Science Cowherd no longer on ESPN air after comments about Dominicans - Page 2

Eleazar · 07-24-2015, 05:42 PM

Colin Cowherd no longer on ESPN air after comments about Dominicans

Radio host Colin Cowherd no longer will appear on ESPN following comments he made questioning the intelligence of Dominican Republic players related to baseball one day earlier, the company said in a statement Friday.

"Colin Cowherd's comments over the past two days do not reflect the values of ESPN or our employees," ESPN said in a statement. "Colin will no longer appear on ESPN."

Cowherd issued an apology later Friday via Twitter.

Cowherd had said Thursday that he didn't believe baseball was complex, saying a third of the sport was from the Dominican Republic, which had "not been known, in my lifetime, as having, you know, world-class academic abilities.''

Major League Baseball on Friday said Cowherd owes Dominican players an apology for the remarks, and the MLB Players Association also condemned his comments.

Earlier Friday, Cowherd addressed his remarks from Thursday during The Herd.

"I could've made the point without using one country, and there's all sorts of smart people from the Dominican Republic," Cowherd said. "I could've said a third of baseball's talent is being furnished from countries with economic hardships, therefore educational hurdles. For the record, I used the Dominican Republic because they've furnished baseball with so many great players."

Cowherd on Friday also cited reports and statistics to back up what he said about the country's ranking when it comes to primary education.

"I understand that when you mention a specific country, they get offended," Cowherd said. "I get it. I do. And for that, I feel bad. I do. But I have four reports in front of me ... where there are discussions of major deficiencies in the education sector at all levels. ... It wasn't a shot at them. It was data. Five, seven years ago I talked about the same subject. Was I clunky? Perhaps. Did people not like my tone? I get it. Sometimes my tone stinks.

"I think when you host a radio show, just like Jon Stewart hosts a show, I think sometimes I bring up stuff ... that makes people cringe. I'm not saying there's not intelligent, educated people from the Dominican Republic. I cringe at the data, too."

Major League Baseball issued its statement after Cowherd's show aired Friday.

"Major League Baseball condemns the remarks made by Colin Cowherd, which were inappropriate, offensive and completely inconsistent with the values of our game," it said. "Mr. Cowherd owes our players of Dominican origin, and Dominican people generally, an apology."

Tony Clark, executive director of the MLBPA, also issued a statement in which he took issue with Cowherd's response Friday to his original comments.

"As a veteran of 15 MLB seasons, I can assure you that our sport is infinitely more complex than some in the media would have you believe," Clark said. "To suggest otherwise is ignorant, and to make an ignorant point by denigrating the intelligence of our Dominican members was not 'clunky' -- it was offensive.

"These recent comments are particularly disappointing when viewed against the backdrop of the important work being done to celebrate and improve the cultural diversity of our game. Baseball's partners and stakeholders should help such efforts, not undermine them."

There were 83 Dominican players on Opening Day rosters this year, representing about 10 percent of all players in the majors.

The flap stems from Cowherd's comments on Thursday, which were made while debating whether it was difficult for a front-office executive to take over managerial duties -- using current Miami Marlins general manager/manager Dan Jennings as an example.

"It's baseball," Cowherd said Thursday. "You don't think a general manager can manage? Like it's impossible? The game is too complex? I've never bought into that, 'Baseball's just too complex.' Really? A third of the sport is from the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic has not been known in my lifetime as having world-class academic abilities. A lot of those kids come from rough backgrounds and have not had opportunities academically that other kids from other countries have.

"Baseball is like any sport. It's mostly instincts. A sports writer who covers baseball could go up to Tony La Russa and have a real baseball argument, and Tony would listen and it would seem reasonable. There's not a single NFL writer in the country who could diagram a play for Bill Belichick. You know, we get caught up in this whole 'thinking-man's game.' Is it in the same family? Most people could do it. It's not being a concert pianist. It's in the same family."

Cowherd's comments drew the attention of Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista, a native of the Dominican Republic who asked Cowherd via Twitter for further clarification concerning his remarks on Thursday.

Cowherd, who had been with ESPN for 12 years, announced earlier this week that he's leaving the company for another business opportunity.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Pasta Little Brioni · 07-24-2015, 07:52 PM

Don't have an opinion!!!

**cabletech94** · 07-24-2015, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hootie 2.0

Seriously. Thin skin America

and that's the problem. we're such a sue-happy, pussy-willed society anymore. theres no one to hold responsible for their actions. we take away the belt, and give everyone a participaction ribbon.

/not trying to move to the DC

bdj23 · 07-24-2015, 07:55 PM

Should have tried to pin it on Skip Bayless

Marcellus · 07-24-2015, 08:08 PM

I heard the comments when he made them and I didn't realize it was going to offend anyone because i kept thinking this ****ing idiot doesn't get it.

The gist of his argument was everyone says baseball is a thinking mans game, yet fewer MLB players have a degree than any of the big 3 professional sports so that proves its bullshit.

I was thinking the whole time that the ****ing idiot didn't get it, college education has nothing to do with understanding the nuances and intricacy of baseball.

The Thinking Mans Game thing may be kind of overblown but JFC does anyone think basketball is a sport influenced by education?

Has Cowherd ever heard half the running backs or WR in the the NFL speak to the media?

He should have been fired for his theory being so ****ing stupid not his comments toward Dominicans.

Mr. Laz · 07-24-2015, 08:16 PM

Cowherd is a dick.

I remember him saying something like "Royals might be in the world series but they are still in flyover country. I'm not talking about them"

**** that POS, i hope his career is over

MTG#10 · 07-24-2015, 08:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anyong Bluth

Okay, Mike & Mike is okay, but certainly not must hear radio.

Mike and Mike is by far the worst and most annoying thing I've ever heard in my life. I'd rather watch Michael Moore give Rush Limbaugh a blowjob while fingering Bill O'Reilly's asshole than listen to 15 seconds of those douchebag blowhards' fake arguments. Seriously **** those guys.

**Anyong Bluth** · 07-24-2015, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MTG#10

Mike and Mike is by far the worst and most annoying thing I've ever heard in my life. I'd rather watch Michael Moore give Rush Limbaugh a blowjob while fingering Bill O'Reilly's asshole than listen to 15 seconds of those douchebag blowhards' fake arguments. Seriously **** those guys.

Okay? I haven't heard them in at least a year and a half, so I'll accept your impassioned opinion.

'Hamas' Jenkins · 07-24-2015, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marcellus

I heard the comments when he made them and I didn't realize it was going to offend anyone because i kept thinking this ****ing idiot doesn't get it.

The gist of his argument was everyone says baseball is a thinking mans game, yet fewer MLB players have a degree than any of the big 3 professional sports so that proves its bullshit.

I was thinking the whole time that the ****ing idiot didn't get it, college education has nothing to do with understanding the nuances and intricacy of baseball.

The Thinking Mans Game thing may be kind of overblown but JFC does anyone think basketball is a sport influenced by education?

Has Cowherd ever heard half the running backs or WR in the the NFL speak to the media?

He should have been fired for his theory being so ****ing stupid not his comments toward Dominicans.

Which is basically to say that he's being himself. Cowherd has said stupid, uninformed shit like this for years and passed it off as truth. You could sit down and listen and the logical fallacies would spin faster than an odometer on a spacecraft.

Hootie · 07-24-2015, 08:39 PM

Cowherd is fantastic. Hamas would probably be better but Hamas is great at everything

ModSocks · 07-24-2015, 08:49 PM

Is anyone even upset over this? Seems like it's media generated drama.

**Buehler445** · 07-24-2015, 08:50 PM

A few random thoughts

Totally disagree with his premise. The fact that very little of the sport is determined by who has the greatest athletic ability is far stronger evidence against his case than anything he spit out.

Come on. He didn't say anything that damn offensive. Tuck in your flaps and get back on the field. JFC.

It's pretty low class that ESPN played off Cowherd not renewing his contract as them firing him for this offense. Bad form. Way to pander to the torch and pitchfork crowd.

l4z4rd · 07-24-2015, 08:51 PM

Perfect excuse for ESPN to fire Cowherd after he announced he was leaving, otherwise, they would have just suspended him for a week or two. As for his comments, baseball isn't complicated and the Dominican Republic is perennially in the bottom third in UNESCO's Education For All Development Index.

Red Dawg · 07-24-2015, 10:09 PM

He spoke the truth. The DR is trash and good for partying and hitting on some good looking chicks.

tk13 · 07-24-2015, 10:15 PM

I don't care what everyone says, it's still a stupid argument. Most pro athletes aren't out there splitting the atom. I would imagine baseball has by far the lowest number of college degrees because it has the best system to develop players straight out of high school.

Baseball is a very complex game. I think most sports are more complex than people give credit for though. There's always tons of little nuances the average fan doesn't really care about.

**Anyong Bluth** · 07-24-2015, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tuckdaddy

He spoke the truth. The DR is trash and good for partying and hitting on some good looking chicks.

That is what his apology statement should have been.

07-24-2015, 05:42 PM
Eleazar Beyond the Rapids Join Date: May 2003 Location: Langley, VA Casino cash: $-370000	Cowherd no longer on ESPN air after comments about Dominicans Colin Cowherd no longer on ESPN air after comments about Dominicans Radio host Colin Cowherd no longer will appear on ESPN following comments he made questioning the intelligence of Dominican Republic players related to baseball one day earlier, the company said in a statement Friday. "Colin Cowherd's comments over the past two days do not reflect the values of ESPN or our employees," ESPN said in a statement. "Colin will no longer appear on ESPN." Cowherd issued an apology later Friday via Twitter. Cowherd had said Thursday that he didn't believe baseball was complex, saying a third of the sport was from the Dominican Republic, which had "not been known, in my lifetime, as having, you know, world-class academic abilities.'' Major League Baseball on Friday said Cowherd owes Dominican players an apology for the remarks, and the MLB Players Association also condemned his comments. Earlier Friday, Cowherd addressed his remarks from Thursday during The Herd. "I could've made the point without using one country, and there's all sorts of smart people from the Dominican Republic," Cowherd said. "I could've said a third of baseball's talent is being furnished from countries with economic hardships, therefore educational hurdles. For the record, I used the Dominican Republic because they've furnished baseball with so many great players." Cowherd on Friday also cited reports and statistics to back up what he said about the country's ranking when it comes to primary education. "I understand that when you mention a specific country, they get offended," Cowherd said. "I get it. I do. And for that, I feel bad. I do. But I have four reports in front of me ... where there are discussions of major deficiencies in the education sector at all levels. ... It wasn't a shot at them. It was data. Five, seven years ago I talked about the same subject. Was I clunky? Perhaps. Did people not like my tone? I get it. Sometimes my tone stinks. "I think when you host a radio show, just like Jon Stewart hosts a show, I think sometimes I bring up stuff ... that makes people cringe. I'm not saying there's not intelligent, educated people from the Dominican Republic. I cringe at the data, too." Major League Baseball issued its statement after Cowherd's show aired Friday. "Major League Baseball condemns the remarks made by Colin Cowherd, which were inappropriate, offensive and completely inconsistent with the values of our game," it said. "Mr. Cowherd owes our players of Dominican origin, and Dominican people generally, an apology." Tony Clark, executive director of the MLBPA, also issued a statement in which he took issue with Cowherd's response Friday to his original comments. "As a veteran of 15 MLB seasons, I can assure you that our sport is infinitely more complex than some in the media would have you believe," Clark said. "To suggest otherwise is ignorant, and to make an ignorant point by denigrating the intelligence of our Dominican members was not 'clunky' -- it was offensive. "These recent comments are particularly disappointing when viewed against the backdrop of the important work being done to celebrate and improve the cultural diversity of our game. Baseball's partners and stakeholders should help such efforts, not undermine them." There were 83 Dominican players on Opening Day rosters this year, representing about 10 percent of all players in the majors. The flap stems from Cowherd's comments on Thursday, which were made while debating whether it was difficult for a front-office executive to take over managerial duties -- using current Miami Marlins general manager/manager Dan Jennings as an example. "It's baseball," Cowherd said Thursday. "You don't think a general manager can manage? Like it's impossible? The game is too complex? I've never bought into that, 'Baseball's just too complex.' Really? A third of the sport is from the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic has not been known in my lifetime as having world-class academic abilities. A lot of those kids come from rough backgrounds and have not had opportunities academically that other kids from other countries have. "Baseball is like any sport. It's mostly instincts. A sports writer who covers baseball could go up to Tony La Russa and have a real baseball argument, and Tony would listen and it would seem reasonable. There's not a single NFL writer in the country who could diagram a play for Bill Belichick. You know, we get caught up in this whole 'thinking-man's game.' Is it in the same family? Most people could do it. It's not being a concert pianist. It's in the same family." Cowherd's comments drew the attention of Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista, a native of the Dominican Republic who asked Cowherd via Twitter for further clarification concerning his remarks on Thursday. Cowherd, who had been with ESPN for 12 years, announced earlier this week that he's leaving the company for another business opportunity. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Posts: 80,659

07-24-2015, 07:52 PM	#16
Pasta Little Brioni Consuming CP souls Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: U.S.A. Casino cash: $3998880	Don't have an opinion!!! __________________ **Official TFWdemB Trivia Commisioner**
Posts: 68,488

07-24-2015, 07:55 PM	#18
bdj23 In my youth i pray to keep Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Clown World Casino cash: $2739850	Should have tried to pin it on Skip Bayless
Posts: 15,741

07-24-2015, 08:08 PM	#19
Marcellus Diablo Negro Join Date: Sep 2003 Casino cash: $3102662	I heard the comments when he made them and I didn't realize it was going to offend anyone because i kept thinking this **ing idiot doesn't get it. The gist of his argument was everyone says baseball is a thinking mans game, yet fewer MLB players have a degree than any of the big 3 professional sports so that proves its bullshit. I was thinking the whole time that the ing idiot didn't get it, college education has nothing to do with understanding the nuances and intricacy of baseball. The Thinking Mans Game thing may be kind of overblown but JFC does anyone think basketball is a sport influenced by education? Has Cowherd ever heard half the running backs or WR in the the NFL speak to the media? He should have been fired for his theory being so **ing stupid not his comments toward Dominicans.
Posts: 69,210

07-24-2015, 08:16 PM	#20
Mr. Laz Don't Tease Me Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: KS Casino cash: $11047037	Cowherd is a dick. I remember him saying something like "Royals might be in the world series but they are still in flyover country. I'm not talking about them" **** that POS, i hope his career is over __________________
Posts: 95,626

07-24-2015, 08:39 PM	#24
Hootie Banned Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Dallas, Texas Casino cash: $10004900	Cowherd is fantastic. Hamas would probably be better but Hamas is great at everything
Posts: 56,356

07-24-2015, 08:49 PM	#25
ModSocks Needs more middle fingers Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: San Diego Casino cash: $4294563	Is anyone even upset over this? Seems like it's media generated drama. __________________ Life is like a dick. Sometimes it gets hard for no reason, but it can't stay hard forever.
Posts: 64,331

07-24-2015, 08:50 PM	#26
Buehler445 Supporter Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Scott City KS Casino cash: $2334734	A few random thoughts Totally disagree with his premise. The fact that very little of the sport is determined by who has the greatest athletic ability is far stronger evidence against his case than anything he spit out. Come on. He didn't say anything that damn offensive. Tuck in your flaps and get back on the field. JFC. It's pretty low class that ESPN played off Cowherd not renewing his contract as them firing him for this offense. Bad form. Way to pander to the torch and pitchfork crowd.
Posts: 56,777

07-24-2015, 08:51 PM	#27
l4z4rd Starter Join Date: Sep 2013 Casino cash: $10007051	Perfect excuse for ESPN to fire Cowherd after he announced he was leaving, otherwise, they would have just suspended him for a week or two. As for his comments, baseball isn't complicated and the Dominican Republic is perennially in the bottom third in UNESCO's Education For All Development Index.
Posts: 636

07-24-2015, 10:09 PM	#28
Red Dawg Going home eventually Join Date: Dec 2002 Casino cash: $4772858	He spoke the truth. The DR is trash and good for partying and hitting on some good looking chicks. __________________ If you're not first you're last!
Posts: 30,414

07-24-2015, 10:15 PM	#29
tk13 ... Join Date: Nov 2001 Casino cash: $2002500	I don't care what everyone says, it's still a stupid argument. Most pro athletes aren't out there splitting the atom. I would imagine baseball has by far the lowest number of college degrees because it has the best system to develop players straight out of high school. Baseball is a very complex game. I think most sports are more complex than people give credit for though. There's always tons of little nuances the average fan doesn't really care about.
Posts: 54,940