As you all know, Stephen Colbert stepped in and with the royally cool offer to raise money and support for US Speedskating in its Olympic journey. As you may also know, there are a couple of skaters who skate for the US, but who aren’t supported by the US Speedskating organization. Sadly, one of those, gold medal winner Shani Davis, is making headlines by expressing some not particularly Colbert-friendly sentiments.
From the Associated Press:
Davis calls US team patron Colbert ‘a jerk’
(AP) – 1 hour agoCALGARY, Alberta — Stephen Colbert’s Canadian-bashing isn’t sitting well with at least one American speedskating star.
“He’s a jerk,” Shani Davis said Thursday when asked for his take on the comedian’s criticism of Canucks. “You can put that in the paper.”
Davis declined to elaborate, making the comment while vetting potential questions from The Canadian Press before rejecting an interview request and walking away.
. . .
[Veteran Chad] Hedrick and [rising star Trevor] Marsicano both appreciate Colbert’s support, even though neither was particularly familiar with his show on Comedy Central before he came on board.
Hedrick hopes Colbert’s fans will help bring more exposure to and increase the profile of a sport that repeatedly leads the way in terms of medals won by Americans at Winter Olympics.
“We’re really fortunate that he jumped on board. It’s a great situation for us,” Hedrick said. “We needed it financially. It’s a great opportunity for U.S. Speedskating to provide things for the athletes that they wouldn’t be able to provide without him.
. . .
I should point out that this is obviously Davis’s opinion, which should by no means be attributed to the whole of US Speedskating (the quotes from Marciano and Hedrick make that clear). By all accounts, Davis has always been something of a loner: he skates for the US, but he has not signed the athlete agreement with US Speedskating (which “provides some funding in return for endorsing federation sponsors”, according to the Chicago Tribune). His talent is undeniable — he made history as the first black man to win an individual gold medal in Winter Olympics — but he’s never been overly concerned with cuddling up to the media.
Mr. Davis is certainly entitled to express himself, and he may feel more strongly about Stephen’s sponsorship because of his (Davis’s) personal connections to Canada. But in my opinion, this is a dick move because of the way it reflects on his teammates. Davis doesn’t have to worry about his own sponsors, but it would have been nice if he’d taken into account his teammates’ supporters. It’s just not very classy to subject them to embarrassment (and potentially worse) like this.
So, I’m still rooting for the speedskaters like mad. I’m still hugely happy that Stephen stepped in. I still think his involvement is a great thing for US Speedskating. And I’d still love to see Mr. Davis continue his successful streak.
But I now find myself placing Shani Davis on my own personal “On Notice” board.
I’m glad the article points out his & the Nation’s support for the Yellow Ribbon Fund. It helps make clear that this is another in a line of charitable efforts, one that fills a real need for skaters, in addition to being entertaining fodder for the show.
As for Shani Davis, it’s too bad Stephen doesn’t have an Alpha D*ck of the Week segment ;)
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Heh. I honestly don’t think Stephen would reply, since the whole thing is, he’s NOT a jerk.
Still, I wouldn’t want to be in Mr. Davis’s skates if he were suddenly confronted by a pack of Colbert fans!
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I think we know who the real jerk is.
wren, I like that suggestion for a new segment. ;)
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Wow, I had never thought of it that way. Really dickish of Stephen to support this guy’s team, eh? How dare he encourage his legions of fans to donate money so they can compete! And the GALL to call out Canada for not giving them their customary ice time – yeah, Stephen’s a disgrace to our Speedskating team. Thanks for clearing that up, Davis.
[/sarcasm]
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Tangentially, I was wondering if Napolitano’s visit tonight would include an official US gov scolding because of the cross-border criticism…
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This is a family friendly blog, so I won’t elaborate. Perhaps Mr. Davis doesn’t realize just how many Heroes there are in the Nation. Any one of us could be anywhere at any time, serving your coffee, delivering your mail, fixing the brakes on your car…the family never forgets, Mr. Davis
;-)
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^^This made me laugh. :)
I’m hoping this is a case of Davis simply not having a clue who Colbert is, and basing his comments purely off of those made by Stephen, not realizing the context in which Stephen said them. Because otherwise, I can’t wrap my mind around how someone could react that way to such a generous gesture.
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Speaking of dick moves, Ohno and the other US gold winner at the Michigan World Cup meet DID NOT wear the CN logo on their uniforms, which is why TCR broadcast the silver metal win of Reutter, who did wear the CN patch. They don’t act appreciative of the support, now do they.
As to this guy, I like him. Good for being independent of the herd. Maybe he knows something we don’t. Full disclosure: I am Canadian.
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Independent from the herd is one thing. Trashing someone who is making sure that there is a US skating team (and whose fans have coughed up more than a quarter million dollars) – not so slick.
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The US team was to collapse without the support of the Nation? Really? Sure about that?
Some members don’t act like it. I’m looking at you, Ohno!
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jerzegrl,
Not to elaborate too much, perhaps the US skaters (other than Davis) don’t realize how many Canadians there are without a sense of humor. Any one of them could be anywhere at Olympics time, serving the US team their drinks, driving them to the venue. These Canadians never forget. ;)
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Yeesh, this sounds creepy. More than jerzegrl’s even.
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Yeah it was a bit creepy but who doesn’t enjoy a Mafia metaphor every now & then? Canadians? LOL!
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What is his problem?!
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Hah! I came across this reaction to the AP story while I was compiling the zeitgeist. From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
Memo to speedskater Davis: ‘Colbert Report’ is satire
“Good thing it the Winter Olympics and not the Laff-A-Lympics, otherwise U.S. speedskater Shani Davis’ sense of humor wouldn’t stand a chance at medaling.”
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Hm… i don’t think I like this, *scrolls back up to check D*ck’s name*, Davis fellow. Perhaps he should realize what Stephen is doing for his sport. Just maybe.
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I respect the fact that Davis is entitled to his opinion. But in terms of what he said, it really is a dick move; the least he could do is elaborate on the comment, because right now it just sounds like he’s bitter about the whole thing. I guess you can be a great skater and still not have one iota of a sense of humor.
On a lighter note, “Marsicano agrees and is looking forward to an expected team visit from Colbert at next week’s World Cup stop in Salt Lake City.” – Yay! Definitely excited to see that!
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Obviously, Shani Davis does not understand comedy, or the difference between Stephen Colbert the man and Stephen Colbert the on-screen character.
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