On Colin Cowherd being dropped from ESPN over remarks about Dominicans
by Jordan Cooper
Over the line or not? Consider:
People in countries that are not first world may not be as educationally advanced as others in some ways. However, just because they might not speak as well or maybe not read or write as well or maybe not be able to do their own taxes does not mean that they don’t know a bigoted broadcaster when they hear one.
Colin Cowherd’s remarks about Dominicans which led to ESPN dropping him were so off base that a pitcher that seriously needed Tommy John surgery could pick him off as he tried to steal an ethnic group’s success. Education is certainly not going to be as developed in a recently liberated country as it is on one that that has charted its own path for centuries. There is also no litmus test that is absolutely accurate of the quality of the Dominican Republic’s education compared with first world countries.
They generally speak a different language, have a different culture, and basically have different societal values. Therefore, Cowherd’s comments were certainly out of bounds about Dominican baseball players. Some of the greatest, most successful financially, and upright players were from the Dominican Republic — from Pedro Martinez to Albert Pujols to Robinson Cano.
Furthermore, Cowherd was trying to slip in a low-blow to other black people who are not ‘making the mark’ across the world; since the majority of the Dominican Republic has significant African ancestry.
So his severely racial remarks stung throughout the black diaspora. It’s hard enough for minority MLB players being disproportionately accused of steroid use or unfair play through equipment tweaks. There was no need for a downplay of their athletic achievements from an education system that they were brought up in, that they didn’t control and that didn’t fail them. Colin Cowherd abandoned his herd when he fell in the sinkhole of biting, racially-charged statements.
Jordan Cooper is a USC graduate who played football under Coach Steve Spurrier. He was the youngest African American to serve on a gubernatorial campaign staff at the age of 13 under then Congressman Bobby Jindal as his Co-Chair for Blacks for Jindal. He was the first African American to serve in the Gov. and Lt. Gov’s offices in S.C. as a Constituent Correspondent and Special Assistant respectively (Haley/Bauer). He was also the youngest to serve in on a GOP presidential campaign staff in America and youngest black Co-Chair of a Congressional campaign (Bauer for Congress 2012).