Sports announcer Bob Costas has a wager for gun advocates: Let’s keep track of the number of constructive incidents involving athletes and guns and the number of tragedies — and let’s see who wins.
The 62-year-old appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Wednesday, where he responded once again to critics of his on-air condemnation of the “gun culture” in sports. Costas originally made those remarks in Dec. 2012, following the murder-suicide of Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher and his girlfriend Kasandra Perkins. Since then, Costas also appeared on The Daily Show, where he openly condemned assault weapons.
The announcer’s appearance on Wednesday night wasn’t any different, as he took a smugly superior tone while discussing his views on guns.
“Let’s make a bet, you and me,” he said to gun advocates. “Let’s say over the next five years — we’ll do a Google search and we’ll have an independent party monitor it — you keep track of how many good and constructive things are associated with athletes having a gun, and I’ll keep track of all the tragedies and criminality and folly. And let’s see who comes out ahead, or behind, as the case may be.”
Costas not only defended his comments on guns, but also argued that he also had the right to talk about other political issues connected with sports — such as the name of the Washington Redskins and, during the Sochi Olymipics, Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The only thing I would emphasize — and it would seem to me that this is obvious — I’m not talking about Syria or the national debt,” he said. “I’m talking about whatever may occasionally come up that is directly connected to sports.”
“How the name of the Washington Redskins isn’t a football issue, I have no idea,” he added.
Host Seth Meyers lauded Costas comments on politics, saying it made watching sports “a lot more interesting.”
Watch the segment below:
