Al Campanis Cancels Himself on National TV (1987)

[@anthony0358]

Thank for posting this video. I didn’t see it live but I heard about the next day

[@bubbagray8433]

I remember seeing this interview live when I was a kid. Didn’t realize what they was talking until now. Thanks Reelblack !

[@taoman85]

I remember this and I couldn't believe it.

[@jimmie2times670]

LOL Me, too. He couldn't have been more clown if he'd have just said 'hey, blacks don't float.'

[@RobJazzful]

I saw this live, and was waiting for him (Campanis) to say, “That’s what racists say, but I don’t believe it,” but he doubled down. I was stunned.

[@glencoward]

i was 19 when i saw this i almost fell out smh

[@judjudersawn2596]

Ted Koppel was a sanctimonious prick in this interview. Campanis wasn't racist in the slightest. Al was straight up and straight class.

[@TheLpod329]

the head shake at 7:23 lmao

[@navyguyinva]

Koppel did all he could to allow Campanis to retract his statement, but Campanis just didn't get it (or didn't want to get it). This interview is akin to watching a train wreck. It is horrific, but one cannot look away from it.

[@judjudersawn2596]

Ted Koppel was a sanctimonious prick in this interview. Campanis wasn't racist in the slightest. Al was straight up and straight class.

[@drooshmaroosh8261]

@@judjudersawn2596 Watch your mouth and rewatch the video you pr*ck.

[@johnjamele]

@@judjudersawn2596 please stop now. We get it. You're a moron with a laptop.

[@624radicalham]

There are still people defending Campanis in this very comment section

[@morrison1405]

Because Campanis was in the truth here.

[@hhluvzmagik]

As a lifelong Dodger fan, besides the removal of Latino families from Chavez Ravine to build Dodger Stadium, this is one of the Dodgers darkest moments.

[@davidlindsay9564]

They got paid, and paid a lot. They were paid cash. It was economic not racial more than anything else. The ones waging the battle were a small percentage who were too late in the game as far as how much they got.

[@xaviermarroquin4507]

IM FROM BOYLE HEIGHTS. I HEARD THE REAL STORY...FROM GRANDMA. TREATED HER LIKE...YOU KNOW. SAD BUT TRUE. OFFERING CHUMP CHANGE

[@josecarranza7555]

@@xaviermarroquin4507 What’s the real story?

[@Thndrstrike]

@@davidlindsay9564 lmao you can't be serious. there's literally video footage of families being forcibly removed from their homes in Chavez Ravine. you can say they were paid, and i'm sure some of them were, but that doesn't change the fact that the local government redlined the area and would've forcibly removed EVERY FAMILY if they had too.

[@richflores1558]

@@davidlindsay9564 yeah screw those bean eaters. Lying leftist media always trying to gin up racial BS. GET THE EFF OUT OF THE WAY THE DODGERS ARE COMING TO TOWN!!! HMMM let's see: Dodgers and Dodgers Stadium, or some poor broke bean eaters eeking out an existence of poverty at Chavez ravine and no Dodgers or Dodgers Stadium, hmmmmmm? That's a no brainer. I would have been the first one with the bulldozer smashing their little huts down and pushing little abuelita consuela out of the way.

[@richardcoreno]

What became lost was Roger Kahn's eloquence on the various topics.

[@johnjamele]

the truly amazing thing about the destruction of Al Campanis is that it's interrupted by commercials, during which apparently nobody got a hold of Campanis and told him to either correct himself or shut the fuck up, claim illness and exit stage left.

[@BrianPex]

that was then. Ha ha. Totally different. I was around as a little kid and older people were very racist.

[@mactheknife7049]

It's hard to imagine, but back in that era long-time baseball guys like Campanis were essentially sacred cows - guys who spent as much as a half century in a single franchise's organization. Campanis didn't have someone from the Dodger organization step in because the Dodgers didn't *have* anyone to step in, nor did any other pro sports franchise. It was only after this interview that pro sports leagues and franchises realized that having an in-house PR/communications staff was necessary.

[@melissaamour5117]

Ted Koppel did a great job here, and so did Roger Kahn.

[@mrjasonwhite73]

Just as they are fading to black for commercial, you can see Koppel shaking his head. Campanis had just flat stunned him with his answers.

[@urbangorilla33]

I noticed that too!

[@robertprimerano82]

Shame on Ted Koppel too!! When Campanis answered 7:31 the question the first time, Campanis gave an answer. Koppel called B.S. I would have told Koppel " So you're calling me a liar...I'm outta here". Instead, he gave Koppel what he wanted... controversy!!

[@gtgargon]

It's like the NFL. You don't go from 25% of the players to 75%+ of the coaches and GMs and 100% of the owners without this level of thinking

[@judjudersawn2596]

Ted Koppel was a sanctimonious prick in this interview. Campanis wasn't racist in the slightest. Al was straight up and straight class.

[@gtgargon]

good luck with that. A wise man once said, not everyone that's friendly is a friend. There are classy racists@@judjudersawn2596

[@tudorguy1509]

@@judjudersawn2596 If you believe that you need psychiatric help.

[@MsP57]

@@judjudersawn2596 spoken like a true racist! Pretty sure you’re a Trump supporter too.

[@judjudersawn2596]

@@MsP57 Everyone is racist. you’re lost in left wing media narratives you’re a drone

[@pauldalnoky6055]

And here's to you, Jackie Robinson..

[@Jimmietwotimes]

Nice

[@mrains100]

Campanis just would not stop digging.

[@gtgargon]

i'm still laughing. How many lifelines do you need, TK was giving him every opportunity. Also these folks are still making certain decisions

[@ricenglish4556]

Koppel was a total jerk. What were you watching? TK, huh? Sound as if you guys are pretty good buds.

[@gtgargon]

@@ricenglish4556 what are you talking about my guy? He was given a chance to walk back his statements and leaned into it. But that's how he grew up so nothing's new

[@ricenglish4556]

@@gtgargon -- Woah Nellie, cowboy, hold your horses. He mentioned they don't quite have the leadership skills for managerial positions and executive posts. Baltimore and Detroit, among other major cities, are governed and run by Blacks. Unfortunately, they have failed miserably with bankruptcy and corruption. Blacks must lead other Blacks successfully first.

[@MrAitraining]

Al didn't want a lifeline and comply. He wasn't misquoted. He was being honest how he felt.

[@ricenglish4556]

@@gtgargon -- Al had it right and in spite of some meager improvements, it's still true today, cowboy.

[@jeffreyworthen7033]

Ted Koppel threw out a lifeline to Al Campanis several times and Campanis keeps digging himself in the hole.

[@thermann9]

I remember watching this interview back in the day. At first, I thought he was doing a bit. He had that silly look on his face so it came across as a failed attempt at humor. Once it dawned on me that he was being serious, I realized he just set race relations back 40 years. And it was stupefying that this was coming from a Dodger executive. The Dodgers always seemed to be at the forefront of offering minority ballplayers opportunities.

[@judjudersawn2596]

Ted Koppel was a sanctimonious prick in this interview. Campanis wasn't racist in the slightest. Al was straight up and straight class.

[@staringatthesun861]

@@judjudersawn2596 Isn't there a rally you should be headed to? Don't forget your robe.

[@eastbayarearesident3631]

@@judjudersawn2596 ....but you are.

[@pele11201]

It isn’t about opportunity, it is about capitalism. The more players of color, the more people of color will pay to come see certain players. Just like they did with Fernando Valenzuela.

[@johndooley661]

@@judjudersawn2596 Why don’t you just posthumously wipe Al’s ass if you think so highly of him .

[@mr.bear-facts7396]

Dude would've got roasted in social media. Thanks for the upload, I never knew about this interview and I was in my 20's then.

[@oscarmason3252]

I did, and it showed a glimpse of what certain people thought back then as well as today, he probably was one of the main ones that treated him like shit, that's why he was trying to avoid the questions

[@sean2015]

As cringeworthy as this is, it would've been a hundred times worse had he said it today.

[@davidharrison3711]

Me too. I was almost 24 at the time.

[@davidharrison3711]

@@sean2015 Don't you know it! This would've been all over Twitter and Facebook in less than 15 minutes!!!

[@DankBirdGang52]

Then they would've been just as dumb then. They ask him a question of why there aren't any black managers. And all he said was they may choose another avenue. That's all he said.

[@mr.t5316]

What brought me here was a video of Al's grave. Now we see in the grand scheme of things it doesn't really matter. You can't take your color with you. With some people racism doesn't stop until their heart stops.

[@judjudersawn2596]

Ted Koppel was a sanctimonious prick in this interview. Campanis wasn't racist in the slightest. Al was straight up and straight class.

[@STYLEE-T]

I know that you made this comment years ago. But it's something that I didn't realize until i was called "NI--ER" in Mesquite, TX, at 13yo walking to 7-11 on day. I gave up hope for the beautiful utopian world I'd imagined as a child.

[@MStafford-lr9le]

This was literally where “cancel culture” started. I think Campanis got fired within 24 hours of this. Deservedly so.

[@andyward510]

Ted Koppel was on point

[@MrBogus213]

Ted Koppel has always made an effort to challenge people's prejudices and bigotry. He seems to also make efforts to challenge his own. I think that's the only way forward through all of this. White people need to acknowledge and take accountability for our past. Whether or not we actively act on our biases, they exist, and self introspection is the best way. If we lift each other up, we all do better.

[@jasonallen3678]

Yep,very quick witted..

[@JediEmcee24]

Yes, how to conduct an interview off the cusp?

[@richflores1558]

No he wasn't. He got his ass handed to him as liberal POSs normally get their asses handed to them. Campanis asked him "how come your sorry news channel doesn't have black executives or black news anchors?". Koppel had no reply , just the same ole standard BS "oh well it's because of white power and bla bla bla"🙄. Why don't you start Koppel, give up your position to a black man, or else shut the EFFF up!

[@justinbrockshus8483]

Campanis was fired a day-and-a-half after this interview.

[@willybeeman8468]

The analysts was so clutch with the questions! All you gotta do is be quiet and listen to white people...let em expose themselves.

[@40s]

the only thing close to Nightline is Frontline (although it is very state media) Ted Kopple was a king. For such a great interviewer I thought his book would bee more significant.

[@jjames7771]

"let em expose themselves." By telling the truth? Foh

[@Slickmickyoyo97]

Oh, so non whites are somehow morally superior to whites? Sounds pretty fuckin racist, not to mention effeminately whiney, ya pathetic perpetual victim.

[@HC-cb4yp]

Do you understand that painting an entire people with the same brush is at the very heart of racism and bigotry?

[@theartfuldodger935]

Because Blacks are not racist people. No, not them. LOL.

[@gregoryalberts2503]

I saw this live. My eyes popped out of head. I was in shock.

[@judjudersawn2596]

Ted Koppel was a sanctimonious prick in this interview. Campanis wasn't racist in the slightest. Al was straight up and straight class.

[@dmvbay2535]

@@judjudersawn2596 I know you are trolling

[@jamesanthony5681]

Likewise. I knew Campanis was done.

[@davidnorthern0219196]

Right I don't know what to say!

[@davidnorthern0219196]

@@judjudersawn2596 Look dick head you don't get tell someone what they are offered by! The arrogance is unreal you dirtbag!

[@DarnellHendeason-dk3uw]

Respect to Ted Koppel!

[@starrcompany3275]

He's the man👍🏿

[@ski8615]

I was five min in thinking he’s not said anything bad…ooo then a minute later I was like 🤦🏽‍♂️ 🇬🇧

[@jacquelynn2051]

Buoyancy? Gtfoh! My Backside is a damn flotation device. It's been tried and tested. I get in the pool...get on my back..and FLOAT. All I must do is BREATHE.

[@dr.dickgivens]

The way you describe your own self sounds disgusting.

[@kmdskins]

Lol

[@johnvastola7748]

I was watching that live iin 1987, not even as pc of a society as today. But I’d heard Campanis and I was shocked

[@christopherowens6391]

A few months later Doug Williams wins the Super Bowl!

[@ronaldclatterbuck5953]

Anybody could have quarterbacked that redskins team that year and won superbowl..They were by far the best team..The next year he was benched..

[@kerry1111111]

@@ronaldclatterbuck5953 The Hogs!

[@MCfact1827]

@@ronaldclatterbuck5953 lol....not jay Schroeder

[@JFKMLK]

​@ronaldclatterbuck5953 he was not benched he got hurt that year and was down 10 to 0 in the super bowl Elway had the lead bc doug got hurt and he came back in and put up 35 points in one quarter to win going Away If U Can't tell the truth don't tell or make up BS

[@danielc5807]

Ted Koppel had that dog in him. No clutching his pearls or "why I never"! Just called him on his bullshit in a direct, confrontational manner.

[@joeblow6100]

Nothing I haven’t heard the WWII generation say before. Realize that Al campanis would be around 100 years old in 2021. There was no “politically correct” way for people to talk on camera that weren’t politicians. Campanis was born into and raised during a completely segregated era in virtually all aspects of America. Ignorance does not equal hate. My long since passed grandmother was born in 1919, on a farm in the middle of nowhere. She never had interaction with black people until she was an adult. All she knew was what she was taught. She was NOT taught to be racist but she understood there were differences between white and black. She didn’t fear black people for being black. She feared no one for being different than her. However, this tiny little white old lady referred to black people often times as colored. Why? Was she being racist? Or was it something she thought was appropriate since that’s what she saw written and heard said everywhere? Later in her life she moved to a big city. Had people of different races living all around her. She still used the term colored. No one that ever heard her say that would have ever accused her of being racist. She sat on the stoop in the summer everyday talking with her neighbor, who was black. They were almost inseparable for 20 years. Went to church together, went to funerals together. Hitler was racist. Al campanis was not intelligent enough to understand that some things you are taught in your environment as a kid, are wrong. If you’ve been taught that way for the first 20 years of your life, it’s almost impossible to know you’re wrong and even more so to change yourself. Maybe he had an easy ness to his apparent prejudices that allowed him to speak about it without ever realizing how it sounds. This is not an excuse for the dodgers having him in the position he was in. I hear less anger towards them than him. Shouldn’t the dodgers have known he wasn’t fit for the job as far as sensitivity is concerned? We should try to understand, subtext here is not stupidity. It’s ignorance. Uneducated people are all around you. It does not make them stupid. We are all products of our environment. If somehow you read all this, thanks. Non of my comments are meant to offend, but rather understand what someone is saying and why. It’s only my opinion. In the end there are things that we ALL say and have heard said that we would never say in public. And if you claim not to have ever done that, you were born a deaf mute.

[@patricelockertanthony7630]

All due respect, but that kind of reasoning is never acceptable. Lyndon B. Johnson was a part of the "group" of which you speak. He was responsible for the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968. He grew up in bigoted Texas. It was all he knew. Even as he served his country in creating these legislative efforts; he still frequently used the language of his raising. Our conditioning isn't easy to shake, but that doesn't mean it can't be overcome. Don't make excuses and use rationales for miss poor thinking and behavior. That allows people to remain static rather than evolve. The human brain is a gift. All we have to do is use it. Think.

[@joeblow6100]

@@patricelockertanthony7630 giving a reason for something isn’t the same as excusing it. I’m not exactly sure what your point is to my comments. Understanding is more important to me than anything. To understand one’s point of view along with why and how they came to their point of view is exactly what evolution is. But not exactly sure how your presentation of lbj gets brought into what I said. I’m not disregarding anything you’re saying, just seeing how it pertains to my original comment. Two different subjects.

[@tylerfreal6472]

could you have used a worse comparison ?@@patricelockertanthony7630

[@michael47359]

​@patricelockertanthony7630 did those programs you listed accomplish anything or make things worse? Single black parent household went up significantly after those programs were passed.....

[@tylerfreal6472]

nothing to say ?@@patricelockertanthony7630

[@the415giant]

His statement on swimming didn’t make sense, but I am curious is how does someone become a baseball president?

[@davanmani556]

I don’t think Al could swim?

[@sixnine365]

Just like saying that black people had tails, that comment about blacks not being good swimmers and not having buoyancy was just another one of the many lies white people tell about black people as their form of ignorant, twisted humor. I’m sure Jackie Robinson knew he was a funky ass racist caucasoid, too. May he Rest in Piss.

[@prodigalsongod]

you know how.

[@tomdallas3690]

It does make sense in a way. Humans don't have perfect knowledge. Explaining societal results is complicated. Blacks didn't even have the right to vote a few decades before this interview, nor could they marry whites. There may have even been some states right around this time that still forbid it. It certainly wasn't legal for gays to be married. Most would argue today that the most athletic players that have ever played basketball or football are black. There is a real argument unfortunately, that slavery had a role in developing some black people with certain physical features and characteristics. The idea that black people might not be able to float as well as white people is not a far cry from the ideas of slavery, right to vote, segregation, etc. Society evolves, as does understanding of reality.

[@the415giant]

@@tomdallas3690 boo freaking hoo 😭

[@johndooley661]

I beleive that Campanis was somebody who believed blacks could and should have been permitted to play ball but he on the same note felt that intergration in terms of who ran the teams and picked players was a line he would not cross. In short he was every bit the bigot he was fighting against in his playing days when it came to who was running teams .

[@stephenmccollum1391]

I am glad this is on film. It reminds us of how ignorant Al and so many others were. Al was given a chance to correct himself and he doubled down on his stupid and ignorant beliefs.

[@adangbe]

"Campanis" sounds Greek too. So Jimmy the Greek didn't learn anything from this?

[@carboncrowns32]

Who said they saw anything wrong with their points of views? you have to realize they live in a mainframe that's a totally different world from the Real one...so their perceptions and their perspective views are surrounded around the idea of white supremacy. They truly believe what they were taught.

[@uncletony6210]

What did Jimmy the Greek say that you take issue with?

[@crystalmatava2929]

@MeAndWhatArmy it wasnt the right thing to say on national television, and in case you hadnt been paying atention to any of the other comments he was downplaying the black race and laughing about it to boot

[@manuginobilisbaldspot424]

@MeAndWhatArmy Saying that black people are just naturally stronger and better athletes because of white slavemaster's decision on how to forcibly breed them as slaves...you're a fucking IDIOT if you believe that. It completely strips away the effort black athletes make from childhood to be good enough to play at an elite level. GTFOH.

[@c_f0rce]

@@manuginobilisbaldspot424 There is some scientific evidence of this. It's called evolution.

[@hamilton197432]

This happened when I was 12, and even back then, you were like "this guys a fuckin moron." Then al's like "wait! hold my astrodome beer! I've got more".... more repugnant after all these years...

[@georgeanthony7282]

I remember just being stunned upon hearing Al Campanis' (matter of fact) racist views when this conversation aired on Nightline that evening. It just wasn't openly expressed-not that it didn't exist of course. People with such demented beliefs generally kept it to themselves (even when interviewed by the media). I was in my late twenties back then... I'm now in my mid 60s, and I no less shocked by it today. Why? Because individuals like Campanis weren't known to be hard core racists. Yet, their upbringing and level of ignorance is rooted so strong that it interferes with the core critical thinking and true progress in this country. I often wonder what Campanis (and others like him who seemingly-in their mind at least meant well) have to say about the level (or lack) of progress still emulating in the world of sports business.

[@Mars8611_]

Ted Koppel is such a class act. Such a great example of how integral journalism is to the function of society. Wish we had more like him today.

[@sephardicshqiptar2699]

no more English Sassonia Aryan looking Trumps on TV please!

[@judjudersawn2596]

Ted Koppel was a sanctimonious prick in this interview. Campanis wasn't racist in the slightest. He was straight up and straight class.

[@Groucho-tg1tx]

Koppel was setting Al Campanis up from the start.

[@JeanmarieRod]

@@judjudersawn2596 Absolutely

[@jamessollazzo4860]

koppel smelled a story here and set up campanis

[@cliftonharmon2403]

Tell em' Ted! Great interviewer.

[@GabGotti3]

When he said “black people don’t have bouency” I lost it 🤣

[@stanthebull]

And he fixed his face to say that

[@GabGotti3]

@RidgeRunner no he was just a moron

[@judjudersawn2596]

Black people do not have the buoyancy. It's a scientific fact you fkin moron

[@Huuudge25]

The comic Tim Conway said "Speak of the buoyancy I think you could uhh float with that head of yours"

[@davidnorthern0219196]

I don't know what to say about that!

[@DwayneDeveaux1204]

Man embarrassed himself, was given a chance to save his career and tossed it back into the wind. He would'nt stop.

[@mcclendonreport]

Ted Koeppel is handling this nonsense with aplomb!

[@marcomustang876]

It's was in his DNA and I'm sure his kids and grandkids + his parents

[@simonesmith3864]

​​@@marcomustang876Yes and that's how it keeps going.Its just how they are raised with hatred and ignorance and don't even know why, they are taught that.Some break away from that bullshit..

[@rick4electric]

How come there are so few Blacks in Synagogues? How come so few Blacks in Israel?

[@wrlord]

Not sure what you're trying to say, but you're actually wrong.

[@LOLERXP]

Never knew that Alec Guinnes was so involved in baseball.

[@mikemasiello5965]

LMAO!!!

[@MrJsfingers]

The force was with him.

[@markd6625]

You gotta give it to Al Campanis. Even at 19 minutes, he mentions that blacks are fleet of foot as to why there are 1/3 of current players being black. I saw this live and yes it was shocking. Campanis was a victim of his time with his thoughts on the Faculties and Buoyancy of Black athletes. And 40 years later, how much has changed? This was an historic segment.

[@davidnorthern0219196]

Stop Using time excuses for bullshit!

[@kenhobbs9251]

What’s sad is today there are fewer blacks playing not because of racism but because it’s a boring sport to the youth. At least they are speeding the game up. It was sad to see Campanis make an ass of himself rip Al

[@JeanmarieRod]

It’s sad to hear you make an ass of yourself

[@BansheeMilk]

Ted & Roger's faces are like "What???"

[@jimmie2times670]

You can see them try hard not to show horror.

[@thomasbooker9534]

Jackie took our game to the white leagues and dominated. Imagine had they had Josh Gibson, (Leroy)Satchel Paige, Buck Leonard, Hilton Smith, Smokey Joe Williams, Cannonball Dick Redding, James Cool Papa Bell, Oscar Charleston, Ted Paige, Ted Double Duty Radcliffe the list goes on and on. The Dodgers would have had a dynasty for years to come.

[@mr.research4811]

smfh amen1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣tell me about it...

[@davidlindsay9564]

"Our Game?"

[@brianmorrison9441]

All those names you have mentioned about are the cream of the crop baseball game in the all black minor leagues and those times they would have beaten any major league team hands on the top hi five😮

[@glencoward]

ted was on point with this interview

[@judjudersawn2596]

Ted Koppel was a sanctimonious prick in this interview. Campanis wasn't racist in the slightest. Al was straight up and straight class.

[@glencoward]

@@judjudersawn2596 lol lol you are too funny!!!!

[@judjudersawn2596]

@@glencoward ha ha ha. what racist thing did the man say

[@glencoward]

@@judjudersawn2596 if you don't know its too late for you

[@judjudersawn2596]

@@glencoward yes im sure you believe the mold has been formed as jack london would say.

[@Kylefassbinderful]

Ted gave him a shot at redemption _but_ ..it didn't work.

[@09rja]

The shame of this is: Campanis was a roomate of Robinson and supported him through this tough time.

[@davidlindsay9564]

put his career on hold, and gave up his position so Jackie could move up to the Majors.

[@rosilynmakeba1092]

Not taking _any_ of that away from that relationship, _however,_ he should probably never, _ever_ try something like this without lots and lots of _serious_ preparation. #neverever #lotsandlots

[@davidlindsay9564]

@@rosilynmakeba1092 Or Ted could not be a dick and bait an old man, and twist it into making him look bad for ratings. Al should have said "How many black anchorman you got there at ABC, how many on your staff? Ever dated a black girl Ted? Ever had a black room mate Ted?". I guarantee Al has a black person over his house for dinner 10 times as often as Ted has.

[@rosilynmakeba1092]

@@davidlindsay9564 ...... _That,_ too! Are you angry, or something?

[@davidlindsay9564]

@@rosilynmakeba1092 Its ridiculous that he is defined by this and not by all the good he did.

[@John-ct9zs]

Al Campanis was a progressive forward-thinking guy for the 1940s, rooming with a Black man, but he looked like an antiquated bigot by the 1980s. This happened frequently to people that were thought of as "liberals" and progressives before 1975 or 1980, only to be just absolutely out of touch in the 80s, 90s and 2000s. Dick Cavett comes to mind, very liberal media guy in the 1960s and 70s when it came to race/ethnicity but looked like an old out of touch White man by 1984, 1986. The comments about Black peoples physical attributes although frowned upon by educated news media people in the 80s like Ted Koppel, compared to say the same news people of the 1940s and 50s that would have looked the other way, were still very pervasive in the 80s, 90s and 2000s with people on the ground, everyday on the streets, even from people much younger than Al Campanis....i.e., that Blacks weren't good swimmers due to body fat, don't have mental capabilities to be managers, etc, etc...I would read/hear this stuff on the old AOL chat rooms in the late 90s/early 2000s.

[@MrYeodaddy]

I love Ted Koppel’s upfrontness and honest appraisal of the situation.

[@judjudersawn2596]

Ted Koppel was a sanctimonious prick in this interview. Campanis wasn't racist in the slightest. Al was straight up and straight class.

[@jamesanthony5681]

@@judjudersawn2596 Wasn't racist? What, Ted Koppel put those words in his mouth? Ted Koppel told Peter O'Malley to fire Campanis?

[@judjudersawn2596]

@@jamesanthony5681 Campanis spoke facts. Black people do have trouble swimming because of dense bones. Scientific fact.

[@philb.1502]

@@judjudersawn2596 You're a racist troll hiding on the Internet. Say that to Black man's face! Show how tough you are.

[@silentp9933]

@@judjudersawn2596 Wow! You are as ignorant as he was; and as racist! Damn that’s just sad.

[@That60sGuy]

I got an opportunity in the early '90s to sit in Ted Koppel's anchor chair at the ABC studios in D.C. I was amazed at the number of cigarette burns on the carpet surrounding the chair. Hahaha. Anyway, Ted was the real deal as a journalist. Hard-hitting and relentless. Sam Donaldson was cut from the same cloth. They weren't political mouthpieces for either party.

[@mobetter25]

And we still faces these issues in the Sports.Smh

[@judjudersawn2596]

Ted Koppel was a sanctimonious prick in this interview. Campanis wasn't racist in the slightest. Al was straight up and straight class.

[@roxannewatson4785]

Unfrickenbelievable

[@ski8615]

No where near as bad as this shit came along way still since then

[@SharronNeedles]

You can’t even grasp the language, so how far off is it?

[@CatsClaw44]

Ted out there exposing the racists. And Steve Brener who was a publicist for the Dodgers claimed that he didn't like Koppel because he was to "controversial" which we know what that is code for. Brener knew exactly what kind of words Campanis used and he respected that more than a real man like Ted Koppel.

[@ricenglish4556]

Steve Brener is a good man and by the way, it's too "controversial," not to "controversial. You lost all your impact on that one.

[@bernardshuford1469]

Campanis was white, rich, and privileged. However, Campanis didn't have the "necessities" to answer Kopel's questions in a manner that didn't reflect his discriminatory ideology. Sadly the heirs of Campanis and other former white, rich, and privileged baseball executives are running MLB today. The executives in MLB today are the fruit from which the trees have bared. As a result, little has changed with only two black managers and zero black general mangers. Therefore, you must plant a different variety of trees if you want to produce a different fruit. That's easier said than done when the white, rich, and privileged have access to all of the seeds and are still planting all of the trees.

[@AnthonyL0401]

It's being a bigot, not from white rich privilege. Plenty of those people don't hate black people and don't spread ignorance

[@johndoe9362]

Bernard Shuford, White men earned their privilege.

[@jaylong4705]

So easy to take no responsibility.

[@pauldalnoky6055]

Great anecdote, Rog.

[@urbangorilla33]

In 1989, the great Bill White was elected President of the National League. That was an important step towards blacks getting leadership positions in baseball.

[@vitalyjohnson3514]

We're all equal. I do really wish people wouldn't go for blood when someone says stupid stuff though. Al Campanis was from a different time. He is more clueless than racist.

[@DankBirdGang52]

We aren't all equal. And we all aren't good at the same things. That's why we're human. Also you wanna tell me I'm just as equal as the man in your Pfp? "What do you mean I can't be in the movie with Dolph Lundgren, we're all equal"

[@Reinaiyah]

U definitely gotta be white to day that. How are we all equal? We should be and God himself didn't even create us that way because if He did He wouldn't have a chosen group of ppl.

[@prodigalsongod]

@@Reinaiyah we are not all hue-man.

[@user-tm6qh6mh3g]

@@DankBirdGang52 He is talking about everyone being equal under the law and being equal under societal standards you moron. Your argument is awful and it sounds like you’re just grasping at a reason to be “anti-equality.” No one is saying that it’s an unequal society because they can’t star in a movie. Grow up and get some sense.

[@trwent]

If he was clueless, then he should not have been employed by the Dodgers.

[@da9618]

I remember this first time it came on, but what got me is how people got more mad at Ted Koppel for just asking him some simple questions

[@ricenglish4556]

Koppel was a total jerk.

[@da9618]

@@ricenglish4556 so he was being a jerk just for asking him a simple question?!

[@ricenglish4556]

@@da9618 -- His smug, scornful, pretentious, and know-it-all attitude -- such as yours -- was highly irritating. He was out to get Mr. Campanis from the beginning and never let up. He had already elected himself as judge, jury, and executioner.

[@da9618]

@@ricenglish4556 don't hate because he's doing his job by asking him questions he can't handle, because Al Campanis did that to himself

[@ricenglish4556]

@@da9618 -- You lie so much as you sit smugly behind your self righteous wall of hate. Neither you or Koppel will give up your job for Blacks. That's because as all Libs do, you and Koppel just talk. Nothing you say will change my mind, sport. Rock On!!!!!!

[@dat078912reppa]

This Campanis dude sounds like Trump

[@SpottedSharks]

The worst part about seeing this at the time was the realization that this attitude of Campanis' still existed, that he almost certainly wasn't the only baseball executive holding it, and that it is still pervasive in all sports and American society today.

[@2011hwalker]

umm this was in 1987....I doubt this is 'pervasive' in 2023. This guy was born in *1916* and died in 1998 - people like this have literally died out, they came from a totally different era steeped in absolute racism.

[@tylerfreal6472]

no response ?

[@sec9788]

@@2011hwalker Now it’s absurd…

[@darylwilson3987]

Campanis: We welcomed Jackie has a person when he showed his prowess on the baseball field and helped us win games.

[@MrYeodaddy]

The most honest response you will get from a racist who doesn’t know he is racist.

[@rondobson1828]

Here we are 35 years after this broadcast and have had a black president of the United States for which the Republican party all these years later is still melting down over.

[@ricenglish4556]

Yes, the worst President the United States has ever had. His only supposed accomplishment was his affordable health plan, which no one can afford. He sure did like being in front of the cameras.

[@BILLYBOBB3080]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@holaatyaboy6765]

Sad because Al was making some good points but lost the plot with the swimming comment

[@jillselman7076]

He was promptly fired.

[@carboncrowns32]

I never knew Ted Koppel was a real one I wonder how many BBQs he was invited to

[@Anthony-hu3rj]

What?

[@carboncrowns32]

@@Anthony-hu3rj You're on the outside looking in. Don't "what?" Me .

[@BaldwinFanonGarveyTureShakurX]

@@carboncrowns32 🤣🤣🤣 RIP Anthony

[@brotherfugue]

He was definitely invited to the BBQ. Tyrone Koppel on The Jamie Foxx Show should ring a bell!!!

[@ibibiotoiayinklee3480]

@@BaldwinFanonGarveyTureShakurX 😭😭

[@lampini]

Al Campanis’ vacant stare makes it look like he isn’t all there

[@DarnellHendeason-dk3uw]

The look on Koppels face! @ 17:03

[@mactheknife7049]

I remember watching this live as an 18 year old kid. The minute he said what he did, I proclaimed to my parents, "There's a man who'll be unemployed tomorrow morning."

[@starrcompany3275]

Wow notice he kept saying the same thing that the slave masters main concern was with the slaves! He kept complimenting them on their agility and strength and Power muscles! That guy was a straight racist shout out to mister Ted Koppel much love

[@davidlindsay9564]

...so you are saying Jackie was a dear friend of a racist for decades?

[@taoman85]

I remember the buoyancy comment. Al was fired/resigned the next day. I thought Al was a senile when I heard this as a young man. But, on hearing this now I think it just reveals how many whites truly feel about Blacks in general. That's why the South is still the South, and why we easily elected a racist president in the 21st century. That's why Idaho, Wyoming, Wisconsin and other states are still entrenched in their racist attitudes.

[@DankBirdGang52]

Yes, you're so right. Saying they may not wanna be a manager or in the FO is racist. Having a choice is now racist. How stupid are you?

[@tsveno72]

Who’s the racist president? Let me guess? Trump? Trump isn’t a racist and even won an award for minority community engagement from Jesse Jackson. It’s all liberal media bull that he’s racist and most southerners alive todays aren’t racist either. It’s all liberal elite horseshit. I’m a Yankee though and through so I’m not an angry southerner defending my turf.

[@jeffw1267]

You know who are even more racist than white people? Black people. Asians are more racist than black people. So what?

[@KimP0612]

He said “they don’t have the buoyancy.” Holy crap.

[@BrianPex]

It’s so bad I had to bust out laughing. Holy shit!!

[@ricenglish4556]

They don't......scientific fact.

[@ronaldtrunk7944]

My son was on a little league team 2005. His coach said in a team meeting baseball needs to return to the way it used to be...Americans. it sounded weirdly racist

[@sdot5389]

…because it was

[@Indraveer1357]

I remember watching this interview live because I watched Nightline every night before going to bed. I could tell while watching that Mr. Campanis was done after what he said. It was very sad to watch someone in a position of high authority spewing out so much prejudice on national TV.

[@albertrodriguez4190]

Ted wow a true objective reporter commentator narrariator and friend

[@tommym321]

Holy shit. This guy is unbelievable. He Just. Keeps. Digging.

[@krugerisking1]

How many blk managers or gms in 24? Roy was dead on the facts. Dismissed

[@tommym321]

@@krugerisking1 only a completely utterly clueless moron would choose to publicly die on this hill. What a moron. Unbelievable.

[@sdot5389]

@@krugerisking1Who is Roy?

[@mosalimansa1162]

Can Campanis calculate his own buoyant force? I doubt he has the intellectual acumen.

[@segasys1339]

lollll good point! Although I thought the buoyancy comment was in and of itself mostly harmless. Does it really matter if someone is more buoyant than someone else? And supposing a race of people really is more buoyant than another race of people, does that make one better than the other? lollll. I suppose my point is that Campanis here isn't expressing any genuine animus or malevolence toward black people. In fact, after his firing many people came out and vouched for him, including Harry Edwards, the man MLB hired in the wake of this scandal. We shouldn't cancel ignorant people, but rather educate them.

[@wrlord]

I'm going to defend this man. Having written that, I know that a number of people will immediately dismiss everything I have to say and call me a racist right out of the gate. They're wrong, but I won't convince them of that. Was Campanis racist? Yes. Was he a decent man? By all reports, yes. How can those two things be true at the same time? Simple. Campanis was ignorant. This interview was 35 years ago. Campanis was born in 1916. His formative years were the 1930s - nearly 100 years ago. He essentially inherited his racism. He was a creature of his time - lots of basically good men had inherited biases at that time - they had been brought up being told this silly stuff. The fact that he was unable to adjust his thinking to come into step with the 1980s was indeed his own failing, and he paid for it with his career. But this was not a man who'd be out there burning a cross or wearing a sheet. By the way, Campanis's racism was of the same kind as those who say "there'll never be another white heavyweight champion" or "white men can't jump." It's the very same racism, and it's even more prevalent and acceptable today in the black community than in the white.

[@Rob774]

Not going to call you a racist... just clueless. Using your logic we can give people like Thomas Jefferson a pass, cause you know... sleeping with and impregnating a 15 year Sally Hemming. I guess we can't judge him...cause sleeping with your slaves was okay back then.

[@kevinsullivan2519]

Wow you really think those examples you describe are the same, your ancestors racisms lynched and killed African Americans, poor examples as usual.

[@mikethebike2456]

🏍️ The black community is even more racist against whites than vice versa.

[@Bob-fj7lr]

I'm shocked they kept him on lol simultaneously I respect them trying to continue civilized discourse

[@roxannewatson4785]

I don't know why you were shocked. They get away with thiskinds of stuff all the time.

[@Jimmietwotimes]

I only heard about this the morning after. 1987 was a crazy year for baseball. And then 1989 came along ugh

[@jamessollazzo4860]

8:37 koppel going in for the kill shot

[@ratso69ful81]

Anyone notice Ted Koppel shaking his head in disgust at 7:24..

[@PaulGreen11]

"I never realized... this whole thing is White."

[@the4lightz]

I miss Tedd. Real reporting. Putting people on the spot ha!

[@judjudersawn2596]

Ted Koppel was a sanctimonious prick in this interview. Campanis wasn't racist in the slightest. Al was straight up and straight class.

[@trwent]

​@@judjudersawn2596 Koppel was doing his job. Go back into your hole.

[@JL0ndon]

@@judjudersawn2596lol why copy your comment and paste it as a reply to everyone

[@judjudersawn2596]

@@JL0ndon Because it’s true

[@tomfilus6030]

The strange thing is Al Campanis' ACTIONS were far different than his WORDS here. He was inclusive in his moves as a member of the Dodger front office........

[@michaelclyburn5858]

I can't swim; However I do own my own business 😄

[@jamessollazzo4860]

6:16 here we go end of a career

[@BrettBoozeReviewsNOLA]

9:56 he has this look on his face like “I know I’m getting fired tomorrow”

[@robertpalin2161]

Campanis sounds like a biographer reciting a fact sheet about Jackie Robinson. He doesn’t sound like the kind of guy who actually knew and played with him the way he talks about him. He sounds like he’s lecturing in the classroom.

[@trwent]

Al Campanis and Jimmy the Greek were cut from the same cloth.

[@Gold-oj8do]

I just watched the 2023 College World Series....not very many black players. The Majors have 6% black players now. It seems to me young black kids don't play baseball any more.

[@lelle1068]

Mentalities like ol dumpy racist Campanis here are the MAIN reason why

[@tylerfreal6472]

no they been replaced with hispanics or they choose a different sport @@lelle1068

[@infoanalysis]

Isn't exactly an endorsement of NYU, Al's Alma mater

[@stevesquare1699]

I was 19 years old 1987

[@TheHaratashi]

Just gained a lot of respect for Ted Koppel.

[@scizorbullet8185]

What's hilarious about all this is that because al doesn't say a racial slur in this interview people legit think this isn't racist

[@ericjohnson8326]

Campania died with his boots on

[@lelle1068]

His Nazi boots

[@R.POliver]

Campanis was right then and he’s right now. The only issue people had with him is he had the courage to say it. They deep down knew it was true as well.

[@jasonallen3678]

Ted Koppel would have been a wonderful educator..

[@ricenglish4556]

They're called teachers.

[@howardshapiro9294]

Al has the mentality of an Archie bunker.

[@lilsimps]

Wow just seeing this 2022. RATHER SAD, but still relevant today.

[@SasfootBigsquatch]

Koppel's responses to him were great...he doesn't hold back at all lol

[@judjudersawn2596]

Ted Koppel was a sanctimonious prick in this interview. Campanis wasn't racist in the slightest. Al was straight up and straight class.

[@SasfootBigsquatch]

@@judjudersawn2596Oh did you know him? Racist or not, he was dumb enough to say that shit on live television. That's not class at all if you have half a brain.

[@SasfootBigsquatch]

@@judjudersawn2596 LOL, I see you just copied and pasted that on like four other comments. Get a life you stupid troll.

[@reginaldpeters5142]

​@@judjudersawn2596 racist it was

[@ridesharebiz5317]

Sure, I remember seeing this. Ted is a great journalist.