July 18, 1996
BAILEY FIASCO OUT OF CONTROL
TIME FOR THIS STORY TO DIE
By STEVE SIMMONS
Toronto Sun
ATLANTA -- In this Olympic city of racial unrest, the Donovan Bailey story has been like a runaway train, loud, explosive and almost impossible to slow down.
There have been, for the last two days of controversy, denials, more denials, confusion, rhetoric, spin, memory lapse, and all of it wrapped around the apparent words of a man who either will be Canada's greatest star or Canada's greatest disappointment at these Olympic Games.
And all of it moving as quickly as the world's fastest man.
It is not the best of times nor the easiest of times for Donovan Bailey, for journalism, for Canadian sensibilities. So much has become entangled in this national mass of contradictions and blatant overreaction.
All of which has proven to intensify the focus on Bailey at a time when he would rather turn inward and prepare for his upcoming races in the men's 100 metres, the signature track and field event at the Games.
Donovan Bailey was quoted in a Sports Illustrated Olympic preview story as saying that "Canada is as blatantly racist as the United States.'' The comments set off a debate of rancor and disgust.
He has since denied making that statement, indicating that he said Canada was not as blatantly racist as the U.S.
Bailey's American-based agent, Mark Block, told a different story. He said Bailey "never meant to say it'' and that his comments were "taken out of context.'' But Block didn't deny Bailey had said it.
Editors at Sports Illustrated stand by their story and fully support senior staff writer Michael Farber, a former columnist at The Montreal Gazette. They have no doubts as to the validity of Bailey's comments.
And yesterday, Farber backed down slightly, telling the Sun he wasn't completely certain Bailey said what Farber wrote. Farber, who had done numerous interviews with Bailey while preparing for the piece, did not tape his interviews. That only adds to the confusion. So what can be learned from all this?
Perhaps two days after the spit hit the fan, the best thing to remember is how important perspective can be and how easily words can be twisted, misinterpreted or even misguided.
Could it be Bailey said what he was quoted as saying but simply chose the wrong words at the wrong time? He was not standing on any soap box here. He was not delivering a sermon on his socio-political views of Canada. He was simply answering a reporter's question. One of many questions.
His comments on Canada were just a small part of a lengthy story in SI. Bailey did not elaborate on his views.
He should not be vilified now for having an opinion and expressing one. In the same SI piece he now is being roasted for, Bailey also was quoted as saying, "I'm trying to gain the trust of 27 million people.''
Now, would someone trying to gain the trust of a nation turn around in another breath and wonder about its very fibre?
The inconsistencies of this story are many and they all, sadly, come back to Ben Johnson. Too often track and field stories in Canada have a way of beginning and ending with the disgraced Olympian.
Bailey complains about being unrecognized and perhaps unappreciated in Canada, which is a direct fallout from Johnson's disqualification and the Dubin inquiry that followed. "Maybe,'' Farber writes in SI, "Canada isn't ready to love again.''
But Canadians are ready to move on. It is time to forget about Seoul, about Johnson, and turn toward Donovan Bailey and also Bruny Surin. We will watch the 100-metre final here with all the excitement and anticipation we had in 1988.
But now there are doubts about exactly what Donovan Bailey said and exactly what he meant to say. There are doubts about the validity of the controversial quotes attributed to him.
Somehow, a few sentences in a 2,500-word magazine article became front-page news.
And in this Olympic city, where racial unrest is a way of life, it is time for this runaway train of a story to crash. It is time for the controversy to end and for the Games to begin.
