Where is colbert when you need him ?
Apparently this interview occured minutes after Kramer claimed gold for the Netherlands in speedskating. He had just been through the "Flower ceremony" in the rink, and an NBC reporter collars him for an interview. Apparently she could not be bothered to:
a) learn his name
b) figure out what country he represented
c) know what event he had just won a few minutes earlier . . .
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Kramer's reaction is worth every second
a) learn his name
b) figure out what country he represented
c) know what event he had just won a few minutes earlier . . .
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Kramer's reaction is worth every second
Comments
FIRED!!! If she still has a job that is sickening.
The athlete's name, country and medal result need to be clearly stated at the beginning of the interview so that when it gets to NBC's editors, there is zero chance of misidentifying the subject. Sven Kramer may be a huge, easily identifiable figure in parts of the world - he's not here.
The reporter could have ID'd him, but if the athlete does it himself, then NBC's commentators also get the added benefit of a 100% guaranteed example of the correct pronunciation of his name (particularly helpful for foreign names). Granted, the pronunciation of Kramer may not be too hard to guess at, but the names of many of his teammates will be and the reporter is just following standard procedure.
Ideally, the reporter should begin with something like "Congratulations on your gold medal, Sven. Before I ask you about it, can you please just state your full name, your country and your medal for the camera?" That way, there is no chance the athlete will take mistaken offense. What we see on the YouTube video does not indicate if the reporter began that way or not. She may have. If she didn't, it was likely because she was getting no more than 30 seconds to interview the guy and she incorrectly assumed that he would know why she was starting with the request.
Really, it is the Dutch TV interviewer who is being the biggest twit by far for making a mountain out of a molehill. She's in the industry. She should completely understand what was going on - particularly when the American reporter clearly stated on tape (after the supposed insult) that her request was "for tape identification purposes".
a) the athlete's name was given, complete with correct pronunciation
b) the athlete's country was given,
c) the event was provided.
If, as you suggest, her time was limited with the athlete, would it not have made sense for her to take care of that stuff before buttonholing him? That way she might get to ask a question and a follow-up?
The subtitles don't translate the conversation ideally. The commentator was more bemused than insulted, and Kramer cannot be expected to know the ins and outs of TV production.
Me, I thought it was kind of funny, that is all. At least she wasn't drunk, wanting to "kiss you" . . .