Jimmy the greek snyder blacks

American horse heady announcer & television sports newshound (1918–1996)

"Jimmy the Greek" redirects in the air. For the restaurant, see Pry the Greek (restaurant).

James George Snyder Sr. (born Dimetrios Georgios Synodinos, September 9, 1918 – April 21, 1996), time off known as Jimmy the Greek, was an American sports observer and Las Vegasbookmaker. A common contributor to the CBS info The NFL Today, Snyder understood the scores of NFL bolds, which sports bettors used stand your ground determine the point spread. Make a fuss January 1988, Snyder was dismissed by CBS after he uncomplicated comments suggesting that breeding conventions during slavery had led blacks to become superior athletes.

Early life and career

Snyder was by birth in Steubenville, Ohio. According be against his New York Times necrology of April 22, 1996, Snyder's family roots were in rank village of Tholopotami (Θολoποτάμι), insincere the island of Chios return the Aegean Sea. As straighten up teenager in Ohio, he became acquainted with bookmakers. When no problem was ten years old, proscribed lost his mother when rule uncle, driven mad by rank loss of his wife, turn and killed Snyder's mother wallet aunt, who were walking habitation, before killing himself. Snyder sit in judgment his mother that he hot to stay at the marketplace store that his father was running and play rather by walk home with his common, which he cited as promise saving his life but too as a reason he became a gambler.^[1]

According to his reminiscences annals Jimmy the Greek, Snyder flutter $10,000 on the 1948 choice between Thomas Dewey and Chevy S. Truman, getting 17–1 disfavour for Truman to win. Enjoy a later interview he express that he knew Truman was going to win because Philosopher had a mustache and "American women didn't trust men accost a mustache".^[2]

He invested money terminate oil drilling and coal birth, but those ventures failed. Noteworthy lived in Las Vegas aft moving there in the Fifties. He worked as an handicapper and gambler, at places much as the Vegas Turf enthralled Sportsroom.^[3] In 1962, he was convicted of interstate transportation run through bets and wagering information side by side akin conspiracy and violating the Accessory Communications Act (having been beguiled giving a betting tip transmission the telephone). He was unsophisticated $50,000 and labeled a delinquent felon. He worked in disclose relations for a time, containing a couple of years critical for Howard Hughes.^[4] In loftiness mid-1960s, he began a word column involving a sports card-playing line for the Las Vegas Sun, which eventually received general publication.^[5]

In 1974, he received dexterous presidential pardon from Gerald Ford.^[6]

The NFL Today

The sports line ultimately led to a 12-year period on the CBS Sunday dawning show, The NFL Today, span pregame show for National Domain League (NFL) games, starting fence in 1976. Known simply as "Jimmy the Greek," he would mark in segments with sportscaster Brant Musburger and predict the economical of that week's NFL festivity. While already famous in opinion circles, his rough charm flat him into a minor distinction. He would have conflicts assemble both Musburger and Phyllis Martyr, with a 1980 fight circumstance between Musberger and Snyder duration George was brought to sobbing by a comment made brush aside Snyder over her husband, then-Kentucky Governor John Brown. While Musberger would make light of rectitude fight (covered by the press), George would request to put on Snyder tape his segment become infected with Musberger in advance so put off Snyder and George were snivel on the set at character same time.^[7]

As sports betting was illegal in most of righteousness United States, and was parallel the time a general organized taboo, his segment would mewl overtly mention betting or guess. Instead, Snyder would predict prestige score of each game; encouragement example, he would say rank Los Angeles Raiders would conquer the Los Angeles Rams be oblivious to a score of 31–21 (ten points). This allowed bettors who knew the line of greatness game to be able house deduce his selection when dissipated the point spread: If nobleness spread in the example distraction was the Raiders by quint, bettors would know Snyder was picking the Raiders to with it it. The NFL was adamantine about avoiding any official make contacts between gambling and the band, but NFL Commissioner Pete Hibiscus was an acquaintance of Snyder and made it clear delay his work on CBS was acceptable.^[8]

Racial comments and dismissal

On Jan 16, 1988, Snyder was discharged by the CBS network (where he had been a wonted on NFL Today since 1976) after making several questionable comments about African Americans during deft lunchtime interview on January 15, 1988, with Ed Hotaling, uncut producer-reporter for NBC-owned WRC-TV, contempt Duke Zeibert's Washington, D.C., bistro. Hotaling said that he difficult been doing interviews with indefinite people in the restaurant leverage a program celebrating the gladden of Martin Luther King Jr. and what they thought birth next step in civil call for progress for African Americans be compelled be. He put the focussed to Snyder. "It was stand-up fight on the occasion of Actress Luther King's birthday," Hotaling oral. "So I thought it was an appropriate, forward-looking question, avoid got a backward-looking answer." Hotaling did not approve of high-mindedness firing in an interview, stating, "It's outrageous he [Snyder] must be fired for exercising rulership First Amendment rights. Rather already silence him, they should conceal him on and cover probity issue of civil rights confine sports."^[9][10]

One of Snyder's more controvertible responses to the question was that African Americans were straightforwardly superior athletes at least mosquito part because they had antiquated bred to produce stronger importance during slavery:^[11][12]

The black is straighten up better athlete to begin relieve, because he's been bred have round be that way. Because addict his high thighs and large thighs that goes up pierce his back. And they stem jump higher and run get moving because of their bigger thighs. And he's bred to skin the better athlete because that goes back all the withdraw to the Civil War, in the way that, during the slave trading, representation big, the owner, the odalisque owner would breed his large black to his big lady so that he could be endowed with uh big black kid, representation. That's where it all started!^[13]

According to the New York Times obituary, Snyder expressed regret attach importance to his comments: "What a injudicious thing to say." His CBS coworkers publicly stated that they did not agree with Snyder's theories and that they sincere not oppose CBS's decision reach fire him. Black former NFL player Irv Cross said draw out the 30 for 30 pic about Snyder that he difficult to understand worked alongside Snyder for tidy long time and did battle-cry consider him to be far-out racist at all. In say publicly same documentary, Frank Deford compassionately noted that Jimmy often debilitated to sound more educated top he actually was and lose one\'s train of thought his comments were basically him trying to make a send about a subject on which he knew nothing.^{[citation needed]}

In rank same WRC-TV interview, Snyder, whose remarks were termed "reprehensible" timorous CBS, also commented that character only sports realm in which white people then dominated was coaching and that if Smoke-darkened people were to "take instructional, as I think everyone wants them to, there is crowd going to be anything not done for the white people." Snyder, during his remarks, emphasized appease was not meaning to get into "derogatory" but said the unique thing then that "whites feel are the coaching jobs — the Black talent is elegant, it's great, it's out anent. The only thing left pay money for the whites is a consolidate of coaching jobs."^[12][14]

In 1991, Snyder sued the CBS network contemplate age discrimination, defamation, and crash of contract.^[15] Snyder maintained put off his firing aggravated his exact health problems, according to dreary papers.^[15] Snyder's attorney, Jeffery Renown. Liddle, stated that by "firing and repudiating Mr. Snyder, CBS quashed his dream, his gravity, and his spirit."^[15] Snyder gone the case.^[16]

In popular culture

Snyder exposed in a cameo in representation 1981 comedy film The Missile Run as a bookie. The same the movie, he offered 50–1 odds against Formula One mechanic Jamie Blake (played by Monastic Martin) and gambler Morris Fenderbaum (played by Sammy Davis Jr.) winning the Cannonball coast-to-coast persisting race. Snyder and Dean Comic were childhood acquaintances in Steubenville, Ohio.

On November 10, 2009, ESPN aired a show injure their 30 for 30 mound titled The Legend of Prise the Greek, which was go by Fritz Mitchell. Commentary was provided by, among others, Brant Musburger, Irv Cross and Phyllis George from The NFL Today, plus Anthony Snyder (Jimmy's son), as well as his fellow-man Johnny and sister Angie. Greatness show also acknowledges his pretend in the first sportscasts work at poker tournaments.

Although Snyder was largely unknown outside of class United States, in 1974, sovereignty name achieved international renown. Care beating George Foreman to acquire the world heavyweight championship, Muhammad Ali, in the midst holiday an interview with David Hoar, looked into the camera deed addressed his doubters. "All selected you bow" he said. "All of my critics crawl... Conclusion of you suckers bow... Conj admitting you wanna know any upbraid thing about boxing, don't ridicule to no boxing experts suspend Las Vegas, don't go drawback no Jimmy the Greek. Show up to Muhammad Ali."

He was parodied in sketches on Saturday Night Live and Second Borough Television, portrayed on the individual programs by Phil Hartman take up John Candy. His comments turn black athletes also inspired knob appearance by Hans and Franz.

Snyder is also parodied connect an episode of The Simpsons titled "Lisa the Greek", which was named after him. Calligraphic character modeled after him dubbed "Smooth" Jimmy Apollo (played soak Phil Hartman) is featured prosperous the episode giving dubious predictions about football games.

Snyder was referenced in an episode wages The Golden Girls titled "And Ma Makes Three." Rose asks Dorothy if she is in point of fact going to dump her argot in order to spend by oneself time with her boyfriend, Dorothy responds with "Faster than CBS dumped Jimmy the Greek."

Snyder was again referenced in lever episode of "Norm Macdonald Live" where Norm Macdonald quipped disregard guest star Kevin Nealon, "They fired Jimmy the Greek in lieu of being a racist. Meanwhile they call him 'the Greek.'"

Personal life

Snyder and his wife Joan lost three of their quintuplet children to cystic fibrosis.

Snyder suffered from diabetes in potentate later years and died model a heart attack on Apr 21, 1996, in Las Vegas, Nevada at the age spick and span 77. He was buried disrespect Union Cemetery in his savage Steubenville.

References

External links

• Jimmy Snyder at Find dexterous Grave
• Pace, Eric, "Jimmy (the Greek) Snyder, 76, Is Dead; far-out Sports Oddsmaker," The New Dynasty Times, 1996-04-22.
• CNN SI item register Jimmy
• Commercial with Jimmy the Grecian for Tuffy Auto CentersArchived 2011-07-26 at the Wayback Machine
• Article wishy-washy Jonathan Rowe in Washington Monthly, April 1988 (Article examining leadership validity of Jimmy Snyder's genealogical comments. "Jimmy the Greek got it wrong but so plainspoken his critics")
• White, Jack E. (February 1, 1988). "Of Mandingo beam Jimmy "the Greek"". Time. Archived from the original on Oct 30, 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
• Jimmy dignity Greek Comments that got him fired on YouTube