I have to agree with Dee Dee McCarron on her tweet

[OrangeDW]

I question the intelligence of those who can't understand what he's saying. And those who claim they can't understand him but really can...that's just obnoxious. Not everybody talks like you, get over it!

 

[tep624]

I am African American myself. To me, Jameis is just country. My down south family members talk like that and I always picked on them because of that. And vice versa they thought it was funny that I I talked too proper. The way you talk cant always be a measurement of how intellegent you are. I know straight thugs who talk improper but are more intelligent than I am and I have a Master's degree. And like someone mentioned, Andrew Luck doesnt speak well IMO, but it doesnt make him unintelligent. Other examples. Sly Stallone, Arnold Swartzeneggar. If I was Jamies I would take speech classes because I have a feeling he will be in front of the camera alot the next 15 years. To lighten everyone up, Jamies Winston sounds like a drunk Ray lewis. lol..

Eli Manning sounds like a complete bumpkin too, it's a regional thing for the most part I think rather than an intelligence thing.

 

[jekelish]

I'm a far leaning left liberal but even I don't think this was necessarily racist. If he was a white dude and she tweeted the same thing this would not be a story. My point being the media is making this more of a story than it actually is.

She's hardly the only person who thought Jameis was a little less than eloquent. She just happens to be AJ's mom, and that's the sole reason this was an issue. Honestly, the people who automatically assume it must be a shot at his race seem more racist, to me. It may not have been her intent at all, yet people raging against her are saying it MUST be due to the fact that he's black. Perceived racism about something that's based solely on assumptions makes the perceiver just as racist in so many instances.

 

[PeteCalvin]

I do a fair amount of public speaking, and I've been quoted in articles and what not. I don't think people appreciate how difficult it is to be a good public speaker, let alone a great one. I've seen video of myself giving talks that makes me cringe.

We're talking about a 20 year old, minutes after playing intense football for 3 1/2 hours, with little public speaking experience. He's not Ronald Reagan but he's not that bad, really:

Is that guy behind him Tio from Breaking Bad?

Jameis: Did I win?

Tio: *ding*

 

[PeteCalvin]

Bomani Jones made a good point on Twitter about this. He said Winston has the country accent but most people would call the speech dumb.
Bomani Jones ‏@bomani_jones 17h
bingo. common mistake. RT @D_Anthony13: i think your followers are confusing "unintelligent" and "country"

And for the record the SU guys I've met from the south (especially Ri'Shard Anderson) have very heavy accents and are difficult to understand.

Remember, they had to subtitle the first season of Swamp People. Their Cajun accents were so thick it was like listening to...nothing I had ever heard before. People speak the way they do based on surrounding influences and choice. I have heard black, white and Hispanic guys go from proper English to street in less than one sentence.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Speaking about the King's English, what about George Bush?!

Like because I actually did laugh out loud at the opening "Speaking about the King's English..."

 

[OttoinGrotto]

At the same time, if you took any of us from this board, had us just winning the national championship, and stuck a camera in our face, we would each of us sound like blathering idiots.

You don't even need the scenario you just described. I mean, just read the posts.

 

[cusefan88]

Remember, they had to subtitle the first season of Swamp People. Their Cajun accents were so thick it was like listening to...nothing I had ever heard before. People speak the way they do based on surrounding influences and choice. I have heard black, white and Hispanic guys go from proper English to street in less than one sentence.

Code switching. What frustrates me with sports media and athletes today (esp pro guys) is that they are trained and robotic. I want real and honest opinions. Part of the reason we don't get that is how reporters can twist words to change meanings.

I spoke with a long-time ESPN producer (he left) a few months ago and he said athletes should have absolutely zero trust in media.