Gumbel Indicts Self, Not Stern, With ‘Overseer’ Insult
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By DERON SNYDER
HBO host Bryant Gumbel made a few accurate points Tuesday in his rant against David Stern, especially the part about the NBA commissioner being “infamously egocentric.” But in trying to climb inside Stern’s head and assess Stern’s intentions, Gumbel invited questions about his own perceptions and motives.
Gumbel said that Stern “has always seemed eager to be viewed as some kind of modern plantation overseer, treating NBA men as if they were his boys. It’s part of Stern’s M.O., like his past self-serving edicts on dress code or the questioning of officials,” Gumbel said. “His moves were intended to do little more than show how he’s the one keeping the hired hands in their place.”
Comparisons between pro athletes and slaves or leagues and plantations are cringe-worthy and totally inappropriate. They diminish the horrific experiences of the Diaspora, forced labor, ripped-apart families, raped women, sold children, lynched men, etc.
