Bryant Gumbel

Infobox journalist
name = Bryant Gumbel


birth_date = birth date and age|1948|9|29
birth_place = New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
occupation = Journalist
spouse = Hilary Quinlan
parents = Richard Dunbar Gumbel and Rhea Alice LeCesne
children = 2: son and daughter
credits = "The Today Show"
"The Early Show"

Bryant Charles Gumbel (born September 29, 1948) is an American television personality for news and sports programs. He is best known for his 15 years as co-presenter of NBC's "The Today Show". He is the younger brother of veteran sports broadcaster Greg Gumbel.

Career

Early life

Gumbel was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of Rhea Alice (née LeCesne), a city clerk, and Richard Dunbar Gumbel, a judge. [ [http://www.filmreference.com/film/11/Bryant-Gumbel.html Bryant Gumbel Biography (1948-) ] ] He began his television career in October 1972, when he was made a sportscaster for KNBC-TV out of Los Angeles.

Career

NBC Sports

Gumbel impressed and surprised NBC with his likable on-air presence and well-considered commentary. He was hired by NBC Sports in the fall of 1975 as co-host of its National Football League pre-game show "GrandStand" with Jack Buck.

From 1975 until January 1982 (when he left to do "The Today Show") Gumbel hosted numerous sporting events for NBC including Major League Baseball, NCAA basketball and the National Football League. Gumbel returned to sportscasting for NBC when he hosted the prime time coverage of the 1988 Summer Olympics from Seoul and the PGA Tour in 1990.

One of Gumbel's more memorable moments during his time at NBC Sports occurred in 1982, when he was on site for the now legendary "Epic in Miami" NFL playoff game between the San Diego Chargers and Miami Dolphins. At the end of the game, Gumbel told the viewing audience "If you didn't like this football game then you didn't like football!"

"The Today Show"

Gumbel spent 15 years on "The Today Show" with three co-hosts: Jane Pauley, Deborah Norville and Katie Couric. His work on the "Today Show" earned him several Emmys and large group of fans. He is the second longest serving co-host of "Today", serving 2 months less than Couric. Gumbel stepped down from the show in 1997 after 15 years.

"The Early Show"

After leaving the "Today Show" and "Dateline NBC" in 1997, Gumbel moved to CBS, where he hosted various shows before becoming co-host of the network's morning show "The Early Show" on November 1, 1999. Gumbel left "The Early Show" (and CBS that same year) in May 2002.

"Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel"

Gumbel has concentrated most of his energy recently on his duties as host of HBO's acclaimed investigative series "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" (a show that he has hosted since 1995). HBO's web page claims that "Real Sports" has been described as "flat out TV's best sports program" by the "Los Angeles Times". [ [http://www.hbo.com/realsports/about/ HBO: Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel - About the Show ] ] Also according to HBO, "Real Sports" has earned 15 sports Emmys, and a 2006 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for broadcast journalism, the first time in the award's history that it was given to a sports program. [http://www.hbo.com/realsports/awards/ HBO: Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel - Awards ] ] The award was for a story called "The Sport of Sheikhs", an investigation into the exploitation of children as camel jockeys in the United Arab Emirates.

"The Weather Man"

Gumbel made a cameo appearance alongside Nicolas Cage and Michael Caine in "The Weather Man", a film directed by Gore Verbinski. In the film, Gumbel co-hosts a morning show entitled "Hello America" for which Cage's character, a depressed weatherman, auditions.

The NFL Network

In April 2006, the NFL Network announced that Gumbel, along with Cris Collinsworth and Dick Vermeil, would commentate on its new package of NFL games. Gumbel had never called play-by-play [ [http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/sports/16340143.htm On Sports Media | Gumbel's move to play-by-play was a bad call] ] for live sporting events in his career. [ [http://news.yahoo.com/s/bw/20060420/bs_bw/nf200604208433db016] Dead link|date=March 2008] Before his first game commentary for the network, Gumbel's status was brought into question after he stirred up controversy in his closing remarks on his HBO program on August 15, 2006, in which he criticized NFL Players Association head Gene Upshaw and outgoing NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue. Gumbel would later reconcile with the NFL and has retained his play-by-play job with the NFL Network. [ [http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14701011/ Gumbel, NFL reconcile after ‘leash’ comment - NFL - MSNBC.com ] ] . On December 29 2007, Gumbel had a reunion of sorts as he called the Patriots-Giants game on the NFL Network, CBS, and NBC. This is the first 3-network simulcast NFL game and coincidentally Gumbel has worked for all three networks during his career.

Gumbel resigned as play-by-play announcer in April 2008, prior to the 2008 NFL season.

Controversies

Gumbel memo

In 1989, Gumbel wrote a memo to "Today Show" executive producer Marty Ryan, which was critical of other "Today Show" personalities. This memo was leaked to the press. In the memo, Gumbel commented that Willard Scott, "holds the show hostage to his assortment of whims, wishes, birthdays and bad taste...This guy is killing us and no one's even trying to rein him in". He commented that Gene Shalit's movie reviews "are often late and his interviews aren't very good." [ [http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/4066132.html?dids=4066132&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS&date=Mar+1%2C+1989&author=Collins%2C+Monica&pub=USA+TODAY&edition=&startpage=D1&desc=Memo+to+NBC%3A+We+Love+Scott Monica Collins, "Memo to NBC: We Love Scott", "USA Today", March 1, 1989.] ]

There was enough negative backlash in regard to Gumbel's comments toward Scott, that Gumbel was shown making up with Scott on "The Today Show". [ [http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/55908252.html?dids=55908252:55908252&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Mar+14%2C+1989&author=Brian+Donlon&pub=USA+TODAY+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&edition=&startpage=01.D&desc=On+%60Today%2C%27+it%27s+kiss+and+make+up Brian Donlon, "On "Today", it's kiss and make up", "USA Today, March 14, 1989.] ]

Remarks

On "Today" on September 5 1988, Gumbel said of a quiz on racial attitudes: "This test is not going to tell you whether you're a racist or a liberal." [ [http://bostonphoenix.com/boston/news_features/top/features/documents/02957052.htm David Brudnoy, "The great divide", "Boston Phoenix", June 20, 2003.] ]

A CBS camera caught a disgusted Bryant Gumbel blurting out "What a fucking idiot" just after he finished a hostile interview with Robert Knight of the Family Research Council (FRC). The incident occurred at about 7:15 a.m. ET on Thursday, June 29, 2000 following Knight's appearance to defend the Boy Scout policy of excluding gays from being leaders.

:* [http://www.mediaresearch.org/rm/cyber/2000/gumbelslip/segment1.ram Real Video of incident] :* [http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,6726,00.html E Channel Article on this incident]

On the February 7, 2006, episode of HBO's "Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel", Gumbel made controversial racial remarks about 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."

On the August 15, 2006 episode of "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel", Gumbel made the following remarks about former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue and Player Union president Gene Upshaw and directed these comments to new commissioner Roger Goodell: cquote|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. In response, Tagliabue said, "What Gumbel said about Gene Upshaw and our owners is about as irresponsible as anything I've heard in a long time." Gene Upshaw as of August 21, 2006 has not commented. [ [http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2006-08-21-gumbel-upshaw_x.htm Michael McCarthy, "Gumbel's remarks strike ill chord with Tagliabue", USA Today, 22 August, 2006.] ] Gumbel's response was "It's a lot like covering any story [...] You see what is front of you and you report on it."Fact|date=March 2007

Play-by-play

Gumbel has received criticism for his performance as a play-by-play announcer for the NFL Network. In this role, he has made numerous mistakes, such as incorrect use of football terminology, repeatedly confusing details about which team called a timeout, was called for a penalty, or recently scored and even referred to Dallas Cowboys' quarterback Tony Romo as "Rick Romo" after the Cowboy's win over the Green Bay Packers, saying "We'll try to get a word in with Rick Romo.." Gumbel twice burped on air in a game between the New York Giants and Washington Redskins. He even referred to San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore as "Al Gore". On April 11, 2008, Gumbel and the NFL Network announced a mutual decision to end his play-by-play duties.

:* [http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2007/12/22/bryant-gumbel-calls-tony-romo-rick-romo Bryant Gumbel Calls Tony Romo Rick Romo]

Awards

*4 Emmy Awards [http://www.hbo.com/realsports/correspondents/bios/bryant_gumbel.html HBO: Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel - Bryant Gumbel Bio ] ]
*Frederick D. Patterson Award from the United Negro College Fund
*Martin Luther King Award from the Congress of Racial Equality
*Three NAACP Image Awards
*Edward R. Murrow Award for Outstanding Foreign Affairs work from the Overseas Press Club, September 1984
*Edward Weintal Prize for diplomatic reporting
*Peabody Award for his reporting in Vietnam
*International Journalism Award from TransAfrica
*Africa's Future Award from the U.S. Committee for UNICEF
*Leadership Award from the African-American Institute
*Best Morning TV News Interviewer, the "Washington Journal Review", 1986
*Trumpet Award of the Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
*Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for outstanding broadcast journalism for "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" (HBO), December 2005

In popular culture

*On the "Chappelle's Show"; in one episode, comedian Paul Mooney, playing "Negrodamus," mentions that "White people love Wayne Brady, because he makes Bryant Gumbel look like Malcolm X".

*On "Family Guy", in the episode "If I'm Dyin', I'm Lyin'", there is a show within the show, called "Gumbel 2 Gumbel" portraying Bryant and Greg Gumbel as bicycle patrol officers.

*On Australian sketch comedy television show "Fast Forward", Michael Veitch sent-up Gumbel alongside Steve Vizard impersonating Willard Scott.

*In "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air", Carlton Banks' is often mistaken for Gumbel. Gumbel is frequently mentioned as Carlton's hero and role model.

*On one episode of "MADtv", Bryant does the news for "The Early Show", but then goes off at the fact that no one is watching.

*In an episode of "Seinfeld", Bryant Gumbel interviews Jerry Seinfeld on "The Today Show", in the episode "The Puffy Shirt".

*In an episode of "Third Rock from the Sun", Dick Solomon asks his information officer, Tommy Solomon a question about ontologists in Greek, to which the answer is Bryant Gumbel.

References

External links

* [http://www.sportsbusinessnews.com/_news/news_349364.php Is Bryant Gumbel a Racist? Howard Bloom's Sports Business News.com SBN's look at Bryant Gumbel]
* [http://www.aim.org/media_monitor/A3115_0_2_0_C/ Gumbel's Womanizing]