Usain Bolt more popular than Bob Marley? NBC Sports veteran angers reggae legend's fans
NBC Sports veteran Bob Costas has drawn fire for comparing the popularity of two Jamaican legends.
Costas,
during NBC's coverage of the Summer Olympics in Rio, said Jamaican
sprint sensation Usain Bolt has now "outdistanced" the country's reggae
icon, Bob Marley.
“With apologies to all you reggae fans, I think Bolt has even outdistanced Marley the way he outdistances the field,” the sportscaster said.
His remarks drew immediate criticisms from social media users.
"Blasphemy! Did Bob Costas just say Usain Bolt is bigger than Bob Marley in Jamaica? He is amazing but come on maan," Dr Marc Williams said, adding the hashtag #Buffoonery.
Astead Wesley tweeted: "Bob Costas comparing Bolt's popularity to Bob Marley is what happens when you only know two Jamaicans."
Another social media user, Clemzingis injected some humour with his comment: "I guarantee Bob Costas likes Wyclef’s version of “No Woman No Cry” more than Bob Marley’s version."
Bolt created history on Sunday by becoming the first person to win three back-to-back Olympic 100-metre titles.
The fastest man in the world has confirmed that Rio 2016 will be his last Olympic Games and, if the 29-year-old Bolt wins the 100, 200 and 4x100 relay, the way he has at the last two Olympics, he'll close his Olympic career with nine gold medals.
But despite Bolt's popularity peaking with the ongoing Olympics, market research shows that Marley is still a bigger figure.
American research company Q Scores, which tracks the consumer appeal of personalities, measured Bolt's awareness just before the Summer Olympics. It found that the sprinter had a 39 per cent awareness and an 18 per cent 'Q score among adults 18 and over. Basically, four out of 10 persons knew who Bolt was.
The most updated research on Marley shows that, in 2007, the artiste had a 69 per cent awareness and a positive “Q score” of 15 per cent among.
It means the track star was basically just as liked as Marley, but not nearly as known.
“With apologies to all you reggae fans, I think Bolt has even outdistanced Marley the way he outdistances the field,” the sportscaster said.
His remarks drew immediate criticisms from social media users.
"Blasphemy! Did Bob Costas just say Usain Bolt is bigger than Bob Marley in Jamaica? He is amazing but come on maan," Dr Marc Williams said, adding the hashtag #Buffoonery.
Astead Wesley tweeted: "Bob Costas comparing Bolt's popularity to Bob Marley is what happens when you only know two Jamaicans."
Another social media user, Clemzingis injected some humour with his comment: "I guarantee Bob Costas likes Wyclef’s version of “No Woman No Cry” more than Bob Marley’s version."
Bolt created history on Sunday by becoming the first person to win three back-to-back Olympic 100-metre titles.
The fastest man in the world has confirmed that Rio 2016 will be his last Olympic Games and, if the 29-year-old Bolt wins the 100, 200 and 4x100 relay, the way he has at the last two Olympics, he'll close his Olympic career with nine gold medals.
But despite Bolt's popularity peaking with the ongoing Olympics, market research shows that Marley is still a bigger figure.
American research company Q Scores, which tracks the consumer appeal of personalities, measured Bolt's awareness just before the Summer Olympics. It found that the sprinter had a 39 per cent awareness and an 18 per cent 'Q score among adults 18 and over. Basically, four out of 10 persons knew who Bolt was.
The most updated research on Marley shows that, in 2007, the artiste had a 69 per cent awareness and a positive “Q score” of 15 per cent among.
It means the track star was basically just as liked as Marley, but not nearly as known.
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