A Conversation With Bryant Gumbel

Media Blitz Thanksgiving Special Edition:
A conversation with Bryant Gumbel

He has been panned for defending African American sports personalities and criticizing African American sports personalities. He has been chastised for being too outspoken and too reticent. Television maestro Bryant Gumbel spent 15 years (1982-97) as the cohost of NBC’s “Today” show, but his today centers around sports.

Since 1995, he has been the host of HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.” The Emmy-winning machine continues to set the pace in intelligent and enlightening sports talk and features.

Part of the fascination with “Real Sports” is Gumbel himself, who is as inscrutable as he is talented. Since bursting onto the national scene in 1975 as host of NBC’s NFL, MLB and NCAA basketball coverage, Gumbel has been a lightning rod for everyone from David Letterman to Dave Chappelle. Through all the public furor, Gumbel remains an intensely private man, eschewing personal interviews and the showbiz spotlight.

On Thanksgiving night, Gumbel begins his second season as play-by-play man for the NFL Network. Last week, Gumbel, who rarely agrees to one-on-one interviews, spoke candidly to Media Blitz about his life, career and sports in general.

“People who know me know that I rarely talk about what I do,” says the 59 year-old Gumbel. “I was raised that way. My dad (the late Richard Gumbel) was a judge. He was smarter that I am and a better person than I am. I’m just a guy on TV. I prefer to be a quiet person. I have friends who enjoy the limelight. I’d rather play golf everyday.”

Gumbel’s resistance to delve into his personal life is in stark contrast to his open discussion of his latest television chef-d’oeuvre. “I have never enjoyed or been more proud of a show ever.” The show he speaks of is “Real Sports,” Gumbel’s media Nirvana if you will. The HBO program combines the sobering reality of news with the gleeful escape of sports. Gumbel appears to be every bit the proud parent when his correspondents join him in studio after another groundbreaking feature.

“Sports are games, but they have a serious side, says Gumbel. “I laugh because for the reporters, the most intense thing we do is the interview after the story. They have no idea what I am going to ask them. I am just as curious as the viewer. We never rehearse the interview. On the rare occasion that we have to do a second take, I’ll change my questions. “Real Sports” is more of a dream job than “Today” ever was. I interviewed a zillion authors and ingénues. After a while it becomes the same.”

So, after a career that began at KNBC in Los Angeles in 1972, what attracts Gumbel to a potential subject? “There is a common thread in stories that interest me,” he states. “There is no massive principle, but what it comes down to is whether that story makes someone say, ‘Hmm, I didn’t know that.’ Television at its finest shows viewers something that they have not seen, tells them something they did not know, and takes them somewhere they have not been.”

Unlike most of today’s derivative media personalities and programs, for Gumbel, it comes down to originality. “You have to think about how much the viewer can learn from a story. Does it have a good central character? Some stories are better in video than in print. Others are great stories, but just not good for TV.”

“Real Sports” has made good TV a habit. The program has garnered 15 Sports Emmy Awards and the 2006 Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia University Award for broadcast journalism, the first such award for a sports program. Like the sports it covers, “Real Sports” comes down to teamwork.

Says Gumbel, “We have excellent production assistants on the show. They scour the small type in various periodicals looking for stories. There is also a great camaraderie among the correspondents and producers. It is not uncommon for one of our producers to show a story to his or her peers to get feedback. This is quite rare, but a regular part of our program. We want to look good in the eyes of our peers.”

“Real Sports” features such gifted correspondents as Frank Deford, Bernard Goldberg, James Brown, Andrea Kremer, Jon Frankel and Mary Carillo, all of whom seem perfect for their various assignments. Does the program develop stories to fit the reporter?

“It’s a great question,” says Gumbel, who also hits the field to cover various stories. “When a story comes up, we see who is available. Maybe Frank (Deford) or Bernie (Goldberg) is around, but maybe not. It would be nice to have the luxury of tailoring a story to a correspondent, but we don’t have that.”

One of the most remarkable dichotomies of Gumbel is his stance on television. This is a man who has lived in the medium since his early 20s, yet remains somewhat distanced from it. He explains, “I’ve never seen “Friends,” “Seinfeld,” “CSI,” or “American Idol.” I don’t watch TV. I watch sports because it has the things I like, drama and human interaction.”

Much of the criticism that Gumbel has engendered is due to his utter fearlessness and honesty. Today’s media is far too concerned with being liked by rich and powerful athletes. As silent as Gumbel may be in life, he shows no such reserve in his work.

In 1989, a memo criticizing some of his “Today” show colleagues was leaked to the public. While hosting the CBS “Early Show,” Gumbel’s disgust with a guest mistakenly went out over the airwaves. Gumbel again courted controversy in February of 2006 when, in his “Real Sports” commentary, he said of the Winter Olympics, “Count me among those who don’t care about them and won’t watch them … So try not to laugh when someone says these are the world’s greatest athletes, despite a paucity of blacks that makes the winter games look like a GOP convention.”

In August of 2006, Gumbel, directing his comments to new NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, offered these stinging words about NFL Players Union president and former Raiders’ lineman Gene Upshaw.

“Before he cleans out his office, have Paul Tagliabue show you where he keeps Gene Upshaw’s leash. By making the docile head of the players union his personal pet, your predecessor has kept the peace without giving players the kind of guarantees other pros take for granted. Try to make sure no one competent ever replaces Upshaw on your watch.”

At the time, then-Commissioner Paul Tagliabue stated, “What Gumbel said about Gene Upshaw and our owners is about as irresponsible as anything I’ve heard in a long time.”

The fact is that Gumbel was correct in his assessment of Upshaw. More than a year later, he stands by his words. “I know Gene to only say hello,” says Gumbel. “It was not a personal stab and I was not out to get him. There was no sabotage here. I just think he is a bad choice for the job he is doing.

“He gets a pass, but he is doing a bad job for his constituents. I have no personal vendetta against Gene. You would have been shocked at the number of calls of support I got from players. They thanked me. The problems of the NFL Players’ Association were hidden. Now, they are on the front burner. I hope that one day, the Players Association realizes that they can easily do better without Gene Upshaw.”

Despite an openness to take on sports’ giants, Gumbel does not tread casually into such dangerous territory. “I agonized over saying what I said about Gene, and whether I was saying more than I should. I don’t want to say something that can hurt someone personally. That is not proper.”

On a recent edition of “Real Sports,” correspondent James Brown interviewed Eagles’ quarterback Donovan McNabb. In the interview, McNabb stated that he feels that African-American quarterbacks are judged differently than their white counterparts. The statement incurred the wrath of media types everywhere.

Fox’s Terry Bradshaw dismissed McNabb’s feelings saying that McNabb needed some love. Barry Switzer, also a Fox analyst, implied that McNabb was degrading black quarterbacks who struggled before him. Gumbel’s response to the criticism is pointed.

“That bothers the hell out of me,” he states. “Look, we are all free to criticize the play of Donovan McNabb or how he deals with the media. We are not qualified to say what he feels about prejudice. I don’t care for George Bush and I am free to say that I don’t like his politics. I am not free to say what George Bush feels. You cannot go there. People like to sit there and judge.

“After McNabb’s comments, people said that a guy like Rex Grossman has gotten more criticism. ‘McNabb played the race card,’ they said. Well, there are many people who feel victimized by race a thousand times and say nothing. It is silly to think that you are in a position to critique someone’s feelings. It would be like me criticizing a woman who was raped. Do I in any way know what she felt?”

Gumbel has been the subject of parody by African American comedians, mostly for his professorial look and fastidious nature, but the outward conservatism belies the racial activist within. Gumbel has been honored by the United Negro College Fund, the Congress of Racial Equality, the NAACP and the African-American Institute. He has been a champion for racial equality and has never hidden behind his cushy and lucrative broadcast gigs. He recognizes that race is a factor in sports and embraces discourse on it.

“Race comes up a lot and money exacerbates things,” says Gumbel, who was born in New Orleans, raised in Chicago and graduated from Bates College in Lewiston, ME. “People see a black athlete making a lot of money and say, ‘I’m making $25.00 an hour at the plant. I don’t want to hear you bitch.’ The divide has grown.

“Many people are jealous, and many rich athletes are completely out of touch. I got a lot of flack for saying that I don’t watch the Winter Olympics because there are few black athletes. McNabb addressed the controversy. Most people are afraid to say the word race.”

While many media pundits make judgments based on race, others judge athletes based on their media friendliness. “That is 1000% right,” says Gumbel. “We define people as good or bad based on how they treat us. If an athlete is mean, we assume he goes home and beats his wife. Unless we stay with these guys in a number of different environments, we really don’t know. If an athlete is approachable, he’s great. If an athlete does not speak to the media, he’s an a—ole.”

A good example of one current athlete who has been judged and misjudged by the media is Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss. Gumbel profiled Moss in his rookie season with Minnesota and again when he joined the Raiders two years ago. Between mooning fans in Green Bay and publicly stating that he used marijuana, Moss became an easy target for critics.

In a recent “Real Sports” commentary, Gumbel said of Moss, “He’s happy. He’s productive. He’s professional and despite reports of his premature burial, he’s suddenly seen as a good guy.

“The Randy turnaround says a lot about the man. But the public’s view of him says even more about the perspective of fans and media people alike. In a world where every and anybody wants to have a say, and pretend they’re an image-maker, it’s a reminder of a plain and simple football truth that applies to both players and coaches. That if you lose, fans and media types can’t help you…and if you win, they can’t hurt you.”

Gumbel further expounds on the fickle nature of critics. “We complain about guys giving cookie cutter answers to questions, and then there is outrage when someone speaks his mind. Vijay Singh took a lot of heat when (in 2003) he said that Annika Sorenstam should have to qualify to play in men’s competitions. A guy like Derek Jeter says nothing, so we’ll never know how he feels.”

While Gumbel recognizes that PGA superstar Tiger Woods makes himself available to the media, he wishes that the substance of this availability would be a bit more substantial. “I do find it sad that in an era where athletes are our most recognizable and admired role models, we come upon a presidential election and we have no idea whom they support.

“Kurt Warner spoke publicly about a religious issue (stem cell research) in Missouri. I may not agree with him, but at least he is involved. It’s hard to find a single athlete who’ll say one word about who should be president. I admire people who show that they are part of the world in which they live as opposed to those who don’t realize and don’t care about the influence they wield.”

Speaking of issues, Gumbel’s views on the celebrated Spygate scandal and the Patriots supposed running up the score are pointed. He states, “I compare Spygate to Watergate. With Watergate, a lot of people said, ‘Oh well, every president probably did it. Nixon was the one who got caught.’ Belichick got caught and this will stay with him forever.

“Belichick is not friendly to the media. If he were more approachable, he might be given a pass. I’m surprised that Roger Goodell stopped investigating. It is not consistent with what he has been doing with other rules violations. As for running up the score, I am not sure if there is any truth to that or if it even matters. I do have concern that in retaliation, someone might beat the crap out of Tom Brady on the field.”

A recent “Real Sports” featured a gruesomely graphic story on the abuse and violence inherent in dog fighting rings similar to the one that has put Falcons’ quarterback Michael Vick in prison. While Gumbel believes that Vick should be punished, he also believes that there is some overkill.

“I was going to do a commentary about this,” he states. “I think people are now piling on Michael Vick. He lost millions of dollars, his reputation and his livelihood. He has to piss in a cup with regularity and was in home confinement. He is paying the price for what he did. No one loves dogs more than I do. My dogs Archie and Cujo hate Michael Vick and would like to see him punished, but there is a limit.”

Gumbel continues to blaze an important and unique trail in his work. Those who persist in criticizing his personal and professional life are missing the larger picture. In a media lot littered with wannabes and boot lickers, Gumbel stands, all to often alone, as an example of defiant, yet refined, passion. He angers a lot of people and is conversely riled by the unaware.

“I guess ignorance in action gets me angry,” says Gumbel. “People who say stupid things on the air and then wonder why they catch flack for it. Talk radio is the worst thing to happen to sports. I get aggravated at people who use horrible grammar and terrible English. They seem proud of not knowing what a word means. Why be proud of something you don’t know?

“There is an inherent ignorance in their approach and response. It’s all about being louder than the next guy. I was raised by a conservative dad. He always said that the loudest guy is the weakest guy.”