Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Speed Skating Feuds

Ok if I were Shani Davis, I would have competed in the pursuit. If I were Chad Hedrick, I wouldn't be mouthing off so much. But I'm neither. For further thoughts, look to Matthew at Physics Geek, Jesus Freak.

What bugs me most about this whole situation is all the "first African American to get the gold" business. What happened to Vonetta Flowers winning the gold driving women's bobsled in 2002? Does she not count because she's a woman and competes in a team sport? Davis is only an icebreaker if you start liberally applying qualifiers like "individual" or "male" in front of "African-American."

I can respect Davis's drive and performance. But the truth is that the story the media wants to tell really isn't there. But they're dedicated to telling it anyway. Which is what has made Davis's interviews so entertaining for me and frustrating for reporters like Melissa Stark.

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