A recent radiophonic appearance by the ever-intense O’Reilly baiter, as summarized by Dan McGowan.
While talking about merchandise sales, ESPN Radio’s Dan Patrick asked Keith Olbermann if he would be surprised that Allen Iverson™s jersey is more popular in China than Yao Ming™s, to which KO responded, œYes¦well I mean not everybody™s Yao Ming™s size. The two immediately erupted with laughter.
Olbermann did cover his ass better than Irvin following his laughter, talking about how amusing it would be to see three foot tall children wearing a Ming sized jersey.
My point in brining this up certainly isn™t to condemn Olbermann, who is phenomenal on the radio and MSNBC, but rather to point out the inconsistencies of those who are quick to play the œthey must be fired card when someone makes a tasteless, yet amusing joke.
The truth is both comments were harmless, but they were very similar. Irvin made the same predictable joke the rest of the world makes whenever a white athlete can run fast or jump high, while KO and Patrick had a laugh about the universal Asian stereotype.
The difference is the latter won™t draw a second listen, while Irvin faced national scrutiny.
McGowan’s point is well taken, however it did take a few days for Irvin’s ill-advised Mandingo-isms to hit the radar of the mainstream media. Prior to Pro Football Talk and The Big Lead jumping on the Playmaker’s case, I don’t think many noticed. Kind of like this instance.
So with that in mind, cheer up, Dan Patrick. If the blogs can break Beirut, surely they’re gonna do someting for your radio ratings.
I thought the comment was a joke about how Ming is like 7’6″ and Inverson is like 6’0″, so therefore who can wear a jersey that a 7’6″ man would wear…or did I miss what they were laughing about?
I suppose it depends on how you take it. I mean, there’s nothing disrepectful about mentioning that Yao Ming is a very tall man.
And of course, they do sell jerseys in different sizes. Even in other countries.
If I’m not mistaken, A.I. jerseys have probably outsold Yao’s in the US, too.
Or maybe Yao’s just ginormous compared to everyone, Dan McGowan
GC,
thanks for the link.
i just think if you guys heard the audio, which i no longer have, you’d see that he was clearly making a joke. he even went further just to try and clear it up because he knew he said something a little out of line.
like i said, its no big deal, but the irvin case and this one are similar.