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Clive James once chided him (January 21, 1979):
This was a nice contrast with Match of the Day (BBC1), where an hysterical voice-over was to be heard commending "the two coloured players* for ‘combining beautifully.' The difference between commentating and Colemantating is that a commentator says things you would like to remember and a Colemantator says things you would like to forget.
https://www.onetouchfootball.com/for...ll-tv-coverageLast edited by Satchmo Distel; 19-02-2019, 10:44.
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With Motson and the commentators of his generation, I'm far less annoyed by his blurts now ("old man says thoughtless thing, who knew?") than by the whitewashing of their past silence. They did their job week after week and heard the chants and abuse most of those weeks - some grounds worse than others, but clearly audible at many, and in our homes via MOTD and the ITV versions. As mentioned on the linked thread (and when Regis died) Gerald Sinstadt spoke up at the Man Utd-WBA game, but that was a rare exception.
So we have this unhealthy combination of being totes anti-racist today, and nostalgic about those good old days when it was so much worse. Retirement tributes to Motty should have included a compilation DVD of 'Monkey Chants He Missed'. And a simple question: "Why, John?". I mean, we all knew. What stopped him?
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Originally posted by Felicity, I guess so View PostAbsolutely- I can remember being furious with radio coverage when clearly identifiable racist chanting got the comment "Great atmosphere in the ground today"
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Originally posted by Satchmo Distel View PostDave Hill has a chapter on how the BBC covered a Liverpool-Everton Cup tie in which John Barnes appeared (1988). Cliches about lovable scousers in the prologue then silence while Barnes was getting abused.
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Originally posted by Bordeaux Education View PostIs it just me but does the incredibly dehumanising "He's a big unit" only ever refer to black players?
But yeah generally, it's a bit terrible.
On the commentators not mentioning the racism, that's how polite people showed they weren't racist back then. They just made sure they pointedly ignored it. (As if commenting on it was somehow going to make it worse.)
The good old days weren't that good were they. My overall feeling about the 80s is that it was a grim time to be alive.
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Originally posted by Bordeaux Education View PostIs it just me but does the incredibly dehumanising "He's a big unit" only ever refer to black players?
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- Mar 2008
- 29880
- An oasis in the middle of Somerset
- Bath City FC; Porthcawl RFC;Wales in most things.
- Fig roll - deal with it.
Saw it on Facebook about Cherif Traoré in today's rugby but, similar to you, heard it said about Bath City's Ryan Brunt who is white so , perhaps, it has evolved from "only ever" being referred to black players - even if, I suspect, it is mostly said about them.
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Denis Stracqualursi once got referred to as a unit on Hand Of Pod, but that was by an Australian who at the time was living in Argentina, so the cross-ocean difference is true a number of times over.
It hadn't occurred to me until this thread that the phrase had a racial slant to it, though.
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- Mar 2008
- 29880
- An oasis in the middle of Somerset
- Bath City FC; Porthcawl RFC;Wales in most things.
- Fig roll - deal with it.
Well, I could be wrong, of course, there's always that possibility. Nudged by you and, especially, AdC's contributions, I checked into the etymology of the phrase and it appears that not only did it originate with Randy Johnson but he was also monikered it by Tim Raines who is black. Now, this could actually add to my theory as it could be a phrase that was used within the black community to each other and Johnson was just the first famous white guy to get called it and therefor raised its profile as a phrase.
However, this, plus other occurrences of it about white players does suggest that my 'only ever' is probably wrong. I still have a nagging feeling that it is mainly used about black players but, at least, I can calm a little on hearing it.
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