NBC Questions Kobe Bryant’s Pride of Being on Team USA
-By Warner Todd Huston
**Video Below the Fold**
In a recent interview with USA Olympics basketball team member Kobe Bryant, NBC Sports reporter Chris Collinsworth seemed to question Kobe’s patriotism when the player said that he was proud to wear the team USA uniform. Wondering if it was “cool” to be proud of being on Team USA, Collinsworth seemed to surprise even Bryant with the temerity of the question. Why Collinsworth wouldn’t think it would be “cool” to be proud to be on the American Olympic basketball team is anyone’s guess.
In a portion of the interview, Kobe began to say how thrilled he was to get his Team USA uniform and that he “just stared at it” for a while in awe. Collinsworth followed that heartwarming display of patriotism with a jaw dropping series of questions. Worse, he asked these questions with an absurd smirk stealing across his face, seeming to think that he was about to join Kobe in cynicism over the evil America with his doubting Thomas questions.
Transcript:
Collinsworth: Where does the patriotism come from inside of you? Historically, what is it?
Kobe: Well, you know it’s just our country, it’s… we believe is the greatest country in the world. It has given us so many great opportunities, and it’s just a sense of pride that you have; that you say ‘You know what? Our country is the best!’
Collinsworth: Is that a ‘cool’ thing to say, in this day and age? That you love your country, and that you’re fighting for the red, white and blue? It seems sort of like a day gone by.
Kobe: No, it’s a cool thing for me to say. I feel great about it, and I’m not ashamed to say it. I mean, this is a tremendous honor.
Apparently Collinsworth was shocked that a black man could be at all patriotic and proud of being a representative of his country. But the real question here isn’t if Kobe is proud to wear the Team USA uniform, but why Chris Collinsowrth so automatically thought it wasn’t “cool” to be proud of being an American “in this day and age”?
I mean, what the heck was this “historically, what is it” question? Is Collinsworth saying that it is impossible for a black man to be patriotic? Apparently so.
Maybe Chris Collinsworth has delusions of being the next failed sports dude turned Keith Olbermann over at NBC?
All I can say is, “way to go Kobe!”
Or, if the movie won’t play, click from Ms. Underestimated to download .wmv file.
(Photo credit: Brekken/ AP, H/T Jamie and msunderestimated.com)
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Posted by Warner Todd Huston on August 18, 2008 5:20 am
» Filed Under Interview, Liberal Media/Bias, News
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3 Responses to “NBC Questions Kobe Bryant’s Pride of Being on Team USA”
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Let me note that I don’t watch TV. I have never seen Mr. Collinsworth before. I know nothing about him or about his political or cultural views. (Yes, I’m sure I can guess. BUT . . . )
I would like to think that Collinsworth was asking in a friendly way what, sadly, too many left-leaning Americans would ask of any patriotic American if given the opportunity (but which they would ask with far less finesse and far greater vehemence).
I, personally, am not a member of the professional press corp. HOWEVER, I am often called upon to get people’s direct and real opinions on different subjects. And I have found one of the best techniques to elicit passionate and heartfelt comments is to ask questions in a somewhat adversarial tone–even if and as I may fully agree with the speaker.
If I merely nod my head and agree, I get no passionate statement from my interviewee. If, however, I “come at them” a bit and feign some form of mild astonishment or shock at what they say, I elicit a much more robust and passionate statement–exactly what Mr. Collinsworth elicited from Mr. Bryant.
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By the way: Successful marketers and salespeople, as you may or may not have heard, have found that when people publicly affirm a certain position, they will then usually act more in line with their affirmations.
Now that Collinsworth has elicited such a strong affirmation of patriotism from Bryant, I expect we can see Bryant actually acting in a rather patriotic manner!
Mr. Holzmann’s comment is correct.
Collinsworth was expressing a “fake” argument in order to give Bryant a chance to come back even more strongly with the patriotic theme. Guys like Collinsworth are *not* NYT reporters.
Calm down staclu.
Collingsworth, a former professional athlete, now semi-professional announcer, reveals his bias in the tone and substance of his questions.
Kolbe has survived and prospered in this country. He has honed his basketball skills and has been treated fairly in court. Because of his life, his beliefs, his mistakes and his accomplishments, he knows he lives in the greatest country ever. And he says it like it is. Box score:
Kolbe 1 Collingsworth 0