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Tag: Bob Costas

  • Caitlyn Jenner Getting That ESPY, Like It Or Not

    Not long after Caitlyn Jenner revealed herself to the world in a Vanity Fair photo shoot, the producers of the ESPY Awards — Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards — jumped up to announce that they were awarding the former Bruce Jenner an award.

    Caitlyn Jenner is specifically to be the recipient of the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, an honor that went to Michael Sam last year.

    Right away, the decision was greeted with applause and controversy.

    Bob Costas said of the award, “It strikes me that awarding the Arthur Ashe to Caitlyn Jenner is just a crass exploitation play, a tabloid play. In the broad world of sports—and this is not anything against Caitlyn Jenner—I am pretty sure they could have found someone who was much closer to actively [being] involved in sports who would have been deserving of what that award represents.”

    Now Maura Mandt, co-executive producer of the ESPYs, is responding to the criticism of the choice to award Caitlyn Jenner the Arthur Ashe.

    “I think Caitlyn’s decision to publicly come out as a transgender woman and live as Caitlyn Jenner displayed enormous courage and self-acceptance. Bruce Jenner could have easily gone off into the sunset as this American hero and never have dealt with this publicly. Doing so took enormous courage. He was one of the greatest athletes of our time.”

    Directly speaking to Costas’ assertion that the Arthur Ashe Courage Award should be for a more recently-active athlete, Mandt said, “That is what the Arthur Ashe Courage Award is about, somebody from the athletic community who has done something that transcends sport. One of the biggest platforms the Arthur Ashe Foundation has is educational, and I think in this choice we have the opportunity to educate people about this issue and hopefully change and possibly save some lives. I think that is why it was the right choice.”

  • Brooklyn Decker, Andy Roddick Expecting First Child

    Brooklyn Decker, Andy Roddick Expecting First Child

    Brooklyn Decker and Andy Roddick are expecting their first child. The Sports Illustrated swimsuit model–now an actress–and the former pro tennis player will become parents this coming fall.

    A rep for Brooklyn Decker made an official announcement to the media.

    “I’m happy to confirm Brooklyn and Andy are expecting a new addition to their family in the autumn of this year,” Jesse Parker Stowell said.

    Brooklyn Decker announced the exciting news herself, via a post on her Instagram account.

    “So this happened… #the3ofus,” she captioned the photo.

    Andy Roddick and Brooklyn Decker tied the knot six years ago. Their experience at parenthood thus far comes at the hands–or paws–of their two bulldogs, named Billie Jean King and Bob Costas.

    About a year ago, Brooklyn Decker told People magazine they were thinking about having a family one day.

    “I love kids. I definitely want kids,” she said. “I just have to figure out the timing of that.”

    Brooklyn Decker will soon star in a new TV show that premieres on May 8th. She will actually be playing a mom on Grace and Frankie. The show will air on Netflix.

    Andy Roddick is throwing his annual Andy Roddick Foundation Gala on Monday. Elton John–who performed at the couple’s wedding–will perform at the gala.

    Brooklyn Decker and Andy Roddick must be incredibly excited over their foray into parenthood–the human kind this time.

    The couple is likely receiving congratulations from friends and fans from all over the world.

  • Bob Costas “Pink Eye” Due To Bad Botox Injection?

    No doubt the memory of Bob Costas’s creepy “pink eye” still lingers with you even though the Sochi Winter Olympic games are now over.

    Some felt sorry for the brave Costas, though many just did not want to see that gross eye infection in high definition. I know this because it was a sentiment expressed all over Twitter until he was eventually replaced.

    It was kind of a mean opinion to have. After all, it’s not like it was his fault that he had contracted pink eye.

    Well, if you believe the gossip that has started to emerge about the source of Costas’s unenviable condition, it’s alleged that he actually is partly to blame for how he looked on air.

    Bob took a six-day break from reporting following an unfortunate viral infection in both eyes. An explanation has been offered by certain gossip sites, and strongly denied by officials at NBC, is that it was brought on by bad Botox injection.

    When it comes to Botox-related infections, doctors say that it’s highly unusual, but not impossible.

    Dr. Mark Warfel, a New York plastic surgeon told Page Six, “If the Botox procedure is done properly, the patient shouldn’t get pink eye. It is highly unlikely unless the procedure was unclean, when the patient could contract cellulitis of the eyelid.”

    Symptoms of cellulitis of the eyelid, also known as orbital cellulitis, include swelling and redness of the eye and surrounding tissue. The condition can also cause the sufferer pain and discomfort in addition to a possible fever.

    Costas said of his condition that he felt something was wrong when his left eye was “like a slit”, leaving him visually compromised. Costas soldiered on, putting in numerous eyedrops and wearing thick glasses in a sad and unsuccessful attempt to hide how bad it was from the viewing public.

    Eventually the condition worsened to the point that Costas was forced to take some time off from covering the Olympics.

    Image via YouTube

  • Ashley Wagner Takes Sochi Olympics Internet Memes in Stride

    Ashley Wagner doesn’t seem to be bothered by the internet memes that are circulating about her.

    The American figure skater has become well-known during the Sochi Olympics for her entertaining facial expressions.

    The first Wagner meme surfaced following her February 8 team short skate. Wagner quickly went from all smiles to a shocked and disappointed expression upon seeing her score.

    The score earned her fourth place in the event, behind Russia’s Yulia Lipnitskaya, Italy’s Carolina Kostner, and Japan’s Mao Asada.

    Despite Wagner’s obvious disappointment, she scored the US figure skating team 7 points, which was enough for them to win the bronze medal in the inaugural team figure skating event.

    One meme included a superimposed photo of Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney, who some credit with starting the Olympic meme trend during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Maroney was caught on camera looking less-than-thrilled to receive the silver medal in the women’s vault competition.

    Wagner posted one of the memes on her Instagram feed, calling it the best she’d seen so far:

    The 22-year-old world champion skater took sixth place in the women’s short skate on Wednesday. Judging from the look on her face upon seeing her scores, she once again expected them to be higher, but managed to recover her smile more quickly than she did on February 8.

    Other memes of the Sochi Olympics have poked fun at Russia for its lack of preparedness, and for its president’s dour expressions.

    No one was safe from the memes during this Olympics, from NBC sportscaster Bob Costas, who has suffered an eye infection throughout the games, to little old ladies making flawed attempts at photography:

    Image via Twitter

  • Bob Costas’ Return Brings Twitter Joy and Jokes

    Bob Costas will return to covering the Sochi Winter Olympics on NBC tonight after being sidelined by the network because of a very serious eye infection in both eyes.

    “I’m not 100 percent, that’s for sure, but if I waited until I was 100 percent, the Olympics would be over,” Costas said in a phone interview with the Today Show.

    Matt Lauer covered for Costas on Tuesday night once the network realized Costas needed to rest his eyes. It was the first time since 1988 that Costas did not cover the games as prime time anchor for NBC.

    Lauer continued to cover the games for three nights until NBC replaced him with Meredith Viera, the first woman to ever anchor NBC’s prime time Olympic coverage on her own.

    Here’s what Costas looked like just before Lauer took over for him.

    Costas’ return was greeted with enthusiasm and a some teasing on Twitter.

    Image via YouTube

  • Meredith Vieira to Fill in for Bob Costas in Sochi

    Meredith Vieira will fill in as host of the Sochi Olympics for Bob Costas due to an eye infection the sports caster has been battling. Meredith took his place on Friday, but NBC fears Costas’ illness may linger, forcing the network to shut him down completely and install Vieira in his spot for the remainder of the Sochi Olympics.

    Meredith is actually making a bit of history by hosting the Olympics, as she is the first woman to serve as host. Women have served as commentators, but none have ever sat in the seat Vieira now occupies. She isn’t gloating, however, and hopes her time is cut short, saying she’ll host for “as many days as they ask me to, but I hope Bob is back tomorrow.”

    NBC executive producer Jim Bell is responsible for putting Meredith Vieira in Bob Costas’ seat, noting that, “For someone with an infection in both eyes and sensitive to light, a TV studio is a lousy place to be.”

    “He’s frustrated, of course, to have this happen but appreciative of the support he’s been getting both internally and externally,” Bell adds. “His spirits, relatively speaking and all things considered, are pretty good.”

    Bell also remarked that TODAY Show co-anchor Matt Lauer needs a break. Since Bob Costas’ illness he has filled in for him at night, has made himself available for stunts like riding the luge, and has managed to maintain his seat on The TODAY Show, too.

    Bell’s decision makes sense, as Meredith Vieira has been a staple at the Sochi Olympics already–interviewing several of the top athletes both before and at the games.

    Meredith was open about her security fears at the Olympics–as voiced in the video clip above–but said she believed the Russian government was doing everything possible to keep athletes and spectators safe during their time in Sochi.

    It will be fun to see Meredith Vieira make a bit of history at the Sochi Olympics, but fans no doubt wish Bob Costas a speedy recovery as well.

    Image via Twitter

  • Meredith Vieira Makes Television History

    Meredith Vieira Makes Television History

    By now most people have either heard about or seen Bob Costas’s nasty looking eye infection, which has recently spread to his other eye. Photos of the infection made the Internet rounds last week, just a little bit after the Sochi Olympics got underway.

    And while Today Show host Matt Lauer filled in for Costas the past few nights, it seemed to be too much for him considering all the other responsibilities he has in Sochi this year, so from here on in, Meredith Vieira will be taking his place as lead commentator, as Jim Bell, NBC’s Olympic executive producer, recently announced.

    “Bob’s eye issue has improved, but he’s not quite ready to do the show,” said Bell.

    And once Vieira officially takes over, she’ll be making television history by being the first women to anchor NBC’s Olympic coverage by herself, and she couldn’t be more thrilled about it, she said.

    “It’s an honor to fill in for him,” said Vieira on the Today Show. “You think about the Olympics, and you think the athletes and then Bob Costas.”

    Vieira also joked about having an eye issue of her own, after seeing Lauer and Al Roker attempt an Olympic event. “It’s so funny, I woke up this morning and I was feeling fine, and now my eyes are killing me,” she said. “I watched you guys attempt the luge. I think I’m going blind. And I’m really worried because I have to go prime time tonight.”

    And once Vieira fills in, it’ll definitely be a nice break for Lauer, since he’s been spreading himself pretty thin since Costas left. The first thing he wants to do, he said, is catch up on some rest. “Sleep, sleep, sleep, that’s my night tonight,” he said. Additionally, he mentioned that Vieira is the perfect person to replace Costas.

    “Meredith’s fantastic,” he said. “She’ll be great, she really will, and I know she’s going to have a blast. It’s fun.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Matt Lauer Replaces Bob Costas Again

    Matt Lauer Replaces Bob Costas Again

    Matt Lauer will fill in for Bob Costas again tonight. It seems Costas can’t beat his eye infection in Sochi. This will mark the second night in a row that Lauer will fill in for the NBC anchor.

    The veteran NBC sportscaster phoned in to the Today show to give an update about his current eye condition and to tell Lauer he needs to “come out of the bullpen again tonight.”

    “Actually, I don’t feel that bad,” Costas said.

    Costas has been dealing with a sever pink-eye during his time covering the olympics in Sochi.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEN6AWqi4AM

    “I’ve done lots of ball games and events feeling much less than my best, but in this case it’s just involuntary,” he continued. “It’s an eye infection, and my eyes are so blurry and watery and become so light-sensitive that even in dim light they’re constantly tearing up.”

    While Costas’ spirits weren’t that down, Lauer still felt the need to joke around with the 61-year-old.

    “You go in, you just kind of bang it out. I had to go in early, not to practice my lines, but to Lysol your whole dressing room,” Lauer joked about his recent broadcast experience.

    According to NBC, Tuesday night was the first time since 1998 that their Olympics coverage had been anchored by anyone other than Costas.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQlFR_6Y_hc

    Image Via YouTube

  • Bob Costas Hands Sochi Anchor Seat To Matt Lauer

    Bob Costas, the well-known NBC Sports anchor from New York, will be taking a break from the Olympic coverage tonight to recover from his eye infection as he allows Today Show host Matt Lauer to fill in for him during his recovery process. This year, Costas has been having it rough in Sochi, where all of his time on screen has been behind glasses with a visible eye infection. Now, it’s time for Lauer to take the spotlight in Costa’s stead.

    According to Today.com, Costas announced today (Tuesday, February 11th) that he will be taking the day off and bringing in Lauer from “the bullpen” during Costas’ day of rest. In a phone conversation between Costas and The Today Show, Costas stated the following:

    “Reluctantly, I was trying to throw a complete game here, but I think we’re going to have to go to the bullpen, and I don’t know if you’re aware of this or not, but you’re Mariano Rivera, at least tonight. Let’s hope it’s only tonight. I’m walking around, I might as well be playing ‘Marco Polo.’ I have no idea where I am.”

    At the start of the Olympics in Sochi, Costas knew that his eye infection would be receiving a lot of attention, and according to The Huffington Post, early on Thursday, Costas offered a statement regarding his condition:

    “I have no choice to go all ‘Peabody and Sherman’ on you for the next couple of nights since I woke up this morning with my left eye swollen shut and just about as red as the old Soviet flag. According to the NBC doctors here, it’s some kind of minor infection which should resolve itself by the weekend. If only all my issues would resolve themselves that quickly, but that’s another story.”

    To have a little bit of fun with Costas’ eye situation, a Twitter account has been set up called “Costas Eyeballs” and it is rapidly acquiring followers from all around the world:

    We do hope that Costas’ eye condition improves and that he returns back to the anchor seat of the 2014 Sochi Olympics really soon, because he does bring quite a lot to the table in reporting the Olympic happenings to the viewers.

    Image via YouTube

  • Bob Costas Comments on Redskins Moniker

    One week ago, members of the Oneida Indian Nation, and others sympathetic to their cause, held a conference in Washington, DC to discuss how they plan to persuade the Washington Redskins to change their name to something less racist and offensive. This conference was a part of the “Change the Mascot” campaign, a movement started a few months ago by the Oneida Indians.

    Thus far, the movement has been successful. Not only did the conference receive national attention, but the NFL agreed to move up their planned meeting with the Oneida Nation to discuss the nickname. Even Barack Obama weighed in on the issue, stating that “If I were the owner of the team and I knew that there was a name of my team–even if it had a storied history–that was offending a sizable group of people, I’d think about changing it.”

    Perhaps the biggest achievement for the group to date, however, occurred last night. During half-time of the Washington Redskins vs. Dallas Cowboys football game, Bob Costas voiced his opinion on the controversy surrounding the Redskins mascot. Sunday Night Football is the most-watched primetime network broadcast, reaching 22.6 million viewers per week on average. This fact, combined with the the ethos stemming from Bob Costas’s many years as a sports broadcaster and habit of commenting on other important political issues, makes this perhaps the most-heard and appreciated message concerning the Redskins situation yet.

    So, what did Mr. Costas have to say? First, he stated that he believes no one is intentionally being racist through the use of the Redskins mascot: “There is no reason to believe that owner Daniel Snyder, or any official or player from his team, harbors animus toward Native Americans or wishes to disrespect them. This is undoubtedly also true of the vast majority of those who don’t think twice about the longstanding moniker. And in fact, as best can be determined, even a majority of Native Americans say they are not offended.”

    Before launching into what he personally thinks about the Redskins name, Costas makes an analysis of other sports teams with Native American-esque mascots, such as the Atlanta Braves. Costas says that the difference between teams such as the Braves, Chiefs, and Warriors is that “These nicknames honor, rather than demean,” comparing them to such monikers as the Vikings, Cowboys, or Patriots.

    Costas then goes on to pose a much-needed question: “Ask yourself what the equivalent [nickname] would be, if directed toward African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, or members of any other ethnic group.”

    Once framed in this light, Costas shares his own, personal opinion regarding the situation: “When considered that way, ‘Redskins’ can’t possibly honor a heritage, or noble character trait, nor can it possibly be considered a neutral term. It’s an insult, a slur, no matter how benign the present-day intent.”

    One can only think, by listening to or reading Costas’s speech, that he drew inspiration from WebProNews, itself.

    Image via YouTube

  • Bob Costas Interviews Jerry Sandusky: Twitter Expresses Shock, Praise

    On last night’s installment of the new NBC Monday night show “Rock Center with Brian Williams,” legendary sportscaster Bob Costas held a phone interview with former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky.

    Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple of weeks, you know that Penn State has been embroiled in a huge scandal involving allegations of child abuse and rape – and Sandusky is the focal point of those allegations. Eye witnesses claim to have seen Sandusky engaging in sexual intercourse with underage boys, a charge that Sandusky currently denies.

    Evidence so far points to a cover-up within the Penn State program, and the fallout has hit legendary head coach Joe Paterno, as he was fired late last week.

    Last night, Sandusky appeared on the program for an exclusive interview with Costas, and the results were pretty shocking. The interview began with Costas pushing Sandusky to declare his absolute innocence –

    BOB COSTAS:
    Innocent? Completely innocent and falsely accused in every aspect?

    JERRY SANDUSKY    :
    Well I could say that, you know, I have done some of those things. I have horsed around with kids. I have showered after workouts. I have hugged them and I have touched their leg. Without intent of sexual contact. But – so if you look at it that way – there are things that wouldn’t – you know, would be accurate.

    Sandusky continued to deny the charges and refute eyewitness accounts that point to his guilt. Eventually, Costas articulates what most people were thinking at the moment:

    BOB COSTAS:
    How could somebody think they saw something as extreme and shocking as that when it hadn’t occurred, and what would possibly be their motivation to fabricate it?

    JERRY SANDUSKY:
    You’d have to ask them.

    BOB COSTAS:
    It seems that if all of these accusations are false, you are the unluckiest and most persecuted man that any of us has ever heard about.

    JERRY SANDUSKY:
    I don’t know what you want me to say. I don’t think that these have been the best days of my life.

    And the transcript really doesn’t do the interview justice. Costas was masterful. He tackled a delicate issue with class, but he didn’t back away from the explicit details of the allegations. He pushed Sandusky to volunteer more information at the right times, and he presented logical followups to some of the unbelievable things coming out of Sandusky’s mouth.

    I can’t declare a man guilty from a interview. Sandusky will get his day in court. He is innocent until proven guilty. But man did that interview fail to help his cause. The written transcript doesn’t show how bad it was for Sandusky. He sounded awkward, hesitant, and made critical pauses before answering questions. You can check out the full interview below:

    It’s truly tough to watch.

    Twitter provides some good commentary, as people everywhere were shocked at what they were hearing:

    @sheetalsheth
    Sheetal Sheth    Listening to Bob Costas interview with Sandusky. Sick to my stomach. 2 hours ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @darcyadams
    Darcy Adams    Just heard a segment from the bob costas interview w/ sandusky last night. Really wish I hadn’t…truly sick to my stomach. So sad. 20 minutes ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® · powered by @socialditto

    @YouCallHimDaver
    David Shotwell    Just to be clear, news outlets, I’m not sure what Sandusky did with Bob Costas last night would be best considered “maintaining” innocence. 30 minutes ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto

    @BnT2DaXtReMe
    Brian N Timm    After hearing the Bob Costas interview with Jerry Sandusky that creep needs to go to prison ASAP 25 minutes ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® · powered by @socialditto

    Many from the sports and broadcasting fields praised Costas for his work during the interview:

    @piersmorgan
    Piers Morgan    The 17 seconds that nail Jerry Sandusky as a child abuser. http://t.co/u5BUsucx – great job, Bob Costas. 4 hours ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @cbfowler
    Chris Fowler    Bob Costas Superbly handled phone interview with Jerry Sandusky tonight. Most disturbing content possible handled with great poise. 15 hours ago via Mobile Web · powered by @socialditto

    @CollinsworthNBC
    Cris Collinsworth    Bob Costas was absolutely brilliant conducting that interview with Jerry Sandusky. 16 hours ago via Twitter for Android · powered by @socialditto

    @Oprah
    Oprah Winfrey    Anybody see Bob Costas interview Jerry Sandusky? Great job Bob. 13 hours ago via Twitter for iPad · powered by @socialditto

    @JasonSobelGC
    Jason Sobel    Here’s hoping Bob Costas’ interview of Jerry Sandusky is being viewed in journalism classes around the country today. Absolutely nailed it. 52 minutes ago via Echofon · powered by @socialditto

    Costas appeared on the “Morning Joe” program on MSNBC this morning to discuss the interview. He said that it was a last minute thing, that he was supposed to be interviewing Sandusky’s lawyer only. Right before the cameras started rolling, Sandusky’s lawyer asked Costas if he wanted to talk to the man himself.

    Costas said that he was thinking that wasn’t a great idea. ‘I wonder from your standpoint whether that’s the smartest thing to do, but at the same time, sure,’” Costas said. “…We pivoted and made it an interview with Sandusky.”

    As far as the court of public opinion goes, Sandusky did little to help his cause. What do you think? Let us know in the comments.