Comments on: Justin Gimelstob on Life, Learning, and Tennis

By: Diane

Diane — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:17:17 +0000

Where we differ, Paula, is that I have no reason whatsoever to believe that Gimelstob has remorse. I suspect he does not, and I know many others who feel the same way. He has been saying things like this for years. And I guess we also differ in that I consider what Gimelstob said to be every bit as offensive as what Imus said. It’s all bigotry.

By: PaulaV

PaulaV — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:29:56 +0000

Actually, I disagree with you about Justin getting off too easy – his reputation was damaged, and that’s not an easy thing to repair when you are in the public eye. I’m not saying his behavior was acceptable in this case, but let’s put this one in perspective. He messed up, but didn’t physically harm anyone, and didn’t break any laws, and clearly has remorse for what he has said. If you were to compare his verbal blunder to, say, Don Imus’s rant last year about the Rutger’s Women’s basketball team, I think the Imus comments are far worse. Don Imus, in my opinion, should not be anywhere near a microphone. Justin is a smart guy, and I think he’s learned (the hard way)about when he needs to bite his tongue.

I’ll step off my soapbox for now.

By: Diane

Diane — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 02:22:34 +0000

Gimelstob, like his fans, begs the media to pay attention to context. I, too, frequently beg people to pay attention to context–so many things people say and write are pulled out of their contextual frameworks and perversely twisted, giving them ridiculous new “meanings.”

But in Gimelstob’s case, this is a false argument. I have been reading and listening to him for years, and he has a long and consistent history of saying both sexist and misogynistic things. The Kournikova thing was just the icing on the cake, and not at all an isolated incident. And anyway, there is no context in which it would have been appropriate. I and many others think he got off way too easy.

By: Rhonda

Rhonda — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:19:45 +0000

Thank you for sharing the interviews with tennis folks. They are fun to read and informative too. Thank you too for taking the high road and not repeating his verbal blunders…

By: Aaress Lawless

Aaress Lawless — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:03:49 +0000

I find it interesting that he mentioned Ana Ivanovic. Unfortunately, it has been easy to accidentally overlook her results recently, especially as she has struggled since winning the French Open. Still, Ivanovic has the skills to win several more Grand Slams, especially at Roland Garros.

This was an excellent interview, Paula, and a pleasure to hear Justin’s response to the “learning curves” he has experienced lately. As a recent player, he brings a great perspective to tennis commentary and certainly knows how to keep his listeners entertained.