You're On The Air

Although my last post was on a sports commentator known for his wacky, yet creative sayings and descriptions, sometimes even those that get paid to talk, ought to keep their mouth shut every once in awhile. & This next post is a perfect example of that. During a Los Angeles Clippers telecast, in which the visiting Clippers lost to the Memphis Grizzlies, Iranian center Hamed Haddadi took the court for the first time in front of long time Clippers play-by-play man Ralph Lawler and color analyst Michael Smith. Upon Haddadi's entrance into the game, the two joked about the Iranian ballplayer, saying such things as:

Smith: "Look who's in, Hamed Haddai. The first ever Iranian to play in the NBA."
Lawler: "Wait a minute, he's from Iran?"
Smith: "I guess so."
Lawler: "That Iran?"
Smith: "Yes."
Lawler: "The real Iran?"
Smith: "Yes."
Lawler: "Wow. Hadaddi that's H-A-D-D-A-D-I."
Smith: "You sure it's not Borat's older brother? If they ever make a movie about Haddadi, I'm going to get Sacha Baron Cohen to play the part."

I'm sure the two meant no harm when they first expressed their comments, but the conversation caught the attention of one viewer who was offended by the commentators' outburst. The duo's actions resulted in a 1-game suspension for both Lawler & Smith, who later apologized to Haddadi in the Grizzlies locker room prior to tip-off when both the Clippers & Grizzlies met again two weeks later. Haddadi who was accompanied by a translator, understood their sincerity and their humor. What I found surprisingly, is that Haddadi thought many took what Lawer & Smith said the wrong way. But regardless of how you look at it, joking about one's ethnic and nationality on live t.v. is a recipe for disaster, as this could of been a lot worse than it actually was.