Chris Collinsworth is a snarky, condescending asshole. I've always thought that and will always think that. I don't care how much time he puts into his football research, and knowing the ins and outs of the game... every time I see him on my TV I cringe. The fact that people talk him up as an analyst so much just feeds into his oversized ego.

Kobe should have just made Simmons' head explode by singing, "This is our countryyyyyy".

So Kobe is unpatriotic and homophobic?

I think that was just Cris Collinsworth being Cris Collinsworth. I don't think he was questioning Kobe's patriotism.

On a side note, he is hands down, in my opinion, the best analyst in football.

Maybe Olbermann's leftism is rubbing off on Collingsworth.

I have noticed NBC people bending over backwards to not be "American" and more "of the world", notice Costas' ripping of the US in the interview with President Bush...you can't tell me that it wasn't an editorial decision either, those people sweat every single word.

They can move all their shit out to a godforsaken island in the Bahamas for all I care.

What a bunch of assholes. What, we're supposed to not root for the USA? WTF???

I didn't think that Collinsworth was questioning Kobe's patriotism, I think he was just trying to see what Kobe had to say and got surprised when Kobe responded as patriotically as he did. I gained some respect for Kobe with his handling of that question, and he got props from the Wall Street Journal this morning for it.

Hollywood Wags,

My favorite announcing moment thus far was Dan Hicks and Rowdy Gaines in the epic 4x100 men's relay. They spent the pre-race analysis and most of the race itself being objective announcers, explaining how tough it would be for the U.S. to win. And then Lezak overtook Bernard for the gold, and Dan and Rowdy turned into flag-waving, French-hating American homers. It was classic, especially when Rowdy hollered "show it again!" after the second replay, and then when the camera showed Bernard pouting and Dan said something to the effect of, "he had a lot of say before the race, and now he's got nothing."

I think Collinsworth was more or less questioning the level of patriotism of Kobe's generation than Kobe himself. Granted we haven't really been given benefit of the doubt since we never vote and don't care to hear how great people Collinsworth's age were.

I would certainly say that he "questioned his patriotism" in that he asked a question about it, and he did a terrible job of it. The third question in that line of questions went too far. It was terribly worded.

"Questioning patriotism" sounds like something a communist country would do to it's citizens to see if they're loyal or not. And if they're not...well you know what happens then.

No, you're right James, I'll forget what I just watched, and what I saw Costas do.

I guess we are at loggerheads with anecdotal evidence, huh.

I have two however, you have one.

the polish women's volleyball team, the best moment in the olympics.

Hollywood Wags,

No need to get angry with me. I wasn't agreeing or disagreeing with your comment, I was merely adding to the topic of NBC announcer support for the U.S., or lack thereof. I haven't watched the Olympics extensively (I normally just tune in for specific events), so I haven't heard enough of the announcers, nor did I hear Costas' comments, to feel one way or the other about their pro-American or pro-world leanings.

I think a lot of the NBC announcers are between a rock and a hard place. I think they would like to openly root for their own country, but they're concerned about coming across like an overly homeristic local baseball broadcast. So, to counteract that, some of them go too far the opposite direction. And then, as you point out, it sounds like some just flat don't want America to win. Like you, I have no use for those types.

I think Hicks and Gaines handled it pretty well, at least from what I saw. They tried to call the races from a balanced perspective, told the truth if the Americans weren't the favorites, but when push came to shove, it was clear that they wanted the Americans to win.

Like you, I prefer my announcers to at least tacitly support their own country. But I guess that's too much to ask with some guys.

Maybe Olbermann's leftism is rubbing off on Collingsworth.

Yeah, all that money that Collingsworth has donated to the Republican Party over the years is all for naught under the powerful liberal arm-twisting of Keith Olbermann! Oh.....wait....you're just making crap up, using the lie "Liberals hate America" to smear Collingsworth.

"No need to get angry with me."

Yeah, but it's the internet. :o)

I'm not asking for total rah rah shit, but slagging off the US for no apparent reason? WTF is that about? There is a reason for it, they don't just say words without putting them through a vetting process.

I can think of no bigger smear to say of Collingsworth than the bring up the fact that he played for the Bungles.

I don't care if he donated a grand to Barry Goldwater's corpse, that ripping the US is uncalled for, and he was probably told to say it.

Collingsworth did nothing wrong here, nor did he question Kobe's patriotism. He probably asked a leading question though, through his smirk and word choice. But it's a valid question in an age of global self-marketing for these players and a time when USA is far from revered.

This has a lot to do with the media darling Obama continually degrading the country and acting like this is a terrible place. It's nice to see a basketball player with more smarts and pride in his country than a presidential candidate.

"This has a lot to do with the media darling Obama continually degrading the country and acting like this is a terrible place."

When did Purdue Matt start commenting on this blog?

I think, AA, you missed the mark on here. NBC is an institution that thinks in that "one world" mode and that was part of the script.

WELL CRIS COLLINSWORTH IS A NBC LIB...
THIS IS WHAT THAT DO, JUST LOOK AT OBAMA AND HIS WIFE.
NBC AND THE DRIVE BYE'S HATE AMERICA. I JUST SENT AN E-MAIL TO THE NFL ABOUT THIS. I SUGGEST ALL OF YOU DO THE SAME. LET'S GET COLLINSWORTH OFF THE AIR.

Yeah, okay. Collinsworth was reading off of a script, don't blame him. It's just the prevailing attitude at a place like NBC, there's not much one guy like Collinsworth can do about it.

when I heard the interview, I felt it was Collingsworth insulting America, not Kobe Bryant. I thought he was saying that "it isn't cool to have pride in America". Just my two cents.

Cris Collinsworth needs to be deported and tarred and feathered for questioning the patriotism of law abiding Americans. Maybe a tour in Iraqi will change his fucking attitude and make him appreciate what we have here in the U.S.. His punk ass just needs to leave like the broke down bitch that he is.