A little ESPN FAIL

From the front page:

"Berlin plays host to the world's best track and field athletes on Saturday. But what Jessie Owens did at the 1936 Games remains the greatest accomplishment in sports."

 

At least it wasn't Jessy....

 

The front page typo is on an editor and is inexcusable.

But this one is on Jeremy Schaap:

"That Owens was favored to win four gold medals in Berlin does not diminish the simple truth that what he achieved in Berlin stands as the greatest accomplishment ever in sports."


Owens was not favored to win four gold medals. Owens wasn't even supposed to compete in four events. But the day before the 4-x-100 relay, the USOC -- presumably because Avery Brundage, as much an anti-semite and racist as Hitler, decided it was better to let black guys run than embarrass Hitler further with Jewish kids wining gold in the relay -- named Owens and Ralph Metcalfe (the runner-up in the 100) to replace Marty Glickman and Sam Stoller on the relay team.
Through no fault of his own, Jesse Owens became a legend because of the anti-semitism of the USOC president.

 

ok, that's funny

 

Schaap is also a little quick to dismiss what Lewis did in '84 and makes the stupid comment about him taking only one jump in the long jump "and not trying for a record."
Does he really think Lewis -- who had to run 4 heats in the 100, 4 heats in the 200 and 2 in the relay -- was going jump more than 29-2 1/4 in the heat and humidity of Los Angeles?

If Owens had never run the relay in Berlin, no one would have cared. If Lewis -- who had talked about "doing the Jesse Owens thing" for two years prior to LA -- had not won four golds he would have been viewed as a failure.

 

Oh, c'mon, that one was just sitting on the tee waiting to be smacked.

 

Absolutely right.

The story's very, very well-known -- to the well-read.

ESPECIALLY in the proofreading, final-check department . . . experience trumps youth
so, so often, the fight was stopped, long ago.

 

Are we sure it wasn't Jessie Spano?

She was so excited! She was so excited! She was so.......scared!!

 

And now, my next impression ... Jessie Owens.

 

Was just reading about that in Nazi Games by David Clay Large. Terrific book.

 

yet funny in its simplicity