Al Campanis Racist Remarks on Nightline (April 6, 1987)
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- Опубликовано: 21 окт 2024
- Coinciding with the 40th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's Major League Baseball debut (April 15, 1947). Campanis, who had played alongside Robinson and was known for being close to him, was being interviewed about the subject. Nightline anchorman Ted Koppel asked him why, at the time, there had been few black managers and no black general managers in Major League Baseball. Campanis' reply was that blacks "may not have some of the necessities to be, let's say, a field manager, or, perhaps, a general manager" for these positions. Elsewhere in the interview he said that blacks are often poor swimmers "because they don't have the buoyancy." Koppel says he gave Campanis several opportunities to clarify ("Do you really believe that?") or back down on his remarks but Campanis confirmed his views with his replies. A protest erupted the next morning and he resigned two days later
He could have turned it around on him and asked the same about network TV news anchors, station owners and CEO's in 1987.
He did
it was actually refreshing to get an answer rather than more whataboutisms
Exactly
Racism would’ve been the answer there, too, bud
I mean not really. Deflecting isn't a valid response.
That explains why Phelps is a legend: buoyancy
Even with 2% body fat, means his bones are lighter weight.
Phelps and Cullen are great, but its not like there are a lot of black swimmers. Just because there aren't.
@@davidlindsay9564 it is science on why whites swim better , and blacks run faster
You made me shoot coffee out my nose
Michael Phelps: Celebrated Black Athlete
As a black man myself when asked why I don't swim, I simply answer, "It's a buoyancy thang!"🤣
what
As a white guy, I was hoping a black dude would say that for me. 😂
I’ve never thought that the swimming bit had anything to do with buoyancy. Kinda makes sense if you have super low body fat you sink
@@kakimotoK20A fatter body sinks faster. Buoyancy is air in the lungs. Since black people have larger lungs, theoretically they should sink slower.
@@DustyTailHe’s no black dude. Don’t fall for the stupidity. Makes you look stupid yourself.
I respect Koppel for this interview, he didn't put up with skirting around the issue and called Campanis out on his racist bullshit
piss off. Who was right there in the trenches when racism was really racism? Who was there taking the bottles to the head that were thrown at Jackie? Al was, he was his room mate and closest friend. If Jackie were alive he'd defend Al, his family did. So STFU you twit.
From another comment.... "Al was teammate, roommate and friend of Jackie Robinson himself while they were in AAA. He was the first Major League player to accept and welcome Jackie as he broke the color barrier. He abdicated his traditional position at second base so Jackie could play at his natural position and prepare to break into the majors - sacrificing his own ticket back to the show in the process. Al recorded more errors in '46 while playing out of position than any other point in his career, all so Jackie could play second base in the Majors. A pure act of self-sacrifice, no other person in the country had more incentive to see Jackie Robinson fail, but he sacrificed it all instead.
This was only the first among many Black and Latino players that Al personally risked or sacrificed his career to support"
@@davidlindsay9564 Spot. On.
@@peteshrake People today annoy me, like they are fit to judge people from the past by today's standards?. Easy to say "If I'd been around back then I wouldn't have done that" when there is no way you will ever have to be in that situation. It's like saying "if I'd been around a million years ago, I'd have discovered fire". Half the people who virtue signal now about how they would have handled things 200 years ago are the very people who would be the ones most likely to be cracking a whip back then. Nothing is more annoying than someone with an Iphone acting morally superior to Thomas Jefferson or Al Campanis or whoever. If they had been in Al's shoes as soon as the first bottle got thrown at them they would have cowered in fear and said "sorry Jackie, you are on your own" and run off.
@@davidlindsay9564 Well said. I try to remember that if I’d been around when Jesus lived, 99% I would’ve been one of the doubters!
To paraphrase: "No, it's not prejudice. I just feel they aren't smart enough."
wow.
No, thats not paraphrasing. He said necessities, he meant inclination. Why aren't Eskimos rappers?, they don't have the inclination, (inclination is a necessity btw.)
@@davidlindsay9564That's not at all what he meant. Stop with that.
@@Rob774lol? How is that not what he meant. And answer his question where all the Eskimo rappers at
@@Rob774 His entire history suggest that is what he meant, the guy was there when it counted and has no racist history in his past.
@@davidlindsay9564 Ah... the "I have a black friend" defense. I tend to take a person's ACTUAL words face value. He meant LITERALLY what he said. Don't twist yourself up in knots trying to defend him.
He played in the era when Jackie Robinson broke into the league. Most players had this mentality back then. No surprise.
He was Jackie Robinson's roommate.
@@dbag3345 Absolutely nobody had a closer view of what Jackie Robinson went through and the resolve it required to be the first Black major league player. To think the media actually successfully manufactured and applied a racist persona to his character is appalling and disturbing
@@TheOtherBradBird I don’t know how Jackie maintained it all those years. Knowing he can’t retaliate or he will be banned. Knowing he couldn’t say anything to hecklers or other players on the other team. He may be dead, but he forever has my respect.
@@AccountTermed Absolutely agreed.
@@AccountTermed That was just the first 2 years, after that he could do whatever. He did some, but not much. And he wouldn't have been banned, it would have just played into what racist thought. Jackie and Branch Rickey SAW the big picture, there is a reason that Jackie was first. Just like there is a reason Rosa was first. If it had been Satchel Paige or whoever, they wold have set the cause back.
Ted Kopple baited him and he took the bait.
Ted knew he was a racist and did his job outing him.
Kopple is a jerkoff. Elitist asshole. How come there were no black TV hosts back then? No one asks these questions. Just beat up and old guy who came from a different era. Baseball is based on skill NOT color. So I guess whites should cry that there is not enough whites on the basketball team. PUHLEEESE. See how ridiculous it sounds?
@Paul Kryder lemme guess.. your a SJW?
@Paul Kryder thats me! I refuse to change. Deal with it. Imagine if we were all alike? No thx.
Niceeee
The last comment on swimming 😂 I’m crying laughing, he thought that would be the best answer 😂😂😂
It’s true though.
I don’t know , have you ever been to a public pool in the middle of the summer, blacks take it over
The cryptic, yet obvious racism from trump supporters is getting old
@@chadlebato7943yea take over the hell out of that shallow end lollllll
@@johnpeterson9266look up Anthony Nesty and have yourself a nice fucking day😊
If he would have just simply said "I really don't have a good answer for that." That question would have been squashed, but he didnt. he dug himself soo far deep that he was halfway to the other side of the world.
He literally did say that at first. He shoulda stuck to it, but he was pressed and caved
I remember this first hand, and the very next day the Dodgers organization fired him, but what amazes me is that it seems like more people were mad at Ted Koppel for asking the questions, than with Al Campanis for giving out stupid answers
His answers were fine. The thing is, Ted Koppel should be asking himself the same questions about his high position as a newscaster.
Well Ted Koppel can defend himself because there were black newscasters back then, but Al Campanis answer was embarrassing for some men who shared the same opinion about black people back then, and that's why they fired him
@@da9618Name the ones that were hosting National news shows.
@@wfk3rd Max Robinson, Carol Simpson, Michelle Clark, Sue Simmons and Bryant Gumble just to name a few, and there's more but can't remember all of them
@@binka21 You had Max Robinson, Ed Bradley, Connie Chug and Bryan Gumbal back then but I get your point.
he brought up the black swimmers thing lol
😂
Haha so funny! Except he's right. You don't top tier black olympian swimmers and it's not because of racism you idiots it's because of biology. Black people have denser bones and therefore aren't as buoyant and have to work harder to keep afloat. But no, any mention of differences between races means you're racist. Fuck off.
Via his wikipedia:
“Two months after the episode aired, Major League Baseball hired sociologist and civil right activist Harry Edwards to begin a diversity-increasing initiative among leadership in the sport. Edwards stated later that one of the first people to call him was Campanis, who asked how he could help and that if his comments opened the door for help, then "it was worth it."
In an interview the next year, Campanis attempted to clarify that he was referring to the lack of African-Americans with experience in these areas, rather than their innate abilities. He also said that he was "wiped out" when the interview took place and therefore not entirely himself. Many other figures in baseball, such as Lasorda and African-American and Latin players who played for the Dodgers, have also spoken in Campanis's defense”
This DEFINITELY doesn’t excuse his comments but I don’t think this kind of dialogue comes from a place of genuine hate. He’s just so misguided and came up in a world where racist stereotypes were pretty much accepted as fact.
It’s really sad to see and when it’s THAT integrated into how you think the world works its impossible for people to not think you hate minorities. As time goes the reality of the insignificance of race is starting to settle in, but we have a long way to go
Sounds like that does excuse his comments.
@@pauljimenez2799"Doesn't"
gayyyyyy
blah blah blah.
Lmao wiped out my ass. He said the words with a clear mind.
Could have asked Koppel why there were not late night TV journalists in his type of job
Exactly! Everyone on here praising Koppel, would have loved for him to have been asked how come there's never been a black anchor on any major network during nightly news and that still exists today in 2023, would have loved to hear his reply, damn!
LMAO xDDD
I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have said that black people lack the "necessities" to succeed in news broadcasting like this racist dipshit did
@@Gregory-sm9pfLester Holt, Joy Reed, Don Lemon, all have led prime time nightly news programs in recent years (though Lemon was let go for being terrible)
@@Gregory-sm9pf Because of a lack of opportunity and representation. Not a lot of Black kids back then trying to be journalists. Now after a fair enough shake and more interest, there are Black newscasters every where.
Typical misinformed boomer response. Always with the "well what about..." response rather than looking at an issue for what it clearly is. "What about this, what about that?" Just acknowledge the issue instead of constantly trying to deflect. This is why younger people, after listening to boomer nonsense on any given issue, respond with "Ok boomer" and then walk away...because it's just not worth wasting time and energy trying to get boomers to acknowledge reality.
I remember watching this when I was 17 years old and thinking “Wow, I’m witnessing this guy sabotaging his career.” Only line he made that was accurate was “You have to pay your dues when you become a manager.”
I'm a Black man and I'm like *"DUDE PLEASE BE QUIET!! YOU ARE RUINING YOUR CAREER WITH EACH PASSING WORD"*
Goes to show I don't want him to lose his job but he bought it on himself..
@@kenrickkahn yep, exactly, but even Ted Koppel was trying to give him a chance to redeem himself by cutting to commercials, and he still messed that up
Black folk arent know for their swimming skills tho are they?
And the fact that many black people cant swim. I know so many who cannot. Not racist. Just seems to be true.
@@TheYamahog12 The racist part is that they really don’t have the opportunity to learn. They don’t have access to camps, country clubs, private pools, etc. Some luckier ones might have a local community pool but someone has to teach lessons and those are usually expensive. The parents never learned so they can’t teach the kids. It’s a continuous cycle.
Who else is here from five points vids
Me haha
yea same, was honestly expecting something a whole lot worse.
"I'm not racist I know a black guy". 😂😂😂
From 40 years ago 😂
A couple of em
Al Campanis wasn't a racist. He was just telling it like it was.
@@RobbieStacks90 Do you think those were appropriate comments to make?
@@bobbyc1701he never once said he hated or disliked black people. He just said prove your worth in the minors first but liberals always want shortcuts. The swimming crap was obv a joke.
This is a perfect example of a man saying everything that pops into his head without any consideration. You can even hear his thoughts interrupting other thoughts.
Once you say it out loud, it becomes real.
1 white person has started at CB in the NFL since 2004
@@squarecrackercool
@@squarecrackerokay so
@@wilthomas so maybe there actually are difference and may any time there is a disparity maybe it's not a priori evidence of racism
@@squarecracker so, essentially, you
Believe what he said; that black people usually don’t have the assets or what it takes to land one of those major league jobs
Way to go.
oh, man... i'm gonna resign just watching this...
He's right, most all world class swimmers are white
More interesting is Ted’s hair
lol always THOUGHT he has a WEIRD head too, lol, face
"They don't have buoyancy " wtf?!! Lol
It's true, look it up.
that might be true, ever see Joe Frazier try to swim?
Orlando Molina It makes white people like me ;embarrassed by this dope
LOL. That’s like some medieval shit right there. Like believing witches float. Buoyancy. LOL
@@ennevudoppioo9763 Because physics applies exclusively to some races?
Ted wasn't going to stop until he baited Al into a controversial answer.
drakg002 who’s fault is it for taking the bait? A non-racist person wouldn’t say such ridiculous things no matter how much they were baited. Buoyancy! LOL. Pretty sure I wouldn’t come up with that one
I'm amazed at how white people will always blame others whenever people with terrible views are pressed in to telling their truth. No one 'baits' you in to saying something. You say it because you want to say it.
@@LalisasToxicHusband piss off.... Al was teammate, roommate and friend of Jackie Robinson himself while they were in AAA. He was the first Major League player to accept and welcome Jackie as he broke the color barrier. He abdicated his traditional position at second base so Jackie could play at his natural position and prepare to break into the majors - sacrificing his own ticket back to the show in the process. Al recorded more errors in '46 while playing out of position than any other point in his career, all so Jackie could play second base in the Majors. A pure act of self-sacrifice, no other person in the country had more incentive to see Jackie Robinson fail, but he sacrificed it all instead.
This was only the first among many Black and Latino players that Al personally risked or sacrificed his career to support
@@manuginobilisbaldspot424 "their truth" you want Al's truth? Al was teammate, roommate and friend of Jackie Robinson himself while they were in AAA. He was the first Major League player to accept and welcome Jackie as he broke the color barrier. He abdicated his traditional position at second base so Jackie could play at his natural position and prepare to break into the majors - sacrificing his own ticket back to the show in the process. Al recorded more errors in '46 while playing out of position than any other point in his career, all so Jackie could play second base in the Majors. A pure act of self-sacrifice, no other person in the country had more incentive to see Jackie Robinson fail, but he sacrificed it all instead.
This was only the first among many Black and Latino players that Al personally risked or sacrificed his career to support
@manuginobilisbaldspot424 yeah and ur the pot calling the kettle black.Wah wah wah as usual.Typical.
When pressed, Campanis should of just said "Mr. Koppel you'll have to ask the league owners" and kept quiet....
Rob High, it’s been a while...but him keeping quiet on his racist views wouldn’t have changed them, nor would that have brought light to the reality that he held a position of power in baseball that negatively affected people who deserved equal opportunity and did not get it. Take care.
@@mebeingU2 He was referring to fact that he did himself a grand disservice by talking. Now the world knows he's stupid 😂😂
@@mebeingU2 Yeah some racist, when racism was really racism, who was there in the trenches taking the bottles to the head being thrown at Jackie? His room mate and close friend Al. You know nothing. Al was there when it counted most, and old people use terms that are from a bygone era, but he has no malice in his heart.
@@davidlindsay9564 , what an interesting post. Almost nostalgic…when racism was really racism?? I will assume you mean when POC were hung for looking at white women, or when POC could not vote or attend public universities. I do agree that that level of overt racial discrimination has been thankfully extinguished from our society. I find it interesting that you speak of what was in another man’s heart. That’s quite a talent. I prefer to rely on what comes out of a man’s mouth. What he said on national TV, not in the 50s or 60s, but in the mid-80s was racist. AI’s experiences with Jackie, according to you, apparently were not strong enough for him to understand that the color of someone’s skin does not determine whether they can manage a baseball team or swim (which he also said that night). Note that I did not tell you, you know nothing. I prefer to debate facts, not sink to the ignorance of name calling. How about you?
@@mebeingU2 Nostalgic? piss off. yes when "racism was really racism", is when sticking your neck out like Al did meant something, it counted. Not some twit wearing a BLM shirt he bought off Amazon to make himself feel like he is doing something. "When racism was really racism" was far before my time. POC were hung for looking at a white woman?. Was this a law to do that?, no it was a crime, was it not? Besides Emmitt Till name some specific cases where that happened. Did things like that happen?, sure. that was not the norm. You know how long you could vote in Mass if you were black? ALWAYS. There were black congressmen in the 1870s. There were men who were slaves and 5 years later were in congress. BTW,Nearly a THIRD of the Klans lynching victims were white, and it would have been higher but its a little bit harder to ID those who are the allies of POC than just POC. Couldn't attend the Universities?, Just like white people were banned from Tuskegee? 95% of Americans couldn't attend Universities either for a variety of reasons. Its obvious by all accounts what Al was like, ask Jackie Robinson's family. Read a book, a book. "I prefer to rely on what comes out of a man's mouth". Yeah, in one interview on TV. Of course, you are judging Al by a one time comment on a TV show, Wouldn't want to actually do some research on the man himself, do you know WHAT he did for Jackie? Do you know what sacrifices HE made? Would you give up your chance to go to the major leagues, for the greater good? Would you change positions and set your prime years of a career back, and possibly forgo Hall of Fame status? and for what?, just for some SJW to watch a 5 minute interview and label you a racist 60 plus years later?Actions speak loader than words dickhead. YOU are judging what he said and taking nothing into account. He didn't mean blacks aren't capable, he meant they don't seem so inclined, do you know a lot of Jewish Sumo Wrestlers? Italian Surfers? Eskimo Rappers? Now if I was to say they don't seem to have the "capacity" to do so, It's not saying a Jewish person CAN'T or isn't capable of being a Sumo wrestler, but that Jews don't seem up for that. Al mis-spoke, and likely meant not capability but inclination. He didn't say "they can't swim" he was talking about buoyancy, that's just science. its like what Jimmy the Greek said, (which was just genetics) and that's the SAME thing Michael Johnson said, (but Jimmy was labeled racist, but Johnson wasn't.) HEY, was there a commercial break during this broadcast for the movie "White Men Can't Jump" ? You know because as you said "the color of someone’s skin does not determine whether...."...they can jump?, or whatever. So that would be racist to call a movie that. Of course you didn't tell me I don't know anything, because clearly, I do, and you do not. Don't be a snob looking down upon a man who did more for the cause against racism than you will ever do, and call him racist for using language from a bygone era, or poor word choice, just because you stumbled upon a youtube video? BTW when was the last time you had a black person over your house for dinner? You ever dated a black girl? When you are in your mid 70s and someone digs out your comments or you say "people of color" in public I hope you get ripped for being a racist for using what will likely be seen a derogatory term by then, as that's the ways things change across time. I hope that defines you and your entire life.
You wouldn’t have news anchors these days intelligent enough to speak in the manner koppel was, respect koppel for that since he wasn’t worried what his program director might say to him afterwards.
Hey Ted, how come there are no black lead anchors on network TV?
Isn’t it sad that we don’t have journalists anymore who ask probing questions or properly challenge their guests? If Koppel didn’t ask the questions he did, Campanis would have never revealed himself for who he was.
Who are you to judge a man from 40 years ago GTFOH idiot.
You are NOBODY and don't forget that.
Koppel should be asking himself the same question about journalists. Not too many black ones come to mind. Perhaps you know of some?
Koppel was going to go to commercial when he smelled blood and turned an interview into a hatchet job. Nasty, nasty move by an egomaniac poor reporter
if ted was asking me those type questions then i would turn it around on him and ask him why its not a black reporter being paid to ask me those questions but its just another highly paid white reporter taking a job away from a black man .
@@lancecampbell4323it’s not a hatchet job if you’re just showing someone’s true colors.
And then 5 years later, a not American franchise with a black manager won the world series.
And no black manager one has won since, 27 years later. Campanis was an idiot, but you are alleging a fact of a guy winning once as your argument without understanding that the overall history of managerial success in terms of WS wins, is actually very low.
@@speakingtruths4215 Dusty Baker would like a word with you
I was on the swim team in high school. This black guy tried out. He jumped in the deep end and sank immediately to the drain at the bottom of the pool. I had to save him.
That’s racist!
I will take things that never happen for 1000 Alex!
@@tschantzso what black people say white people can't jump, white folks say black people. Fact is most don't want to.
Wow, respect Todd Kopell for not taking the BS. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
*Ted
More like typical race-baiting ABC newscaster dishing out the BS.
Back when we had REAL news anchors who were not controlled, Ted Koppel. 👏🏾 👏🏾
He should have just said why don't you have any black broadcasters.
Right in the face!
Sounds about White
That woulda been epic, especially given the smugness of this news anchor
Racist
Thats the Trump way, ask" what about" whenever cornered
Ted Koppel handled this magnificently. What a pro.
Yeah he could race bait with the best of them.
@@cd3949 Lmao "race bait". Koppel gave Campanis every possible out to change his answer. Campanis sunk himself by overtly claiming that black people are inferior. As right wingers love to say, he should have taken some personal responsibility for his firing.
It's not "racist" to say someone is UNQUALIFIED to do the job.
It is though to say an entire race is though.
In Todays world Everything is Racist !!
@@pistol80 considering what blacks say about Whites today, we don't care about your little crybaby feelings and magic words.
It is if you connect it to skin color.
Maybe an entire race is unqualified to do X. White people are told all the time that they can't talk about racism so there is an example an entire race unqualified to do something. @@pistol80
Maybe in hindsight he should of said ‘I don’t know’ to this question
“Not good swimmers”. “Or it could just be they don’t have access to the country clubs and the pools.” One small punchline for Live TV, but one giant statement for the Heartland
You need country clubs to have access to pools? Are you high?
Lol swimming pools are easily available to the public. So are bodies of water like ponds and lakes .
For whatever reason swimming is just not something most blacks care to do
They don't seem to be into ice sports ,either
@@lindaeasley5606
They were NEVER taught HOW to swim.
There ARE black players in hockey now.
@@R.Oates7902ITS NOT OUR JOB AS WHITES TO TEACH YOU EVERY GOD DAMNED THING
The country club line was BS and he was race baiting. You can easily access swimming through local public pools or just the beach etc… it’s not hard.
There are specific races represented in different sports and genetics does play the main role. We all evolved in geographically different places that give different genetic advantages. There’s a reason why all the GOAT level sprinters are black. It able because of racist against whites. It’s because in general by and large blacks have a much higher proportion of fast twitch muscle fibres, allowing them to explode force much quicker.
Just because you don’t see blacks in management or intellectual positions doesn’t mean there is racism towards blacks. But it’s because their brains are not evolved for that area of thinking.
It's true. I used to go swimming with my black friends and they just sank to the bottom because of a lack of buoyancy. The white man is just more buoyant. (Disclaimer: I am joking)
Well, in just straight truth, there actually is science behind why the average Northern European is faster in the water, while the average West Coast African is faster on land. Key word of course is "average." Al Campanis may have settled for broad terminology cause he didn't have time to explain it in grave detail, but I never felt as though he had a racist bone in his body, or desire to keep blacks down or anything. His actions always showed the complete opposite. This to me was one of the early stages of political correctness gone berserk in the Western world. Very sadly, it's like 10x that now. I don't support any form of prejudice, and Rush Limbaugh has certainly spewed his share of racist nonsense over the years, but I didn't think that the Campanis guy was being racist, or slighting black people, as he did mention in this piece something to the effect of: "not in every individual case."
@@arsonhakobyan You show a stunning ignorance young man, over time you will come to realize how wrong those thoughts are and why they make no sense...if you change now you will miss out on a lifetime of mindless anger and or resentment...and didn't you notice Campanis smurking...come on
@@rickteasley2237 You've never let out a smirk when you were serious?
@@arsonhakobyan he basically said blacks dont have the aptitude for managerial jobs. Wtf is wrong with you.
@@mikeb3936 He did say that some of them did. He was asked why weren't there as many? If a black executive was asked why aren't there as many white starting tailbacks in the NFL as black ones, and he said just the plain obvious, cause they by and large don't have the fast twitch muscle fibers, would that be racist? To the far leftists I'm sure it would, but to me that's just biology.
Ah, the joys of growing up in the '80s ..
It was the best
It’s all different now huh. Sorry 🤷🏽♂️
don't worry, the media is doing their best to make white people feel bad about being white and blacks who are not qualified to do jobs are getting them now. so what more could you ask for?
Didn't see racism- just observational experience & rationality. And a host who had an agenda & was baiting someone, & spinning their answers. Take a walk, Koppel.
There have only been 11 black Senators in Congress and they were mostly interracial.
I served in the US Marine Corps, and I went to boot camp , not knowing how to swim. A lot of other Black recruits likewise didn't know how to swim. I'm from Jersey City, NJ and Brooklyn, NY. I rarely had a chance to go to the beach. The local municipal swimming pool was closed when I was about 11-12 years old. I never had too much access to a pool. So, I didn't know how to swim. Funny, how I learned how to swim when I was taught how in the Marine Corps. Access has it's advantages.
Facts! I always questioned why I couldn’t swim. I’m Mexican-American(ironic I know), but my parents never had the luxury to take me to public pool, aside from my mom’s fear of us drowning. Nonetheless, I made sure my daughter took swimming classes to avoid that obstacle.
And that’s even more impressive considering your buoyancy as a black man!
(I’m just kidding, thank you for your service)
other than his last remark about blacks and swimming as a black man i find it very hard to see what he said that was so wrong.. he has a right to feel and believe what he wants... and i find it hard to find him as being a racist... just my opinion...
I personally found it all to be garbage except for the swimming remark. There have been many studies showing that due to higher bone density in blacks they on average have a harder time swimming. David Goggins talked about this a lot in his book. Stating that it was very difficult for him to become a Navy SEAL because he sank like a rock.
Black democrats have let america down so everything he said is accurate.
@@lucasfilmfan rockfish
And to think Campanis was employed by the same organization that brought Jackie Robinson to the Major Leagues.
He was the one who signed him. Al spoke the truth.
Can we PLEASE understand the difference between racist and bigoted. This was bigoted. Not racist. Racism is the act of declaring one race as being superior over another. Bigotry is the act of disparaging a person or person's based solely on race. You can be bigoted (and we all have been) without being racist. Words and their definitions matter. Shalom.
What? "They" can't float? No buoyancy? TF?
Ted kept digging and the true Al came out.
I feel like in true justice, Ted should've been vilified for this interview far more than Al. Sadly, these were already the early days of people not caring about justice. This was in the early onset of human culture disintegrating.
@@arsonhakobyan Koppel was digging for prejudice, highly suggestive. What a piece of crap.
@@RogueMamaStitcher1 I couldn't agree more. If I was a celebrity watching this interview, I wouldn't want Koppel interviewing me for anything, or about anything. Heck, I wouldn't ever sit down w/ him for a leisurely conversation over a cup of coffee at a French café that he was paying for, since he may secretly be taping me in my leisure state. Now people may say, well if you have truly nothing to hide, then you wouldn't care what state you get taped in, or what he digs for, or how he digs for it? Not true at all. With just mediocre technological skills, you can cut & paste questions & answers from any passage, to portray somebody any way you want to, making them look like they said whatever you wanted to hear.
I could be the most genuinely open-minded, most fair soul of all-time, and get portrayed as a total bigot, sexist or whatever, if I have even just 1 fundamental difference in a belief w/ somebody who cares only about a juicy story and nothing else. Besides the whole prejudism or no prejudism crap, it's just highly rude as a human being, to ask somebody a question, posing like you really wanna hear what they have to say, but then just dismiss their truthful answer. I mean a blood relative who does that to another blood relative of their's, should get smacked for that. Koppel got off way to light for being over-the-top inconsiderate, as I really hope he at least got punished in some other aspect of life for it, which he definitely will by God, if he doesn't believe that he needs to reconcile himself for that.
@@arsonhakobyan I feel like, you're a fucking idiot. Especially since the context of the fucking interview was how it was 40 years after Jackie Robinson had integrated baseball and it was still lacking in opportunities for black people in the game. Imagine if I took someone Turkish out of context about say, the Armenian genocide, and instead of just saying "it was abhorrent, and wrong" I blamed the interviewer for asking the questions. GTFOH man.
@@arsonhakobyan The reality is, you don't care about what black people have gone through...and that's fine. But what you should do for future reference is STFU until you know exactly what you're talking about so as to not appear completely ignorant like you do now.
A memorable moment in television.
In Campanis’s defense, I will say… ummm I got nothing he’s a typical 80s racist
I love how in one breath he says "I never noticed the difference between me and the Black players I played with", and in the same breath states his perceived differences that Blacks don't have the necessities to be managers, QBs, general managers, or swimmers....tragic comedy in its' truest sense.
_the two options on Al Campanis' drop-down menu:_
"It's an Old-Boy's Network; you know that, Ted. There's still people out there who have an issue with Black players!"
"It's because they lack the necessities to be managers, or field managers."
I don't know what is more pathetic. Campanis' talking or anyone thinking Koppel is responsible for what comes out of Campanis' mouth. 🙄
Whats pathetic is ignoring what Al did for Jackie when the onslaught was at its most fierce. He took the hits and stood by Jackie, when it counted most. Pathetic is smearing an old guy for saying something that came out the wrong way and poor word choice, and not considering what he meant, is his intent racist? No.
@@davidlindsay9564Is this his burner account?
or thinking that koppel wrote those questions.....its a story they wanted to go a certain way...where does Ted swim i wonder.....prob his private pool
@drc1981 Koppel wasn't responsible for what Campanis said. He was simply handing him a shovel to dig his own hole...
deeper and deeper.
@@davidlindsay9564If he was too old to understand what he was saying, then he should not have been employed in the position he held. He should have been in a retirement home.
Ted handled himself very well up till the last line about blacks not being good swimmers bc they don't have access to country clubs...what a crock! 10s of millions of Americans have never set foot in a country club and swim just fine. Assuming this is even an issue, if it is, it ain't for lack of access to 'country clubs'.
I learned to swim in the LI Sound. And it wasn't segregated.
Wow the fact you ignore the buoyancy comment but mention the country clubs is hypocrisy at its finest.
Koppel also said 'Pools' and that most definitely is an issue. There are very few swimming facilities in black neighborhoods especially in the urban areas.
Ted Koppel: "(why are) there are no black managers, no black general managers, no black owners?"
Al Campanis: "I truly believe that they may not have some of the necessities to be, let's say, a field manager, or perhaps a general manager."
If you don't find it profoundly racist that one could assert that not a single person in an entire race of people would have the ability to perform as a baseball manager, you my friend are severely confused.
He is not saying that no blacks have that capacity, but rather that the percentage of blacks who do have such potential may be less than that of other races.
@@dougtaylor2803 and your point is what exactly?
Necessities, might be a poor word choice, but more likely he meant "inclination".(but Inclination is a necessity.) He didn't say that not a single person of an entire race would have the ability...he is speaking of the overall. How many black's applied for such jobs around that time? He almost acts as if he is lamenting that they weren't blacks in those positions. I don't see a lot of Jewish rappers, perhaps they aren't as inclined as a cultural aspect. He isn't saying no one of a race can't do anything. But making a by and large observation. If someone said "I wouldn't bet on eskimos being especially good basketball players" thats an observation, but is it racist? But if someone said white people can't sing the blues, they don't have the necessities, no one would bat an eye. Or 'White Men Can't Jump' can be a movie title. Also remember..... From another comment " Al was teammate, roommate and friend of Jackie Robinson himself while they were in AAA. He was the first Major League player to accept and welcome Jackie as he broke the color barrier. He abdicated his traditional position at second base so Jackie could play at his natural position and prepare to break into the majors - sacrificing his own ticket back to the show in the process. Al recorded more errors in '46 while playing out of position than any other point in his career, all so Jackie could play second base in the Majors. A pure act of self-sacrifice, no other person in the country had more incentive to see Jackie Robinson fail, but he sacrificed it all instead.
This was only the first among many Black and Latino players that Al personally risked or sacrificed his career to support"
Al forgot all about the black managers, GMs, and owners from the Negro League teams.
@@dougtaylor2803 Yeah, that's racist...
I dont get it, what was wrong with that answer? I think it is people looking to be offended.
No, seriously. Why can’t blacks swim? I didn’t know that was a thing until boot camp swim week.
His 1st response made perfect sense. From then on his responses were just made out of ignorance. He's talking about swimming, but clearly I can see he is drowning.
He was being as polite and honest as he could be. He even said he didn't consider race as a thing when he played. Ted Koppel should be asking himself why there were no black tv news anchors back then on national tv. I don't remember any. Do you?
Ted Koppels a fink. He knew what he was doing. His bosses were pressuring him to seek out or create racial tension. He's playing the liberal game, fanning the flames, typical divide and conquer BS.
He blind sided this poor man with a bunch of racial politics crap, stuff having NOTHING to do with sports.
Ask Joe Frazier on "Battle of the Network Stars"--glub,glub.
@@binka21you clown, he was being polite and as honest as he could be -> cos he was on fking television. The reporter helped us see the real side of the trash coming out of his mouth.
Roger Kahn holding on for dear life every time he’s on camera. Especially after Al drops the bomb. LoL “oh the humanity !”
Did Campanis apologize and if he did, was his apology interrupted by a home run?
10/10
Ted was race baiting here. The guy said they had to earn their dues first. Not just be given something simply because of their skin color you race baiting grifter.
And that made it a 4-0 ballgame.
@@mezzbAnd now in 2023 black players represented just 6.2% of players on opening day MLB rosters, down from 7.2% from last years record low. Those are the lowest totals in history, in 1991 black baseball players were 18.1% of the MLB rosters.
@@mezzb Paying their dues = Years as a minor league coach or years of being a 3rd base coach etc. With some success. Spare me your "unconscious bias" leftist propaganda.
Hey Ted Kopple, why isn't the host of Nightline black?
People have no longer what "racist" even means. Al Campanis played side by side with Jackie Robinson in Montreal in 1946, second base and shortstop, and he and Jackie were roommates. Al Campanis was not a racist.
Yes, he was probably a bit ignorant, a product of his time. But there is a huge difference between racism and ignorance.
I remember when Dusty Baker, of whom I've long been a huge fan, made a comment something like black players were better suited to play day games, because the dark skin would reflect the hot rays of the sun. Ignorant? Yeah, not racist.
He said black people aren’t buoyant, how is that not racism?
@@jeremyhughes6020 That is ignorance, not racism. Racism is about hate. Campanis was a close friend of Jackie Robinson. Racists aren't friends with African Americans.
"In an interview the next year, Campanis attempted to clarify that he was referring to the lack of African-Americans with experience in these areas, rather than their innate abilities. He also said that he was 'wiped out' when the interview took place and therefore not entirely himself. Many other figures in baseball, such as Lasorda and African-American and Latin players who played for the Dodgers, have also spoken in Campanis's defense."
And it makes sense, right before bed I often say that black people need to be shipped back to Africa. After a good nights sleep I’m less racist.
Koppel’s zinger at the end.
So why are there no black swimmers???
That's 'racist'!!!
Easy. We don't care for the sport.
Why is european futbol or soccer more popular in Africa than basket ball and football??? Africans prefer soccer.
Way back in the day the blacks had their own leagues, Hispanics had their own leagues, whites had their own leagues, and everybody was happy.
Modern Sports is another good example as to why Multiculturalism does not work.
Those questions are BAIT questions. Campanis should have said "I don't know".
And Brian Flores is currently suing the NFL for the same reason in 2022!!
Don’t hear much of that now since Flores lied about the Dolphins intentional to tank
Ted Koppel did not hold back those were the days of great news interviews
Sure. Most of them done by white tv news anchors such as Koppel.
Hey Al do you want to go on Nightline and talk about the lack of black managers in pro sports?
Al: I got this.
I actually didn't hear anything definitively racist. Who can say with 100% certainty exactly what he meant by "necessities." Could he have meant "prerequisites"??
With swimming, the high muscularity actually makes swimming harder. Fat floats more easily and if you're really muscular or with low body fat, you will not float as well.
At the time this interview took place in 1987, only 3 blacks had ever held Managerial jobs (Frank Robinson, Larry Doby and Maury Wills) and there were only 15 black MLB scouts out of 568 (2/3 of them were employed by SF, OAK, LAD and ANA). Campanis did put his foot in his mouth with the obscure comments here. If he said that there are many qualified black managers but weren't given the opportunities to do so, that would be understandable. But the comments he made were not.
Campanis ended it all with his answer.
The man wasn’t saying black men can’t be good managers, but that there aren’t an overwhelming amount of black men putting in the work to become good managers. Managing a baseball team isn’t an innate talent, it takes years or even decades of being in certain situations and carefully analyzing your roster in order to make the best decisions that helps the club win ball games, it’s simple. But Koppel and the rest of the pansies in the comments are too scared to to say anything but sweet nothings about black men like they need your help to get where they want to in life. The soft racism is low expectations.
Yeah that's right defending a RACIST like Al Campanis......
There are a large of amount of Black men willing to put in the hard work to become successful MLB Managers......but the vast majority of Major League Baseball owners and General Managers don't want that to happen!
Those positions are more mental than physical.
The proper response would have been: "Mr. Koppel, the absence of black managers and black executives in baseball is very disturbing to me. To tell you the truth I do not know why it is so. But baseball is not alone. For example, in your own field, there are very few black news anchors. Why do you suppose there are so few black news anchors, Mr. Koppel, and why are so many of the white ones Jewish like yourself?" If Campanis had answered in that manner, Koppel would have ditched the tape, and we never would have heard about this.
Shirtless and lmfao you just couldn’t help sneaking in your anti-Semitism at the end LMFAO you’re a fucking clown
@@munfgunrj4324 There you go again, getting off track with anti-Semitism. How about answering my question? Why so few black news anchors and why do Jews like Koppel always play the race card?
Not sure if you seen it by now but there’s a second part to this interview where he did ask the very same question you brought up. Here’s the link to full interview and go to the 8:40 mark ruclips.net/video/DFb5kEnWnKk/видео.html
The interview was live he couldn't have ditched the tape.
I am black and dont understand why everyone is offended by this interview. Nothing Campanis said was racist but he was relating some stereotypes and prejudices.
I simply don't believe you're black.
@@christophercooper6731exactly
@@christophercooper6731 Why are you people so deadset on policing what black people can and can't think? You white liberals want to be offended on behalf of blacks and throw a tantrum when they call you out on it😅
@@abeezy.x5910 Because he thinks outside the white liberal box "he ain't black" like your dementia patient president famously said?
It’s always the blacks. Where are the Hispanic managers, owners?
Don't make excuses for Campanis. You can't blame the interviewer just because a man got caught speaking his truth. He wasn't baited. He was asked a question. Racism and bigotry are generally subtle; he simply lacked the social awareness in the situation to lie about what he believes (as so many others do). It's not complicated. He was simply exposed for what he was on national TV. Are you really going to lie to yourself and imply that he and Donald Sterling are the only rich, WASP racists and bigots in positions of power and authority? No one can afford to be that naive in 2021.
Good for Ted Koppel calling out the BS
Who owns the sports teams?
why don't these people ask the nba why there is no representation for short indians, and if it's racism as well?
"short Indians" 😂😂😂😂😂
Everything he said is true, not racist. People are so soft. He’s not wrong.
Hes a PH•KIN racist!
yeah especially how Blacks can't be QB's and pitchers. That has really passed the test of time.
Al Campanis WAS WRONG and you know it!!!! STOP defending that Racist idiot!!!
I don’t understand where the racist part was?
You have to be a member of a country club to know how to swim?
They have changed the whole NFL ...to make it suitable for blacks to play quarterback...right or wrong?....just a question...not a statement
People, including the video poster, say Koppel egged him on. You should post the whole interview. Koppel even said, "Now, I'm going to try to help you get out of this." Koppel knew what this would do to his career. But this and the Jimmy the Greek comment were old guard meets new guard moments. In a way it's unfortunate these two were singled out for a widespread problem. I remember my Dad saying that Patrick Ewing looked like he belonged in a tree.
But even your dad's comment shouldn't automatically be labelled racist in and of itself. Did he say it about any other players? You hear things like that about Ewing for a reason, from all races. It wasn't Patrick Ewing's race that prompted that comment, it was his specific appearance. Ali said things of a similar nature about his opponents who were black, all the time. The physical appearance of Patrick Ewing, the actor Ron Perlman, and Danny Woods from New Kids on the Block, you could say they all have similar features so you could make a similar comment about any of them. If Ewing was Albino but looked the same comments would still be made. Jimmy didn't say anything that wasn't true,as I recall, it was ham fisted and sloppy way of talking about what is genetically true. Michael Johnson said the same thing years later and no one cared at all.
@@davidlindsay9564 Well he left no doubt when I asked why there wasn't more black QB's in the NFL ('70's). I knew what he would say, but I was hoping he wouldn't. He pointed to his head implying they aren't smart enough.
@@drasticwillb ...well from his generations viewpoint, thats what he would possibly think, and everyone is a product of their environment, and there is nothing more unfair than than judging people of the past by modern standards. From his generations thinking, it was "well if they were, then why aren't they?". misguided, but had there been a Warren Moon in the 60s then he wouldn't have thought that, but there wasn't, so he did. Why wasn't there? Because there wasn't. People can look back and say "well its because of racism", but unless someone can show me where there was a rash of black quarterbacks who tried out and were denied (despite talent), then it could just be a matter of by and large black people gravitated toward other positions, for whatever reasons. It's always the marquee positions that people gripe about, (and pull the race card over. No one complains about kickers or punters not being of one color or another.) There aren't any Jewish Sumo wrestlers, that doesn't make the World Sumo wrestlers federation anti-semetic, there aren't because there aren't. I might have been there were no black coaches, just because there weren't... Back then, some people can assume there aren't any black quarterbacks because "they aren't smart enough." That's their take, and that's wrong, and that's on them,but that doesn't mean that is why. Is he reason there are few black hockey players because they aren't smart enough? No, its because of regional factors. Just because something doesn't happen, doesn't mean there is evil intent behind it. To label everything as being because of racism is as bad as racism. Whatever your dad said and gestured, which could have been,duh, as maybe you weren't getting it, I don't know your dad, but whatever he said about lack of black quarterbacks doesn't change that Patrick Ewings appearance is what it is.
@@davidlindsay9564 That's a generous, and commendable, outlook. Taking innocent until proven guilty to its finality. On that note, my father liked condescension, toward almost everybody. He was quick to point out anyone who fell short trying at anything and make a sneering joke about it. He liked to think he knew people, and their limitations, from their background. He was well traveled and knew just enough about many parts of North America to be dangerous. So to your point that would be more a quick to judge thing than a racism thing. There's also the bias doesn't every father to some degree try to impress on his son that he has all the answers at a moment's glance?
Midway through you could see him thinking, "what did I just get myself into." LOL.
Just think of the uproar this interview would've caused today.
+Kenny Powers
It caused an uproar back in 87. I remember this because I had the tv on but since the topic was about sports, I was reading a magazine and only half listening but when Campanis said what he did, I nearly fell out of my chair. I then sat there and watched as Al dug himself a professional grave on live tv.
That's right-this caused an uproar back then. Al Campanis more or less lost almost everything-including his job, and self respect.
must live in harvey Illinois or Gary indiana Home of the Jackson 5?
Yeah today they would've had his head on a stick after saying that shit lol
Depends on who said it. Biden would get a pass.
🤦 All these ignorant people thinking, “hey, there aren’t any famous black swimmers”, and assuming it has to do with genetic racial differences instead of, you know, history. Look, folks, it’s not hard. How many famous black equestrian Olympians, do you know? Gee, I guess that means black people’s bones are too heavy for horses AND water!
He forgot all about the black managers and owners of the Negro League teams.
This is tame. We've had presidents say WAY worse.
Yup, Joe Biden has said a shit load of racist stuff.
Yeah, Biden. "Poor kids are just as talented as white kids."
We had many presidents who were slave owners and racial bigots like trump!
Yes, Biden is very racist and is on record saying so many racist remarks.
like Ronald Regan?
Ted was the man.
...who never blinked...
Way ahead of his time. Spot on.
Spot on? 💀. How
How many teams don't have a black quarterback on the roster?
@@SBC581 ZERO 😛😛😛
@@SBC581look how fast they flame out of the league. Everyone wants a lamar jackson now and they won't ever find one. There is 2 good black qbs in the nfl right now the rest are azz
Racist moron
White Jewish NBA? Black swimmers? Japanese NFL Players? Pro sports is where people take their minds to die of boredom. All people deserve a chance in life! As soon as the edibles kick in, I'm going for a walk...
so ted koppel pretended to believe that u had to have access to a country club to know how to swim . the fact is that when there are very few positions in a particular field and one particular race , gender , and age bracket already dominates that field then its highly unlikely that someone different is just gonna wander in and get the position . those type jobs are more about who u know and how well connected to the network u are and had little to do with racism . why did he not ask why there were no asian or hispanic coaches ? why was his focus only on blacks ? ted koppel sounded like the racist but the guy being interviewed did not know how to answer his race baiting questions .
Ted was race baiting here. The guy said they had to earn their dues first. Not just be given something simply because of their skin color you race baiting grifter.
He was doing so well in the beginning 😅
Dear god. I think Al realized halfway through that he screwed himself haha.
I don't think so, because he doubled down after that.
I didn't have access to all the country clubs in the pools when I was a kid and I'm a great swimmer
You're an..... For hundreds of years black people didn't have access to pools or water or beaches because of segregation
They may not have "certain necessities"
Like what the fuck does that even mean?
Thin skin. And thick skulls.
Koppel baited him relentlessly until he got the sound byte he was trolling for. Koppel WAS the garbage.
“I don’t believe it’s prejudice.” Goes on to say incredibly prejudiced things.