ESPN with nonstop coverage of Mandela death

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UpstateSCHokie
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ESPN with nonstop coverage of Mandela death

Post by UpstateSCHokie »

I didn't realize Mandela was a sports figure? Has liberalism so infested ESPN that they now have to report on the death of a politician?
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Re: ESPN with nonstop coverage of Mandela death

Post by nolanvt »

UpstateSCHokie wrote:I didn't realize Mandela was a sports figure? Has liberalism so infested ESPN that they now have to report on the death of a politician?
ESPN has recognized the deaths of other major non-sports figures in the past, and unless I'm missing something, I'm not so sure what "ESPN's liberalism" has to do with acknowledging Mandella's death?
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Re: ESPN with nonstop coverage of Mandela death

Post by Major Kong »

I can see his link to the world of sports and it's importance especially in re to Rugby.
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Re: ESPN with nonstop coverage of Mandela death

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Major Kong wrote:I can see his link to the world of sports and it's importance especially in re to Rugby.
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Re: ESPN with nonstop coverage of Mandela death

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Major Kong wrote:I can see his link to the world of sports and it's importance especially in re to Rugby.
Yep. He's one of the most influential people of the 20th century. What he did impacted millions, if not billions, of people. And for the athletes in South Africa, he definitely paved the way for opportunities they otherwise wouldn't have had. Not to mention being a big part of getting the World Cup there.

Reflecting on the life of Mandela has nothing to do with liberalism, it is just basic humanity. He's up there with Gandhi and Mother Theresa.
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Re: ESPN with nonstop coverage of Mandela death

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RIP Mr. Mandela.

"I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended."

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Re: ESPN with nonstop coverage of Mandela death

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Hmm really? i dont recall them interrupting their coverage to report on Maggie Thatcher's death, and then spend hours on that breaking news.

On a related note, I wonder if the GOP will behave the same way the democrats did when Thatcher died.

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2013/04 ... -thatcher/
nolanvt wrote:
UpstateSCHokie wrote:I didn't realize Mandela was a sports figure? Has liberalism so infested ESPN that they now have to report on the death of a politician?
ESPN has recognized the deaths of other major non-sports figures in the past, and unless I'm missing something, I'm not so sure what "ESPN's liberalism" has to do with acknowledging Mandella's death?
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Re: ESPN with nonstop coverage of Mandela death

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Disagree. Mandela was a politician and a socialist at that. He sided with the Soviet Union when he was fighting against the South African government.

In no way do I condone Apartheid, or think there was anything good or right about it, but I don't really see how things were better in South Africa under Mandela's rule. The savages took control, and terrorized people. I supposed some people will think the retribution was justified, but a lot of innocent people were raped, murdered, and maimed after Mandela took over.
HokieFanDC wrote:
Major Kong wrote:I can see his link to the world of sports and it's importance especially in re to Rugby.
Yep. He's one of the most influential people of the 20th century. What he did impacted millions, if not billions, of people. And for the athletes in South Africa, he definitely paved the way for opportunities they otherwise wouldn't have had. Not to mention being a big part of getting the World Cup there.

Reflecting on the life of Mandela has nothing to do with liberalism, it is just basic humanity. He's up there with Gandhi and Mother Theresa.
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Re: ESPN with nonstop coverage of Mandela death

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UpstateSCHokie wrote:I didn't realize Mandela was a sports figure? Has liberalism so infested ESPN that they now have to report on the death of a politician?
FOX is building a sports network and ESPN is scared shirtless. So they're going to be the liberal sports network thinking FOX will be conservative. But they should think FOX Network that runs sluty shows, not FOX News.
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Re: ESPN with nonstop coverage of Mandela death

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UpstateSCHokie wrote:Disagree. Mandela was a politician and a socialist at that. He sided with the Soviet Union when he was fighting against the South African government.

In no way do I condone Apartheid, or think there was anything good or right about it, but I don't really see how things were better in South Africa under Mandela's rule. The savages took control, and terrorized people. I supposed some people will think the retribution was justified, but a lot of innocent people were raped, murdered, and maimed after Mandela took over.
HokieFanDC wrote:
Major Kong wrote:I can see his link to the world of sports and it's importance especially in re to Rugby.
Yep. He's one of the most influential people of the 20th century. What he did impacted millions, if not billions, of people. And for the athletes in South Africa, he definitely paved the way for opportunities they otherwise wouldn't have had. Not to mention being a big part of getting the World Cup there.

Reflecting on the life of Mandela has nothing to do with liberalism, it is just basic humanity. He's up there with Gandhi and Mother Theresa.

This train is never late...he was the one calling for peace..people are STILL raped, murdered, and maimed there...After 27 years in prison, I would have been pissed, but he called for calm and non-violence.
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Re: ESPN with nonstop coverage of Mandela death

Post by Once »

What I saw of the coverage on ESPN was about his imprisonment, his attempts to overthrow the apartheid government and an awful lot about Joe Louis, rugby and football, and putting South Africa on the world stage in those areas. Not inappropriate as far as I could see.

As far as Margaret Thatcher is concerned, football fans in the UK hated her in the 80s because she allegedly threw them under the bus for political advantages. I can see why no one reported on her legacy in sports.

As for how the grand ole party will react to Nelson Mandela, I'm not sure there are criticisms of Nelson Mandela so readily available as there were for Margaret Thatcher. I suppose they could go the "he was nothing but a terrorist" route, but it's tough to sell that when the government he tried to overthrow was so virulently violent and corrupt. They could also say that South Africa is still a horribly unsafe and violent country to live in, but he worked to overthrow a government where

"Blacks were denied citizenship and the right to vote. They were forcibly relocated into impoverished reservations. People of color were barred from operating businesses or owning land inside white areas, which comprised most of the country. Sexual relations or marriage between people of color and whites was strictly forbidden. Racial segregation was enforced in public areas, including schools, hospitals, trains, beaches, bridges, churches and theaters. To enforce apartheid, the government often resorted to police brutality, the imprisonment and assassination of political dissidents, and the murder of black protesters."*

It's tough to say that what they are living with now isn't an improvement of some measure. There are still major issues there (it is violent, there are murders, rapes, AIDS and rampant and poverty), but they can vote, own businesses, live where they like, have sex with or marry whomever they want, eat, pee, and sleep where they like, and not get thrown in jail for protesting for their rights. They can use the nearest hospital, not travel miles to a government designated black hospital and potentially dying on the way, and attend schools with everyone.

IDK, but it will be interesting to watch.
* The above quote is from this: http://www.policymic.com/articles/52029 ... -apartheid
UpstateSCHokie wrote:Hmm really? i dont recall them interrupting their coverage to report on Maggie Thatcher's death, and then spend hours on that breaking news.

On a related note, I wonder if the GOP will behave the same way the democrats did when Thatcher died.

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2013/04 ... -thatcher/
nolanvt wrote:
UpstateSCHokie wrote:I didn't realize Mandela was a sports figure? Has liberalism so infested ESPN that they now have to report on the death of a politician?
ESPN has recognized the deaths of other major non-sports figures in the past, and unless I'm missing something, I'm not so sure what "ESPN's liberalism" has to do with acknowledging Mandella's death?
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Re: ESPN with nonstop coverage of Mandela death

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UpstateSCHokie wrote:Disagree. Mandela was a politician and a socialist at that. He sided with the Soviet Union when he was fighting against the South African government.

In no way do I condone Apartheid, or think there was anything good or right about it, but I don't really see how things were better in South Africa under Mandela's rule. The savages took control, and terrorized people. I supposed some people will think the retribution was justified, but a lot of innocent people were raped, murdered, and maimed after Mandela took over.
HokieFanDC wrote:
Major Kong wrote:I can see his link to the world of sports and it's importance especially in re to Rugby.
Yep. He's one of the most influential people of the 20th century. What he did impacted millions, if not billions, of people. And for the athletes in South Africa, he definitely paved the way for opportunities they otherwise wouldn't have had. Not to mention being a big part of getting the World Cup there.

Reflecting on the life of Mandela has nothing to do with liberalism, it is just basic humanity. He's up there with Gandhi and Mother Theresa.

I can't help it if you don't know enough about South Africa to understand how it is better now. There's enough info out there for anyone who cares to educate themselves to become informed.
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Re: ESPN with nonstop coverage of Mandela death

Post by UpstateSCHokie »

Oh trust me, I've read a ton about South Africa. Which is why I don't just swallow this MSM(D) narrative that everything about Mandela was milk and honey.

There's lots of information out there pushing the idea that he was a saint, and everything he did was goodness. That propaganda has been pushed on me since I was in high school. I remember my history book have several pages about him, about his struggles, how evil the SA government was, and how great of a man he was. That's been the narrative pushed by the MSM ever since. And now we see that is the conventional wisdom by most people today. But that's the kind of info that is consumed by the intellectually lazy, and low info crowd.

If you want to know what kind of atrocities are really going on in SA, then you need to really dig, be open minded, and curious about the truth. This information is not easy to come by, because the liberal media wants to sweep it under the rug for fear that it might tarnish (i.e. shed the light of truth) the Mandela legacy.

And FTR, I'm not saying Mandela was all bad either - not by a long stretch. There is much to be admired about a man that spent nearly 3 decades in prison, then chose to forgive those that imprisoned him, and also willingly stepped down as SA's leader. But some of the decisions he made along the way were not good (i.e. siding with the Soviet Union to get weapons), and the results of his actions (i.e. the hell hole that SA is today) should not be overlooked.
HokieFanDC wrote:
UpstateSCHokie wrote:Disagree. Mandela was a politician and a socialist at that. He sided with the Soviet Union when he was fighting against the South African government.

In no way do I condone Apartheid, or think there was anything good or right about it, but I don't really see how things were better in South Africa under Mandela's rule. The savages took control, and terrorized people. I supposed some people will think the retribution was justified, but a lot of innocent people were raped, murdered, and maimed after Mandela took over.
HokieFanDC wrote:
Major Kong wrote:I can see his link to the world of sports and it's importance especially in re to Rugby.
Yep. He's one of the most influential people of the 20th century. What he did impacted millions, if not billions, of people. And for the athletes in South Africa, he definitely paved the way for opportunities they otherwise wouldn't have had. Not to mention being a big part of getting the World Cup there.

Reflecting on the life of Mandela has nothing to do with liberalism, it is just basic humanity. He's up there with Gandhi and Mother Theresa.

I can't help it if you don't know enough about South Africa to understand how it is better now. There's enough info out there for anyone who cares to educate themselves to become informed.
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Re: ESPN with nonstop coverage of Mandela death

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UpstateSCHokie wrote:Oh trust me, I've read a ton about South Africa. Which is why I don't just swallow this MSM(D) narrative that everything about Mandela was milk and honey.

There's lots of information out there pushing the idea that he was a saint, and everything he did was goodness. That propaganda has been pushed on me since I was in high school. I remember my history book have several pages about him, about his struggles, how evil the SA government was, and how great of a man he was. That's been the narrative pushed by the MSM ever since. And now we see that is the conventional wisdom by most people today. But that's the kind of info that is consumed by the intellectually lazy, and low info crowd.

If you want to know what kind of atrocities are really going on in SA, then you need to really dig, be open minded, and curious about the truth. This information is not easy to come by, because the liberal media wants to sweep it under the rug for fear that it might tarnish (i.e. shed the light of truth) the Mandela legacy.

And FTR, I'm not saying Mandela was all bad either - not by a long stretch. There is much to be admired about a man that spent nearly 3 decades in prison, then chose to forgive those that imprisoned him, and also willingly stepped down as SA's leader. But some of the decisions he made along the way were not good (i.e. siding with the Soviet Union to get weapons), and the results of his actions (i.e. the hell hole that SA is today) should not be overlooked.
HokieFanDC wrote:
UpstateSCHokie wrote:Disagree. Mandela was a politician and a socialist at that. He sided with the Soviet Union when he was fighting against the South African government.

In no way do I condone Apartheid, or think there was anything good or right about it, but I don't really see how things were better in South Africa under Mandela's rule. The savages took control, and terrorized people. I supposed some people will think the retribution was justified, but a lot of innocent people were raped, murdered, and maimed after Mandela took over.
HokieFanDC wrote:
Major Kong wrote:I can see his link to the world of sports and it's importance especially in re to Rugby.
Yep. He's one of the most influential people of the 20th century. What he did impacted millions, if not billions, of people. And for the athletes in South Africa, he definitely paved the way for opportunities they otherwise wouldn't have had. Not to mention being a big part of getting the World Cup there.

Reflecting on the life of Mandela has nothing to do with liberalism, it is just basic humanity. He's up there with Gandhi and Mother Theresa.

I can't help it if you don't know enough about South Africa to understand how it is better now. There's enough info out there for anyone who cares to educate themselves to become informed.
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Re: ESPN with nonstop coverage of Mandela death

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UpstateSCHokie wrote:I didn't realize Mandela was a sports figure? Has liberalism so infested ESPN that they now have to report on the death of a politician?
If you attempt to present points in real life like you do UWS, I would respectfully suggest that you work on timing and picking your battles. Carry on.
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Re: ESPN with nonstop coverage of Mandela death

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I never said everything about Mandela was milk and honey. I said he was influential. As for there being a narrative about Mandela being a saint, that is not what I've been taught, and not what I see when I read about him.

There is no doubt that SA is a horrible mess, and that the ANC is corrupt pile of dung.
But, I admire a man who was jailed for that long, and preached peace the entire time. He was trying to do something that seems like it may be impossible to do in Africa - have an actual democracy instead of countries run by brutal dictators. The early ANC was a mishmash of people who had one common goal, liberation from apartheid, but a bunch of different ideas about accomplishing that. The standard African tactic would have been to rise up and kill everyone they didn't like. Mandela preached against that. He could have proclaimed that the ANC should rise up and do just that, and he would have, but he didn't. He negotiated with the SA leaders, something many other ANC leaders opposed doing. He helped create a transition that kept a lot of the white money in the country, so it didn't fall into economic despair, which was a very real possibility.
Do I like that he worked closely with the USSR, and some of the worst African countries like Rwanda and the Congo? No. But, without their help, he couldn't accomplish anything. He wasn't getting any help from western countries.

You are correct, anyone who claims he is a saint, or perfect, is missing the full picture. I appreciate your stance and your research. But, I think there's a lot to admire about what he did. We can disagree on how much credit and honor he deserves, and that's fine. Doesn't make me, or you, an idiot, or misinformed.
UpstateSCHokie wrote:Oh trust me, I've read a ton about South Africa. Which is why I don't just swallow this MSM(D) narrative that everything about Mandela was milk and honey.

There's lots of information out there pushing the idea that he was a saint, and everything he did was goodness. That propaganda has been pushed on me since I was in high school. I remember my history book have several pages about him, about his struggles, how evil the SA government was, and how great of a man he was. That's been the narrative pushed by the MSM ever since. And now we see that is the conventional wisdom by most people today. But that's the kind of info that is consumed by the intellectually lazy, and low info crowd.

If you want to know what kind of atrocities are really going on in SA, then you need to really dig, be open minded, and curious about the truth. This information is not easy to come by, because the liberal media wants to sweep it under the rug for fear that it might tarnish (i.e. shed the light of truth) the Mandela legacy.

And FTR, I'm not saying Mandela was all bad either - not by a long stretch. There is much to be admired about a man that spent nearly 3 decades in prison, then chose to forgive those that imprisoned him, and also willingly stepped down as SA's leader. But some of the decisions he made along the way were not good (i.e. siding with the Soviet Union to get weapons), and the results of his actions (i.e. the hell hole that SA is today) should not be overlooked.
HokieFanDC wrote:
UpstateSCHokie wrote:Disagree. Mandela was a politician and a socialist at that. He sided with the Soviet Union when he was fighting against the South African government.

In no way do I condone Apartheid, or think there was anything good or right about it, but I don't really see how things were better in South Africa under Mandela's rule. The savages took control, and terrorized people. I supposed some people will think the retribution was justified, but a lot of innocent people were raped, murdered, and maimed after Mandela took over.
HokieFanDC wrote:
Major Kong wrote:I can see his link to the world of sports and it's importance especially in re to Rugby.
Yep. He's one of the most influential people of the 20th century. What he did impacted millions, if not billions, of people. And for the athletes in South Africa, he definitely paved the way for opportunities they otherwise wouldn't have had. Not to mention being a big part of getting the World Cup there.

Reflecting on the life of Mandela has nothing to do with liberalism, it is just basic humanity. He's up there with Gandhi and Mother Theresa.

I can't help it if you don't know enough about South Africa to understand how it is better now. There's enough info out there for anyone who cares to educate themselves to become informed.
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