The Legend of Jimmy the Greek 5-5.mpeg

The NFL Today on CBS was one of the preeminent sports programs on television in the early 1980s. It was a perfect combination of reporting, analysis, predictions, humor and talent. But there was no personality on the show more popular than Jimmy The Greek Snyder. Born in Steubenville, Ohio, to Greek immigrants, Jimmy overcame childhood tragedy, moved to Las Vegas, and eventually became the biggest name in the world of sports handicapping. When CBS added him as an analyst on The NFL Today, The Greek not only further increased his stature as a sort of national folk hero, but he also gained an air of respectability never before associated with gamblers. Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Fritz Mitchell, who broke in as an intern on The NFL Today, will examine Snyders impact on the growth of sports gambling, while also taking a fresh look at The Greeks tragic downfall.

Personal Statement

I was appalled the first time I laid eyes on Jimmy The Greek Snyder. The billowing aroma of his cologne, the chunky gold jewelry and his coarse street language would have been enough to shock any snotty young kid just out of college. Of course, I had seen him a thousand times before but always on TV. Now he was right up close, along with the rest of it. Gorilla-size television cameras swayed back and forth like ballerinas through the traffic of technicians, set directors and make-up people. The directors voice of God echoed through the hysteria of rehearsal and hot white lights filled every socket of Brent, Irv, Phyllis and, of course, The Greek. I was scared out of my mind as I sat on the set of The NFL Today show, a newly hired researcher in the fall of 1984.

Twenty-five years later I have the good fortune to look back and try to figure out the man, whom I first found so jarring and later came to feel a genuine affection for. More recently I have so many questions about The Greek—his rise to power as a commentator on that iconic pregame show and his swift fall from grace after his fateful remarks concerning African-American athletes. How was this odds maker and gambler able to make his profession seen so legitimate, almost the way Susan Sarandon made prostitution seem innocent in Bull Durham? How did he make his way to The NFL Today show? What was his appeal and how did the NFL feel about his presence on the show? But most importantly, how did he bring odds making and gambling out of the shadows to mainstream America?

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[mjn76]

The new Scarlet Letter: "R."

You would have thought Jimmy the Greek had murdered a bunch of newborns.

Of course, the vulture also known as Jesse Jackson was sure to be in the vicinity of cameras.

[truvianni]

@tsharpmac420 what can one expect from a Murdoch newspaper?

[truvianni]

@MaliCoq true I always say "The truth is what everybody wants till they really get it"

[truvianni]

@brotherhood302 yes but I think that over simplyfies things. I would say they are both good athletes but different. For instance blacks are faster but whites have more indurance. That is why blacks win short races while whites tend to do better in marathons.Whites are also stronger and better swimmers that is why they almost always win weight lifting and swimming medals.

[truvianni]

@ImDavidGurney I think he was really fired more for saying that whites have to work harder than black atheletes but are lazy than what he said about blacks which in fact makes them out to be victims of whites and having had something done to them as opposed to them doing anything wrong themselves

[truvianni]

@metathus Jackson racist?This is the man who back in 83 called New York CIty "Himey" town!

[metathus]

And ya know, that fucking nigger jesse jackson is the biggest fucking hypocrite on the earth. He wants to get rid of racism, but the fucking nigger yells racism any time a white man talks about blacks that is not in a positive light. He is the one keeping racism alive. That fucking nigger should get the martin luther king treatment.

[brotherhood302]

@Walnut8711 No body cares about olympians for real...it's all about the Titans!!

[Walnut8711]

@brotherhood302 No they aren't not all. Have you ever seen the racial compisition of olympic medal winners? Almost all white.

[ImDavidGurney]

He wouldn't have been fired if his name were JIMMY THE JEW.