FOX SPORTS CTITIZED FOR RACIST TV COMMENTARY ABOUT FALCONS

[King Futcha]

now that a white guy has said it, maybe some folks will start to take notice.

Lisa Byington And Cat Whitehill Bust Out Lazy Tropes About African Teams For Their Germany-Nigeria Commentary

Commentating on live sports for a national television audience can be a herculean task, but it’s a lot easier if you decide to rely on tired racial stereotypes to fill the dead air—as Fox’s Lisa Byington and Cat Whitehill discovered on Saturday.

But the more obvious sign of this trope-reliance came later in the first half when Whitehill was assessing how this Nigeria squad was able to return to the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in 20 years. She said after years of relying only on athleticism to get in the tournament, it was thanks to the European coach they hired that they finally learned some discipline to get past the group stage.

Whitehill: “Somehow Nigeria keeps making it into the World Cup and they’re finally, with [Thomas] Dennerby, getting a proper coach to teach them proper tactical and technical aspects to their game. I think it’s exciting for Nigeria. They’re finally, you know, looking like a side that can compete.“

https://deadspin.com/lisa-byington-and- ... 1835765886

[pajimoh]

Well why did the NFF hire a foreign coach, was it to improve fitness technical abilities, tactics, instill professionalism and confidence?

Solve that, then we cam go back to the commentary and see if they are saying something outside what the NFF's thinking...

[kalani JR]

I'll contend that all soccer commentary is lazy and stereotypical.

[The Goddess]

This $#% never gets old. It will change only when Nigeria or another African nation can go all the way with the local coach. One must always prove to them that one can do it. Terrible how one is exposed to the helpless judgements of the wold.

[JACKAL]

You guys have been saying it for years. Finally some one is listening....

https://deadspin.com/lisa-byington-and- ... 1835765886


Lisa Byington And Cat Whitehill Bust Out Lazy Tropes About African Teams For Their Germany-Nigeria Commentary

Gabe Fernandez

Photo: Elsa (Getty Images)
Commentating on live sports for a national television audience can be a herculean task, but it’s a lot easier if you decide to rely on tired racial stereotypes to fill the dead air—as Fox’s Lisa Byington and Cat Whitehill discovered on Saturday.
The issues started early for the broadcasting team, with Byington getting things started less than 10 minutes into a match by parroting what the German manager had to say about their then-upcoming Nigerian opponents.

Byington: “Martina Voss-Tecklenburg has said it’s always tough to play the African sides. Good mentality with their pace and physicality. Something obviously you can always expect.”
It doesn’t matter if what Byington is doing is just repeating—or likely paraphrasing, in this case—what Voss-Tecklenburg was saying. For someone to uncritically regurgitate that kind of nonsense is pretty much as bad as that person saying it themselves. Byington had a clear opportunity to point out the flaw in the German coach’s logic with the fact that Nigeria has distinguished itself as far and away the best women’s team on the continent, so grouping them in with all the other countries doesn’t do that team any justice. It especially doesn’t help that Byington used Voss-Tecklenburg’s comments as a stepping stone for a compliment just moments later, and has no clear indication of where the German coach’s words end and hers begin.

But the more obvious sign of this trope-reliance came later in the first half when Whitehill was assessing how this Nigeria squad was able to return to the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in 20 years. She said after years of relying only on athleticism to get in the tournament, it was thanks to the European coach they hired that they finally learned some discipline to get past the group stage.

Whitehill: “Somehow Nigeria keeps making it into the World Cup and they’re finally, with [Thomas] Dennerby, getting a proper coach to teach them proper tactical and technical aspects to their game. I think it’s exciting for Nigeria. They’re finally, you know, looking like a side that can compete.“
Some important context for Whitehill’s comment: earlier in the match, she complimented Dennerby for being Swedish because his European heritage means he’d know how to approach a game against Germany—because, you know, no European manager has ever flubbed a game against Germany. When you combine those two comments, you get quite a $#% sandwich from the broadcast booth. Forget the usual run-of-the-mill patronizing compliments about an African team’s “pace and power,” this is some real neo-colonial $#% from Whitehill as she describes the story of an African team that relies on physical traits becoming more “tactical” thanks to their new European coach. She might as well have started quoting Kipling’s “The White Man’s Burden” outright.
This sort of stereotyping wasn’t even lost on a fellow Fox media member. Aaron West, host of the network’s FIFA Women’s World Cup Now tweeted this out shortly after the end of the first half.

It’s worth noting that these two moments weren’t the only times that these tropes were trotted out, they were just the two most prominent examples of them happening. But even with these two cases isolated out, one can only hope that both Byington and Whitehill are able to look at the criticism coming from co-workers and many others, and reflect on where they went wrong with their broadcasting approach so that they can improve their choice of language before Cameroon’s game against England on Sunday—or at least before the next Women’s World Cup.

[JACKAL]

[jette1]

theres only one fight
the clear one on the pitch

[ohenhen1]

It used to be ESPN. It is now fox. I actually filed a complaint against julie foudy.

[TonyTheTigerKiller]

It’s all American white American, commentators period. Fox and NBC are just employers who have only the same pool of idiots to choose from


Cheers.

[Eaglezbeak]

I always find it hard to listen U.S commentators when it comes to football (soccer) combine that with the stereotypical view of Africans and lack of knowledge of the World outside the USA and it’s torture to the soul!

[oscar52]

Why diversity is so important be it on TV, workplace, police, schools, government etc.

[Gooner1]

Why diversity is so important be it on TV, workplace, police, schools, government etc.

....what makes u think diversity will solve this problem?

[metalalloy]

Why diversity is so important be it on TV, workplace, police, schools, government etc.

....what makes u think diversity will solve this problem?

Because a diverse group would most likely have different perspectives on a topic as opposed to having to resort to tired old cliches and tropes.

[King Futcha]

as i said in the other thread unfortunately it usually takes a white 'ally' to speak up before folks take note.

[Enugu II]

Most unfortunate is when you note that a lot of us, including many on CE, parrot those tired cliches here and elsewhere.

[JACKAL]

[maceo4]

I always find it hard to listen U.S commentators when it comes to football (soccer) combine that with the stereotypical view of Africans and lack of knowledge of the World outside the USA and it’s torture to the soul!

They are so annoying all they have to offer are played out stereotypes.

[marko]

There is nothing wrong with pace and power! Our 1994 team had just that plus a lot more in the bag, the pace and power tore Bulgaria apart!, nearly Argentina, at the 1996 Olympics, we had that as well plus some skillful players

[ohenhen1]

Univision is a good channel. I have picked up some spanish. They have stoickhov as one of their main commentators.

[highbury]

That is why I will never respect the man named Pinnick, for his complete rejection of himself- allowing Europeans to coach our team. He will never be Great!!

[kolinzo]

Inferiority complex of black folks. So because a white guy agrees with your view it legitimizes your opinion. SMH.

When Nigeria was killing it in soccer nobody was worried about the commentary. Nigeria was praised all over the world for being skillful, pace, and intelligent. But of course they praised the white coach who took them to that level (as he should). But when we are playing like headless chicken and these commentators hide their criticism in "they have pace...bla blah blah..." you are mad? SMH.

[kolinzo]

That is why I will never respect the man named Pinnick, for his complete rejection of himself- allowing Europeans to coach our team. He will never be Great!!

We have been telling folks this since river Benue but they'll tell us how FC is the best thing since sliced bread.

[The real deal]

now that a white guy has said it, maybe some folks will start to take notice.

Lisa Byington And Cat Whitehill Bust Out Lazy Tropes About African Teams For Their Germany-Nigeria Commentary

Commentating on live sports for a national television audience can be a herculean task, but it’s a lot easier if you decide to rely on tired racial stereotypes to fill the dead air—as Fox’s Lisa Byington and Cat Whitehill discovered on Saturday.

But the more obvious sign of this trope-reliance came later in the first half when Whitehill was assessing how this Nigeria squad was able to return to the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in 20 years. She said after years of relying only on athleticism to get in the tournament, it was thanks to the European coach they hired that they finally learned some discipline to get past the group stage.

Whitehill: “Somehow Nigeria keeps making it into the World Cup and they’re finally, with [Thomas] Dennerby, getting a proper coach to teach them proper tactical and technical aspects to their game. I think it’s exciting for Nigeria. They’re finally, you know, looking like a side that can compete.“

https://deadspin.com/lisa-byington-and- ... 1835765886

Sadly it goes both ways. Firstly, no other race faces the kind of obstacle we face. We have been treated as low IQ for centuries. Any and every European Empire/ Power had black slaves. Most Black population out of the continent probably got there as slaves..... we face stereotypes worse than military propaganda. Tbh, some of the ways our folks behave, or sportsmen, soccer players also play so naive too, truth be told. The only one to get us out of this, is OURSELVES. It cannot be legislated, forced down anybody throat etc. We just have to ignore these noise and get better by ourselves