NBC has been running into a lot of problems over its Olympics coverage, and now the network might have another controversy on its hands.
Before transitioning into a commercial break while airing the Olympics, sportscaster Bob Costas said, “There are some young African-American girls out there who, tonight, are saying to themselves, ‘Hey, I’d like to try that too.’” Behind Costas was a photo of Gabby Douglas, who became the first African-American to win the gold in the women’s all-around gymnastics competition.
After the transition was a commercial of a chapuin monkey named Crystal on the rings. It was a promotion for a new NBC show called “Animal Practice,” but some people didn’t see it that way. Angry viewers lashed out against on NBC on Twitter, saying they were disgusted that the network would air the ad right after Douglas won her gold medal.
Bigots have long associated African-Americans with monkeys and apes, and so airing an ad with a monkey directly after talking about an African-American athlete struck many viewers as blatantly racist. But the better question is, was it intentional?
NBC has been airing the ad throughout the Olympics, and no one seemed to have a problem with it until now. But considering the network has been tape-delaying its coverage, it is possible that a different commercial could have been used to follow the Gabby Douglas segment.
The 16-year-old Douglas has already had her fair share of negativity thrown her way, despite her accomplishment. Social media users have expressed outrage over her hair, saying that it should have been styled differently instead of with pins and gel. It was even a front page story on Yahoo News.
Despite the fact that the rings are a men’s event, and the fact that the commercial has been playing nonstop throughout the Games, airing it against positive coverage of Gabby Douglas still seems like a bad move. But it is more likely that the ad was just bad timing on NBC’s part, and not a deliberate attempt to be racist.
NBC says they meant no offense by the ad, and had placed it before they knew about Bob Costas’ commentary.
What do you think of NBC’s ad placement?
In the early years of Saturday Night Live, the show was noted for (a) airing controversial material, and (b) potentially being completely reordered by producer Lorne Michaels between dress rehearsal and air. This could be a problem if a Saturday Night sketch about John Belushi as a drug-using military man was in the show – and the U.S. Department of Defense was an advertiser. As a solution, NBC provided a liaison to the advertisers, ensuring that any changes to the program running order were well communicated so that commercials could also be reordered if necessary.
Gabby I am very proud of u. You work very hard for that Gold Metal never change for anyone I watch u on TV U were awesome And don't let anyone down u give any negative opinions distract u stay on track and please don't let thing get out of hand stay focus u are wonderful young lady and your family is very proud of u as well as all of us American. U go Gabby:)
I was watching and just thought….unbelievable. Fucking unbelievable.
Did this article actually ask, "But the better question is, was it intentional?" So you wonder if the NBC corporation was racist on purpose? First of all any person who saw that ad and decided to make the comparison IS racist. I saw a monkey. Nothing more. Secondly this article says many people were mad on twitter. So a few racist nuts make a ridiculous comparison, and this is NEWS? In the past, you might get a few morons making this comparison but it would just be on the phone to NBC and NOT public record… so wanna-be "news ordinations" (I use that term loosely) Can pick it up and create a story that isn't even there. This is the problem with the internet, everybody with an opinion suddenly becomes a journalist.
Most of the viewers, myself included… "just saw a monkey (in an ad for a new NBC show staring "A MONKEY")… (Case closed, "yesterdays news," move on!)
Wtf, write a book on fb
The people that think of that kind of stuff are the ones with the real issues…
Hilarious! Timing is everything in this biz.
Wow, somebody screwed up, big time.
Hi Scotty. I understand what you mean when you said "you saw a monkey – nothing else." But please understand, our race has been compared to monkeys forever……longer than I was born. So, please understand the controversy and the way African-Americans feel. And, Scotty, you can only say what you saw – not the viewers. You cannot speak for most of them, especially those who continue to belittle African-American.
Hi Scotty. I understand what you mean when you said "you saw a monkey – nothing else." But please understand, our race has been compared to monkeys forever……longer than I was born. So, please understand the controversy and the way African-Americans feel. And, Scotty, you can only say what you saw – not the viewers. You cannot speak for most of them, especially those who continue to belittle African-American.
Agreed. This young woman is incredible. Not sure why her race is a factor at all.