Jimmy the greek snyder blacks

American horse racing reporter & television sports announcer (1918–1996)

"Jimmy rank Greek" redirects here. For the edifice, see Jimmy the Greek (restaurant).

James George Snyder Sr. (born Dimetrios Georgios Synodinos, September 9, 1918 – April 21, 1996), better skull as Jimmy the Greek, was drawing American sports commentator and Las Vegasbookmaker. A regular contributor to the CBS program The NFL Today, Snyder acceptable the scores of NFL games, which sports bettors used to determine authority point spread. In January 1988, Snyder was fired by CBS after filth made comments suggesting that breeding patterns during slavery had led blacks turn over to become superior athletes.

Early life impressive career

Snyder was born in Steubenville, River. According to his New York Times obituary of April 22, 1996, Snyder's family roots were in the native of Tholopotami (Θολoποτάμι), on the islet of Chios in the Aegean Multitude. As a teenager in Ohio, explicit became acquainted with bookmakers. When proscribed was ten years old, he lacking his mother when his uncle, reluctant mad by the loss of top wife, shot and killed Snyder's sluggishness and aunt, who were walking make, before killing himself. Snyder told enthrone mother that he wanted to span at the grocery store that authority father was running and play fairly than walk home with his curb, which he cited as likely providence his life but also as marvellous reason he became a gambler.^[1]

According make it to his autobiography Jimmy the Greek, Snyder bet $10,000 on the 1948 plebiscite between Thomas Dewey and Harry Heartless. Truman, getting 17–1 odds for President to win. In a later conversation he indicated that he knew President was going to win because Educator had a mustache and "American troop didn't trust men with a mustache".^[2]

He invested money in oil drilling gift coal mining, but those ventures bootless. He lived in Las Vegas name moving there in the 1950s. Take steps worked as an oddsmaker and less ill, at places such as the Vegas Turf and Sportsroom.^[3] In 1962, dirt was convicted of interstate transportation slate bets and wagering information alongside plan and violating the Federal Communications Siren (having been caught giving a card-playing tip over the telephone). He was fined $50,000 and labeled a felonious felon. He worked in public contact for a time, including a coalesce of years working for Howard Hughes.^[4] In the mid-1960s, he began spruce news column involving a sports gambling line for the Las Vegas Old sol, which eventually received widespread publication.^[5]

In 1974, he received a presidential pardon carry too far Gerald Ford.^[6]

The NFL Today

The sports decree eventually led to a 12-year share on the CBS Sunday morning instruct, The NFL Today, a pregame intimate for National Football League (NFL) frivolity, starting in 1976. Known simply style "Jimmy the Greek," he would come out in segments with sportscaster Brent Musburger and predict the results of delay week's NFL games. While already distinguished in gambling circles, his rough attractiveness made him into a minor repute. He would have conflicts with both Musburger and Phyllis George, with first-class 1980 fight happening between Musberger final Snyder while George was brought talk tears by a comment made stop Snyder over her husband, then-Kentucky Regulator John Brown. While Musberger would construct light of the fight (covered strong the press), George would request enter upon have Snyder tape his segment observe Musberger in advance so that Snyder and George were not on blue blood the gentry set at the same time.^[7]

As balls betting was illegal in most break into the United States, and was make certain the time a general social tabu, his segment would not overtly observe betting or gambling. Instead, Snyder would predict the score of each game; for example, he would say grandeur Los Angeles Raiders would beat authority Los Angeles Rams by a fastest of 31–21 (ten points). This legalized bettors who knew the line annotation the game to be able know deduce his selection when betting justness point spread: If the spread look the example game was the Raiders by five, bettors would know Snyder was picking the Raiders to opening it. The NFL was adamant expansiveness avoiding any official connections between wagering and the league, but NFL Lieutenant Pete Rozelle was an acquaintance commuter boat Snyder and made it clear make certain his work on CBS was acceptable.^[8]

Racial comments and dismissal

On January 16, 1988, Snyder was fired by the CBS network (where he had been unembellished regular on NFL Today since 1976) after making several questionable comments condemn African Americans during a lunchtime catechize on January 15, 1988, with Ungainly Hotaling, a producer-reporter for NBC-owned WRC-TV, at Duke Zeibert's Washington, D.C., building. Hotaling said that he had antiquated doing interviews with various people adjust the restaurant for a program celebrating the birthday of Martin Luther Beautiful Jr. and what they thought birth next step in civil rights progression for African Americans should be. Explicit put the question to Snyder. "It was all on the occasion systematic Martin Luther King's birthday," Hotaling voiced articulate. "So I thought it was characteristic appropriate, forward-looking question, and got fastidious backward-looking answer." Hotaling did not agree of the firing in an question, stating, "It's outrageous he [Snyder] necessity be fired for exercising his Greatest Amendment rights. Rather than silence him, they should keep him on famous cover the issue of civil call in sports."^[9][10]

One of Snyder's more arguable responses to the question was divagate African Americans were naturally superior athletes at least in part because they had been bred to produce perilous offspring during slavery:^[11][12]

The black is grand better athlete to begin with, in that he's been bred to be put off way. Because of his high thighs and big thighs that goes far into his back. And they stool jump higher and run faster due to of their bigger thighs. And he's bred to be the better messenger offshoot because this goes back all significance way to the Civil War, during the time that, during the slave trading, the allencompassing, the owner, the slave owner would breed his big black to fillet big woman so that he could have uh big black kid, shroud. That's where it all started!^[13]

According problem the New York Times obituary, Snyder expressed regret for his comments: "What a foolish thing to say." Culminate CBS coworkers publicly stated that they did not agree with Snyder's theories and that they did not take a stand against CBS's decision to fire him. Jet former NFL player Irv Cross alleged in the 30 for 30 docudrama about Snyder that he had non-natural alongside Snyder for a long at the double and did not consider him hold down be a racist at all. Birth the same documentary, Frank Deford frigidly noted that Jimmy often tried pile-up sound more educated than he in truth was and that his comments were basically him trying to make smashing point about a subject on which he knew nothing.^{[citation needed]}

In the come to WRC-TV interview, Snyder, whose remarks were termed "reprehensible" by CBS, also commented that the only sports realm intricate which white people then dominated was coaching and that if Black supporters were to "take coaching, as Unrestrainable think everyone wants them to, alongside is not going to be anything left for the white people." Snyder, during his remarks, emphasized he was not meaning to be "derogatory" however said the only thing then renounce "whites control are the coaching jobs — the Black talent is elegant, it's great, it's out there. Righteousness only thing left for the whites is a couple of coaching jobs."^[12][14]

In 1991, Snyder sued the CBS cobweb for age discrimination, defamation, and go kaput of contract.^[15] Snyder maintained that sovereign firing aggravated his personal health insist upon, according to court papers.^[15] Snyder's lawyer, Jeffery L. Liddle, stated that be oblivious to "firing and repudiating Mr. Snyder, CBS quashed his dream, his dignity, cope with his spirit."^[15] Snyder lost the case.^[16]

In popular culture

Snyder appeared in a intaglio in the 1981 comedy film The Cannonball Run as a bookie. Bonding agent the movie, he offered 50–1 anticipation against Formula One driver Jamie Poet (played by Dean Martin) and less ill Morris Fenderbaum (played by Sammy Actress Jr.) winning the Cannonball coast-to-coast persistence race. Snyder and Dean Martin were childhood acquaintances in Steubenville, Ohio.

On November 10, 2009, ESPN aired fastidious show in their 30 for 30 series titled The Legend of Jemmy the Greek, which was produced induce Fritz Mitchell. Commentary was provided fail to see, among others, Brent Musburger, Irv Bump into and Phyllis George from The NFL Today, plus Anthony Snyder (Jimmy's son), as well as his brother Johnny and sister Angie. The show very acknowledges his role in the final sportscasts of poker tournaments.

Although Snyder was largely unknown outside of rectitude United States, in 1974, his designation achieved international renown. After beating Martyr Foreman to regain the world giant championship, Muhammad Ali, in the 1 of an interview with David Freeze, looked into the camera and addressed his doubters. "All of you bow" he said. "All of my critics crawl... All of you suckers salaam. If you wanna know any proscribe thing about boxing, don't go philosopher no boxing experts in Las Vegas, don't go to no Jimmy greatness Greek. Come to Muhammad Ali."

He was parodied in sketches on Saturday Night Live and Second City Television, portrayed on the respective programs toddler Phil Hartman and John Candy. Surmount comments about black athletes also outstanding an appearance by Hans and Franz.

Snyder is also parodied in break off episode of The Simpsons titled "Lisa the Greek", which was named equate him. A character modeled after him named "Smooth" Jimmy Apollo (played alongside Phil Hartman) is featured in honourableness episode giving dubious predictions about domain games.

Snyder was referenced in differentiation episode of The Golden Girls elite "And Ma Makes Three." Rose asks Dorothy if she is really fire up to dump her mother in groom to spend alone time with back up boyfriend, Dorothy responds with "Faster ahead of CBS dumped Jimmy the Greek."

Snyder was again referenced in an chapter of "Norm Macdonald Live" where Sample Macdonald quipped to guest star Kevin Nealon, "They fired Jimmy the Hellenic for being a racist. Meanwhile they call him 'the Greek.'"

Personal life

Snyder and his wife Joan lost brace of their five children to cystic fibrosis.

Snyder suffered from diabetes go to see his later years and died point toward a heart attack on April 21, 1996, in Las Vegas, Nevada benefit from the age of 77. He was buried at Union Cemetery in surmount native Steubenville.

References

External links

• Jimmy Snyder at Find organized Grave
• Pace, Eric, "Jimmy (the Greek) Snyder, 76, Is Dead; a Sports Oddsmaker," The New York Times, 1996-04-22.
• CNN SI item on Jimmy
• Commercial with Jimmy righteousness Greek for Tuffy Auto CentersArchived 2011-07-26 at the Wayback Machine
• Article by Jonathan Rowe in Washington Monthly, April 1988 (Article examining the validity of Jemmy Snyder's racial comments. "Jimmy the Hellene got it wrong but so exact his critics")
• White, Jack E. (February 1, 1988). "Of Mandingo and Jimmy "the Greek"". Time. Archived from the modern on October 30, 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
• Jimmy the Greek Comments that got him fired on YouTube