Rogge

THE EDITOR, Sir:

I LISTENED and watched with a great degree of wry amusement to the comments of American sport commentator Bob Costas of NBC, Jacques Rogge of the International Olympic Committee and other associated negative voices regarding the exploits of our hero, double gold medallist, Usain Bolt. Bolt has been charged by Rogge to be more respectful of his competitors and to shake their hands after events. How ridiculous and biased! I don't seem to recall the same 'requirements' being asked of Michael Phelps after his astonishing and magnificent exploits in the swimming pool or any other winning athlete for that matter.

As for the 'antics' of Usain before and after races being "disrespectful", I again don't seem to recall similar comments being made about Carl Lewis, Florence 'Flo-Jo' Griffith-Joyner, Maurice Greene or Michael Johnson, all highly colourful, boastful and arrogant athletes. While I agree completely with the view that a lot of what fuels these comments is just plain 'bad mind', as we Jamaicans say, I believe there is something far more sinister at work.

Racist mentality

You see, most of these comments really emanate from a racist mentality, the adherents of whom have bought into the long-standing mindset about black people in general and black athletes in particular. So convinced is the white racist's belief of his superiority in every sphere, that it is literally an assault to the very being of his consciousness when there emerges any sign of any black performers (athletes or otherwise) with demonstrably superior skills. Excellent black performers/athletes are still expected to 'know their place' and must be almost apologetic, reserved, 'humble' and self-effacing about their clear superiority in any particular discipline. White performers or athletes, for example, Michael Phelps, are praised and encouraged in the excellence of their pursuits while being described as 'great', 'magnificent', 'playful', 'high-spirited', 'confident' and exhibiting the "true qualities of a champion".

No antic is ever considered too 'over the top' for the white athlete. He or she is allowed "youthful exuberance". The furthest any such commentator would go is to say he or she was 'pumped' and 'joyful'. This is because nothing that the white racist sees being done by anyone in his image is considered freakish or wrong. There is always a reasonable explanation. The mark is always set that much higher for the black champion to adhere to than the white one. We have never heard any commentator describing any of Phelps joyful antics before or after any of his eight gold medals in the pool as being disrespectful or unsportsmanlike.

Sour grapes attacks

Phelps never congratulates or consoles any of his competitors either. You may ask about the many earlier-mentioned black American athletic champions who were not publicly described in the terms like that used against Bolt or who didn't have such 'high' expectations set of them.

Well, such criticism, on the one hand, would have been 'un-American' for people like Costas, and on the other hand, it is best not said of the world superpower by people like Rogge.

If Bolt were a white American, he would have been given the 'Michael Phelps treatment' by pundits like Costas and praised by Rogge. But the black, brilliant, young Mr Bolt is just too much to deal with, hence, the mean-spirited and sour grapes attacks taken against him.

I am, etc.,

O'NEIL BROWN

Attorney-at-law

Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland