here by their comments?? I don't get it. People are making much worse comments about other races and getting away with it without worrying what others say. So I take it that you can use any type of bad language here and be as much of a racist here and AOL is ok with it. Or should AOL be screening the comments here quite a bit better than they do. I know I am not the only one who sees this. Why is AOL allowing their site to be used by others for racist remarks?
@robtheblogger6
To make the statement of bringing you down would mean that you personally are on top as a caucasian, my question to you is; Do you really believe that, considering your position in life as a human being. Not to say that you are not in charge of something, anything but are you really on top of the world??? Do you call any shots where you stand in reference to the world??? If not then it would be best to live your life and pray that you are not called out on the carpet to prove the words that are coming out of your mouth!!!
we all need to just chill out... it's all about what's in the heart... soon we won't be able to say anything. whatever happened to free speech???
You do have free speech but when you represent an organization you must abide by their laws. If you went to a store and the clerk called you ugly you wouldn't like it and would want something to be done about it. Well that clerk is expressing his/her free speech too but since that person works at that store then that person represents that store and if that person doesn't want that store to tell what they can and can not say then that person should quit that job and that is the same for these two if they don't want the Clippers or Fox Sports to tell them what they can and can not say then they should just quit their jobs there and stop receiving pay check from Fox Sports which I am guessing is a very huge check.
its ignorant idiots like you that racism still exists. This has nothing to do with free speech. It has to do with professionalism. These people were professionals and their comments broadcasted world wide - its no wonder the US is looked upon as classless and unrefined by the rest of the World. The image that we portray in the Media is that of Zenophobes and we do that through the comments we make about each others cultures.
No Melissa, it's people like yourself that keep this country down! I don't give a rip what some other person in some other country has to say about us American's, fact is they couldn't care any less about us and the love to put anyone down! What does bother me are people like yourself who are always talking how "bad" America or Americans are one way or another! Maybe if people like YOU would talk about all the really GREAT things this country and the people in it have to offer, if people like YOU could feel a little PRIDE in the BEST country on the face of this earth, maybe things would actually BE better! Of course, we all know people like YOU will enver feel such things for this country and the people in it much less talk of all the really great things that we do. Maybe stop pointing fingers at us Americans telling us how "everyone around the world" see us as terrible people or whatever you happen to think and believe and take a real long look at yourself and then DO SOMETHING POSITIVE for our country and no, running your MOUTH is nothing positive either!!!
Speaking of ignorant, Melissa did you mean Xenophobes...
much to do about nothing, there.
We are lucky to have,
" freedom of expression "
and free speech goes together;
Ask if iranians do.
Apparently we don't have free speech anymore. Anytime a White person even remotely hints at a nonwhite person's ethnicity, and that they ARE in FACT different from us, he is all of a sudden punished. Meanwhile the all too frequent and much more blatant racism of nonwhites against Whites on TV and everywhere else gets a pass and is even encouraged. It's sad that Whites let this country get to this point. It's gonna take a LONG time to clean up this mess.
Not when you intentionally attempt to degrade someone based on who they were born to be. Another's right begin where yours end! Try this American cliche on for size. "Don't Tread on Me". And on topic, who has this individual hurt, compromised, disparaged? who? But yourself and others feel that it is okay to disrespect him because he was born to the middle east? Well, just because you were born to America, where did your tree start? What are the skeletons in your family closet? As an individual multiplied by a collective, before you criticize or judge and even point a finger or turn your neck; look at self and your own family history. Because I am sure if you look you will find something that will smell like teen spirit:)lol
PC strikes again, there is only one remaining group you can poke fun at without getting into trouble...southern white people.
I'm one of those southern white hillbillies. I'd like the world to know that I was very offended by the suspension these guys received. Since I was disappointed and offended by the leagues action I want to know who is going to apologize to me and when?
that sure is funny, if it is white or christian you can say what ever you want, no matter how disgusting or rude, but let it be black, or any other of the prefered minorities and you can lose your job...... this is a sick country, no wonder we are in trouble......
11-21-2009 @ 11:09AM
fflman44 said...
it's always political correctness, until someone is talking about your family or your race or your ethnicity or your religion.