The Olympics happen every four years and the games are usually a season of triumph and victory, but unfortunately the 2012 Olympic games have had their fair share of well, shady and superficial moments with a side of hateration.

Yes, Serena did the “c-walk” to celebrate her gold medal on the tennis court, and sure social media buzzed about Gabby Douglas’ hair, despite her history making team and individual all-around gold medals, but the Lolo Jones shade and hate got realer than real when her teammates did their subliminal trash-talking about the track star on NBC Sports. Why is the Dawn Harper and Kellie Wells trash-talking something that should be discussed? Oh, because Serena and Gabby were of course talked up in the media negatively, but instead of letting the media bashing of Lolo Jones’ rise live, the silver and bronze medalists Dawn Harper and Kellie Wells let the world know that Lolo (without saying her name) didn’t deserve any of the attention she’s been getting. One can argue that the girls had a point, but after blatantly hating on Lolo in the middle of an interview, I’d like to say that they unsuccessfully got their point across.

So, we all know that Black women as a whole still seem to have issues supporting each other because of things like skin color, hair texture, who’s natural, who’s permed, who’s richer, who’s poorer and a bunch of other things that are petty and don’t matter and whether or not Dawn and Kellie knew it then or know it now, their criticism of Lolo ended up looking like two Black women who couldn’t deal with their sister (yes, Lolo is half Black) getting more shine then them. Honestly, at this point if Dawn or Kellie are looking for endorsement deals for their silver and bronze medals they should keep dreaming.

In the NY Times article written about Lolo Jones and her unnecessary hype, Dawn Harper said she wouldn’t speak ill of Lolo and simply said that the attention Jones gets is frustrating since she had her own struggles that she decided to keep private. Well, Dawn, you were given the opportunity to tell your story and celebrate your victories on NBC Sports and when you did, the lack of professionalism that you and your teammate Kellie exhibited was sickening. You two may have won the silver and bronze medals, but you need to find some integrity and grab a slice of humble pie because the way that you two conducted yourselves was disgusting and definitely put the attention back on Lolo. Is it that Lolo doesn’t deserve any endorsements, or are you just jealous?

Oh, and if you don’t think that the attention was put back on Lolo, you should probably check out what people wrote about your interview. Beyond that, if you wanted people to learn your names and respect you, you failed. Most of us know you as and will remember you as the silver and bronze medalists who couldn’t help but lose their cool on camera. And to clarify, yes, you won the race, but no, we still don’t know your names.

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53 Comments

  1. Lolo Jones is a problem for two reasons –actually three.
    One: She’s part of the Cult of Fame; people who are famous for no reason. She’s accomplished nothing, but is on covers and celebrated. For what?
    Two: She cheapens the sport by not being a class act. She cries and plies for attention when she’s criticized instead of being an adult and silencing her critics by performing. Usain Bolt did it, but she can’t.
    Three:Lolo is celebrated because she’s light-skinned. The media hasn’t had a light-skinned female to tout since …ever! So now they have one and no matter how crappy she performs they’ll cheer her as if she won gold, when in reality she came home empty handed.

    And to add a fourth, she’s a loser. That’s what happens when you never win and when you cry afterwards.

    • @Shane: That’s a harsh assessment. Lolo has pedigree, don’t hate son

      • shane is correct. It is the redbone factor. The last sister who had redbone love was flo Jo…she been dead for 12-years.. so Lo Lo was the ideal choice for the media.

        • @Sphinxman:

          Florence Griffith-Joyner and Lolo Jones? Nah, dude, your comparison has no legs… Flo-Jo IS the world’s fastest woman — still. She broke records in track and field that stand today, and still have yet to be challenged. Gold, in and out of the Olympics.

          So, yeah, no… Don’t minimize this sister’s accomplishments. She didn’t get ‘redbone love’, she got WINNER LOVE. Hell, in my opinion, she doesn’t get ENOUGH love, because she actually WAS the real deal. One that just so happened to be a pretty woman (and not even all that light OR red, by the way).

          So yeah, the media paid attention, but nowhere near the level of Lolo Jones. Even as a real winner, she never got the attention OR endorsements Lolo Jones gets. Maybe Dawn Harper and Kellie Wells aren’t JEALOUS of this chick, but they remember Flo-Jo and have had it ‘up to here’ with the bullshit, because it’s nothing new.

    • @Shane: Wow, you just proved how little you know about track and field. Lolo is famous for nothing? She is a two time world champion. She was a national champion in college. And she was 4th in the Olympic final and was just a few hundreds of a second slower than Kellie Wells.

      Also, Lolo has a compelling story that a lot of people can relate to. She has learned that as a track athlete in the U.S. you have to promote yourself. If Dawn and Kellie can’t figure out how to do that then that’s on them, not lolo.

      • @Val: Lolo Jones has an image problem she poses semi naked yes professes to be a virgin and Christian., somehow the three don’t mix well. She has won indoor titles but that was in 2010 in the 60m hurdles ( any longer and she’d fall over) . It’s good but who even watches it as I’ve never watched on my tv.. The non private life she leads is just a bit too much for many athletes. Despite Bolt being a big big name how much do we know about his private life not much as he keeps it to himself., which Lolo doesn’t..

        And yes the white run media really do go gaga for the mixed race exotica now if she had the winning ness of Serena or Jeter then people wouldn’t be too bothered but she’s done diddly in the real world of athlletics which is the World Championships and the Olympics.

        I expect her to be on dancin with the stars quite soon..

        • @Mr bootyluver: Is that your biblical assessment — that posing nude can’t go with virginity or Christianity? Is being nude somehow sinful or not in tune with Christianity? Does posing nude obligate her to have sex with someone? There seems to be holes in the logic here, maybe you can elaborate what you mean.

          “any longer and she’d fall over”

          Is that what she is doing here:

          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T94LDI-oVNc

          she fell one time. it happens to most hurdlers at some point. Look at Gail Devers. That doesn’t change the fact that she is one of the best hurdlers to ever run.

        • @Shane: I agree. When she started crying on t.v. it reminded me of my daughter not getting what she wanted. I don’t agree with the article above, Lo Lo did get a lot of publicity and she didn’t win and it’s always another American of African descent who’ll state it’s because she’s mixed and for some reason those of us who aren’t are inferior and we’re not. Kellie and Dawn I know your names, saw your interview and you told it like it was.@Mr bootyluver:

    • @Shane: Excellent points Shane. Lolo Jones just isn’t quite good enough. For all the marketing and all the headlines, you still have to get it done in the big moment.

    • @Shane:

      Part of it is on them to not hire a publicist and agent etc. to get them publicity and endorsements. Maybe they thought they couldn’t afford it but there are ways to do it on the cheap. Kellie Wells is really pretty and has a very marketable smile and body. Very feminine. I would much rather see her on magazines and advertisements. I don’t think the 30 year old virgin thing is anything to strive for! It seems more a result of her odd and immature personality, along with having a man’s body. Lolo Jones really seems like an idiot and while she’s waiting to give her “vaginal virginity” to Tim Tebow, she is a complete media whore.

  2. if i went to the olympics twice and still didn’t medal, I would cry too. How does that make you a bad person?

  3. She holds two indoor American records and has won the World Championship & came in fourth by .01 seconds…. is that your definition of accomplishing nothing? Yes, her endorsements will come to a close soon because she didn’t get on the podium for a second time. But to reduce her accomplishments to nothing is silly.

  4. Dawn and Kellie should have never got on national television to show how bitter they were about Lolo and the media. Everyone was on their side and we could see that Lolo was receiving the more endorsements but now Lolo looks even more marketable and Dawn and Kellie showed how petty they are. They embarrassed themselves trying to prove a point no one will care about a month from now

  5. @Antoinette: So true. I was on their side in the beginning, hoping they would get some of the shine that Lolo was getting. Now I don’t think that’s going to happen. Such a shame, as they also fought and struggled to get where they are as well.

  6. It’s a real shame that they did that. Lolo has won lots of events, and she qualified for the Olympics. It’s not her fault that she’s marketable. How many people would deny themselves endorsements if they came knocking? Well, I know I wouldn’t. Yes, a real shame that they played into the sister-bashing game, in public, no less.

  7. I hope Dawn and Kellie come across this article and review the lessons learned in it. You were 100% ON POINT and I totally agree.

  8. Both arguments here are right. Kudos to Shane! You summed it up AND some. Yes, Kilo has had some accomplishments, but I’m from the school of Janet Jackson- What have you done for me lately? Said by someone else- she almost took Bronze…. Can we say Almost rich, almost pregnant, etc. Almost IS NOT an accomplishment worth celebrating. She IS hyped for all the wrong reasons. Jackie Joyner Kersee was much more accomplished and came from very humble beginnings too, but didn’t get nearly the amount of attention. I guess she just didn’t have The Look.
    As for Lolo’s fellow athletes who did medal, you were wrong and stupid to use your 5 mins. of fame to talk about her. That was your time to shine and show the world that you deserved some media attention as well. Lolo blew it at the Olympics and you two blew it in the eyes of the media.

  9. I had a liking especially for Kelli Wells but I really believe she blew it. What Dawn Harper and Kellie did was
    uncalled for. It was rather classless and distasteful. What they both really did was to enhance the marketability
    of Lolo Jones. Lolo Jones is very much accomplished in her own right. Tyson Gay has gone to the 2008 and
    2012 Olympics and so far he has not medal as yet, does that mean that Usain Bolt should go and tear him
    down in the media without a valid reason? Does that mean that he is not a great athlete? No grown mature athletes do not bash their teammates especially on the world stage like that. If I were a sponser I would stay away from both of them.
    Lolo is very humble and he that humble himself shall be exalted and he that exalt himself shall be abase. All three ran a great race. The U.S. was well represented in the 100m hurdle race

    • I agree – you hit the point head on. @judy:

    • @judy: They had class. It was the field and house nigero syndrome. The media focused on the redbone and sought yet to avoid the sisters of color.

      • The whole point of getting the gold and media attention is the endorsements (and money) come along with it. Dawn Harper and Kellie Wells blew those endorsements by looking very small in a national interview. We could go on about the historical and racial implications but does anyone really think they’ll be financially rewarded for complaining? Whether they were right or wrong, they blew their chances to gain a fortune.

    • @judy: I agree with your comments and find the Usain/Tyson comparison interesting. You are forgetting one fact though. Black men aren’t under the same social pressure as black women are and therefore don’t (or feel the need to) tear each other down. I don’t agree w/what Harper and Williams did and AM NOT a fan of them because of it BUT I understand where they are coming from. They are dark skinned, less attractive (being real) women and they are getting FAR less attention than someone they perceive as less talented. Who wouldn’t be frustrated? I think the issue comes from them going about it in the wrong way. This is America and we all know that America is racist and that darker skin people (or blacks in general) are seen devalued in this society. This goes all the way back to the slave days when dark skin slaves worked in the fields while lighter skin ones worked in the house. This is reality and instead of accepting this and moving on, Kellie and Dawn fell victim to it all. They played themselves and got burned in the process. It’s sad but I don’t feel bad for them because common sense says they should’ve known better. They weren’t born yesterday and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what was at work here. LoLo got all the attention because of her beauty, skin tone and backstory. Harper and Williams felt jilted by this for the above stated reasons. It’s the same reason dark skin girls everywhere feel shafted when black men routinely chose light skin black women and/or white women to date. Who can blame them? It sucks and it’s hurtful but you don’t lash out in a forum like that against it. There’s a time and place for it and that wasn’t not the place.

  10. Honestly I read these comments and there on some point but the truth is none of you are in their shoes and u don’t know what goes on behind the scene’s so before u call people jealous or say people are humble u should really know the facts behind it all.. everything isn’t black and white.. yes lolo gets praised cause she lightskin with green eyes, yes dawn and kellie are over looked cause their brown.. after repeatedly hearing a persons name in your own interview I think its enough to make any of us annoyed… they could have handled it better yes but just remember don’t believe everything u see or read and don’t believe the media! The media is designed to get rating negitive or positive! Dawn and Kellie I wish y’all both the best and congrats..

    • You are very much on point. I wish the two ladies the best.

    • @mike:

      I agree mike. These ladies did not come across very well in their interview, but this article and other articles since have been very harsh. They were the silver and bronze medal winners and some of the faves coming in, and I heard NOTHING about them before the final…NOTHING. I think they have a right to be pissed, however I think their anger is misdirected. Lolo was just playing th game to get her name out there, which she can’t be blamed for, athletes need to make money too. But I think Kellie and Dawn should be pissed at the media and companies who bypassed them to get to Lolo.

  11. This article hit the nail on the head. Even though I like the two runners and not much of a Lolo fan, I think they blew their chance to put the focus on them. I also think black women specifically and the black community in general is missing the opportunity to learn from this. I had this discussion with some ladies just last night. All I simply said was that Wells and Harper won medals, they should be happy and that should be their focus, not Lolo and I was told that I just want to silence the “victim” and support colorism in the media, smh.

  12. To be real, the best thing Harper and Wells can do is get their resumes together and move on. Even Lolo needs to move on because how much more can she spin the cute pictures but I’m a virgin thing?

  13. All three of these ladies represented the U.S. very well with all of them placing in the top 5 spots. All three ladies are beautiful and we should be appreciate the different hues of brown that were represented on the track. Lolo is not the only athlete to have endorsements without attaining an Olympic medal. Sanya Richards-Ross had endorsements before receiving her first medal in 2008; Tyson Gay has endorsements and has yet to receive a medal (by the way, he hasn’t performed well since 2009); even tennis players who yet to win a Grand Slam or medal receive endorsements. What makes you marketable comes down to image and personality. I don’t think anyone commenting on here grew up saying, “I want to struggle all my life”. We grew up with big dreams and goals…if endorsements for Lolo means she doesn’t have to struggle anymore and helps get her career off the ground, what is so bad about it??!! I love Dawn & Kellie and am so proud of what they were able to achieve on the track & off, but their interview was very disappointing, ugly, classless, and distasteful. They were in the spotlight and given the opportunity to share their stories with those who didn’t know it; and, they chose to bash their teammate instead. Whether there was animosity or not “behind the scenes”, you never air your dirty laundry in public. Now these ladies will be remembered for giving a negative interview about “hurt feelings ” for the Lolo Jones media attention and not as Dawn Harper, the accomplished 2008 Gold medalist and 2012 Silver medalist and Kellie Wells, the up and coming 2012 Bronze medalist!!!!

  14. Point was,

    1. why did they answer a question clearly targeted about Lolo? If they had frustrations with the media they shouldn’t have answered a question NOT about the media, but about “cat fighting” with Lolo?

    2. Why did Dawn grant the New York Times an interview directly ripping into Lolo for sharing her life overcoming adversities. I have yet to hear her criticizing her best friend Kellie for blogging about her abusive childhood?

    3. Why is Kellie pushing to do men’s magazine photo ops and revealing her life story right after criticizing Lolo for sharing hers (but the media sought her out, not the reverse.)? Was or is she trying to one-up Lolo, because it sure appears that way. it doesn’t appear to be about her medal or athletic accomplishments at all.

    answer: Pure unadulterated jealousy and bitterness

  15. Ad em – The media sought Lolo out, not Kellie, so it makes one wonder what the actual intention was, Dawn, to be clear deserved recognition due to being a gold medal winner. But Kellie, that’s obvious cattiness and pure envy of Lolo, hands down. I noticed the Huffington Post running an article on Kellie’s self revelation about experiencing abuse. They’re carefully monitoring anyone’s comments, even the most mondain ( some of my friends tested it),. That tells me this is about Kellies PR and it doesn’t make her revelation very believable. Which is too bad, considering she would’ve had that empathy before the trashing of a fellow teammate.

  16. I think the situation is significantly more complex than how it has been presented so far.

    Heading into the Olympics there were several American women who had a chance at medaling and/or were favorites to win their events, Lolo got more media attention than all of them combined.

    Allyson Felix is the best all around sprinter in US history (Male or Female), and if it weren’t for her dead heat in the 100m at the Olympic Trials, her media attention would’ve been even less.

    I’m not saying other athletes didn’t get any attention, just noting Lolo’s was outsized.

    But now that per a lot of top Track analysts who follow the sport year around, she worked hard to market herself.

    In fact an ESPN writer definitely thinks so: http://espn.go.com/olympics/summer/2012/espnw/story/_/id/8249477/espnw-lolo-jones-worked-create-image-sells

    I follow Lolo on twitter and she is very vocal there, and spent MONTHS complaining about being single and a virgin before she got that interview.

    Coincidence?

    I think not.

    For the record I’m not saying Lolo isn’t a star, she is. BUT she has never medaled in a major track competition, ever. In the Track World, Indoor World’s isn’t considered major since a large chunk of the athletes don’t even bother with it.

    Some athletes will qualify and choose not to go, electing to stay home and train up for outdoor events.

    Meaning: resentment is going to happen when athletes who well beat her in major champs don’t get attention and probably never will.

    Dawn Harper ran in Beijing with borrowed shoes, and yes, Lolo fell, but Dawn became a foot note.

    Dawn also medaled at last year’s world champs, an event that Lolo didn’t qualify for.

    If they were all men, Dawn and Kellie would get the attention because men’s sports are about performance, while Women’s sports are about looks and “stories”.

    Dawn & Kellie could’ve handled it better, sure, but Lolo is not above criticism.

    At a certain level she sounded like a 14 year old child during her interview on HBO when she equated waiting to have sex to being necessary to not get divorced when she gets married, as she thinks that’s why her parents didn’t get married and aren’t together.

    All adults know there is no link between the two (Virginity and if you stay together).

    Why was she crying over one article that criticized her when Gabby Douglas didn’t cry over a TON of the same? Could it be she was crying over not medaling and just said it was the article for attention?

    She sent out dozens of tweets over not medaling, I follow a lot of athletes on twitter who just sent out 1-2, “I tried my best thanks for the support” – not endless tweets about crying and listening to sad songs on repeat.

    Now sad part?

    None of this matters.

    Kellie and Dawn could’ve cried on TV and said they wished Lolo had beaten them.

    They could tell their stories, poverty, abuse, no shoes, and nothing like Lolo received would come to them.

    Lolo’s looks and European features are a factor.

    Otherwise, Allyson Felix (who is better looking and more successful, but isn’t mixed) would be the star.

    She won three golds, broke a world record and no matter what she does, she won’t get Lolo’s attention.

    Speaking of Allyson, when she came across the line and won her first gold she said that the reason she won this year instead of silver like past Olympics was because she IGNORED people, focused on training, learned to say no.

    A lot of athletes who won medals have said similar things.

    Hmm……

    Anyway – wrong on all sides here, wrong on the media’s side, wrong for NBC to ask leading questions and create a ruckus.

    But let’s not forget that neither woman said Lolo’s name, they have a legit beef and it goes deep as far as how women’s sports and Black Women are treated marketing wise.

    As for Kellie & Dawn, they both have sponsorship deals with Nike and track wise, they’ll do all right, appearance fees for meets, sponsor bonuses, etc, they don’t need to get their resume’s together.

    But until Lolo wins a major medal she will be that woman who gets attention exceeding her achievements, and when the media defends her and attacks anyone who criticizes from within the sport? They almost validate Dawn and Kellie’s poorly worded point.

    All you need to know about race and Women’s sports is that a lot of American women have done some amazing things on the track this year, and a woman Allyson Felix was the US star of these games, 3 Golds (as much of any individual athlete in Track) and one world record.

    The fact that we’re not talking about how great she is and how she’s young enough that she should be still going strong four years from now, says it all.

    Let’s talk about the women that won.

    They all have stories.

    Stories and looks shouldn’t trump success on the field, it doesn’t for men’s sports, why is that way for women?

    • @Dexter: Allyson Felix has been the biggest name in women’s track and field since Marion jones — by far. It’s not even close. Lolo didn’t start to get pubbed until she became the #1 hurdler in the world.

      The espn article you linked isn’t written by a track analyst.

      In the track world, all IAAF meets are major — including indoor. if they weren’t, then no one would bother going. The Olympics and world champtionships aren’t the only major meets. The Olympic trials is also a major meet. She won it and I posted the blow out victory up above. NCAA championships is very major and she has 3 wins. Anyone that is an NCAA champ, a IAAF world champ, an American record holder, or ever ranked #1 in the world deserves every bit of press that they get. Just because other deserving athletes don’t get the press they deserve doesn’t mean the ones that do get the press don’t deserve theirs.

      they had no legit beef. they were being catty and jealous haters. if they aren’t getting the press they feel they deserve, then hire better PR people and get out there and hustle. The media is right to attack the criticism of Lolo. anyone that speaks ill of the accomplishments of one of history’s greatest hurdlers, doesn’t deserve to have their opinion respected. If you are a top 20 hurdler, ever, then no one should have anything to say about your credentials in the sport.

    • @Dexter: Umm, Allyson Felix is NOT better looking than LoLo Jones. She’s an attractive woman, yes, but it’s a huge stretch to say she’s more attractive than LoLo.

      • @Kris:

        that’s a matter of opinion. I’m with Dexter on Allyson Felix’s looks. I find her considerably more attractive than Lolo Jones. She isn’t the best all around sprinter in U.S. history. That distinction would belong to Flo Jo and Michael Johnson.

  17. misspennyfarthing

    The animosity to these women for obliquely referring to the disparity between their treatment and Lolo’s is astonishing. Exactly WHEN would they have an opportunity to say that they were disappointed that the media were uninterested in them? They only interview I’ve even seen from them is when they won gold! At what point, other than when the interviewer was STILL harping on Lolo, would they be able to address that this victory was theirs?!
    And they weren’t classless, petty, or tacky about it. I think folks are subconsciously projecting their own prejudices on these brown sistas. They object to something and all of a sudden they’re the embarrassing “irate black woman” and ohmigawd how dare they embarrass ALL of us! Y’all need to quit.

  18. @ Ravi I respectfully disagree.

    Whenever Ato Boldin or any well respected track analyst refers to a major championship, they refer to the Olympics & Worlds.

    Indoor is mentioned if you haven’t medaled in either.

    Furthermore, not everyone participates in indoor worlds. NO ONE skips outdoor worlds that can qualify, meanwhile a lot of athletes don’t bother even trying to qualify for indoor worlds.

    It’s not a true major championship.

    The list of top athletes who don’t bother with indoors is LONG

    The reason I pointed towards an article not written by a track analyst was to point out the disparity between major media exposure and coverage within the sport, Track Media would cover Allyson and this guy is covering Lolo like she’s the big name.

    Either way, Lolo has gotten more attention than the other women combined, easy. Allyson is a big star WITHIN the sport, but not outside of it and that’s why people are getting irritated.

    It’s no different than Danika Patrick being one of the most recognized names within Motorsports to the public at large, while people who follow the sport would name other folks who well, actually win races.

    Lolo Jones has accomplished things, indoor champs, indoor American record.

    But Dawn Harper is the fastest active athlete over 100 meter hurdles

    She has two Olympic Medals and a World Championship medal.

    Even IF indoor worlds is on par with the Olympics & Outdoor Worlds (which it isn’t) Dawn has the medals in those events, not Lolo.

    Lolo hasn’t had a good complete outdoor season in years.

    She gets out sized attention vs. her accomplishments

    Now I’m not begrudging her right to promote herself.

    I’m just saying that it reflects poorly on women’s sports where looks and tears >>> accomplishments on the field, this wouldn’t happen in men’s sports.

    Furthermore, the way she cried about her virginity and her constant pity part tweets are a touch pathetic.

    We’ve all had that friend who is constantly feeling sorry for themselves, and most of us think it’s not a good look.

    Allyson is a very devout Christian too, she could very well be a virgin, she’s just not putting her business out on the street to get sponsors.

    • @Dexter:

      The list of athletes that don’t show up to any world championship is long. The prestige of a meet is not rooted in the athletes that opt not to show up. What Ato Boldin does or does not mention is immaterial. He is a former athlete that got a job as an announcer. He does not dictate the hierarchy of events in the Athletics world. The IAAF does. Indoor world championships are just below the Olympics in the hierarchy. This is a fact that you could easily look up on the IAAF website instead of conjecturing based on trying to count the number of athletes that don’t show up and speculating as to why they didn’t compete.

      What is the basis of your assertion that it is not a true major championship? It is an IAAF World championship meet. Does this look like some small meet to you:

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_gGu6lM8VA

      It was the biggest meet held in all of 2010 — indoors or outdoors. do you even know which athletes did not show up? How much longer is that list than the number that didn’t show up at outdoor worlds the same year? How is that even a criteria for major meets?

      All media covers Allyson, she is everywhere. she’s easily as big as Marion Jones was. She is heavily covered in all areas of media. There is no special media just for track. You just made up a distinction between press in track vs. outside of track. Do you think those that are working in the sport get special broadcasts and commercials? We get special ads that only appear where track insiders can see them? and how are you even quantifying this? how do you know that she is getting more coverage than the other athletes combined? you saw twice as many commercials? Does she have twice the endorsements? More sponsors? does she make more money? Please elaborate as to how you know this. Lolo has not gotten more attention than any of the major sprinters. she doesn’t make as much money, she doesn’t have their level of sponsorships, and she is not one of the chosen spokesperson for athletics.

      It’s a little different than Dannika Patrick considering she has won far more races than any of the other women currently hurdling. You don’t get to be ranked #1 in the world by losing a whole lot.

      Dawn Harper is not the fastest active athlete in the 100 hurdles. Not this season and not based on PR. Sally Pearson is. Dawn has never been world #1 in her entire career. You kinda made that up. The medals you win doesn’t determine your ranking, it’s your time. She has never had the fastest time in the world, so she has never been the fastest hurdler in the world.

      She has had a good complete outdoor season recently. She was #1 in the world for most of 2010. She dominated indoor 2010 and continued to dominate throughout the summer. She was only surpassed in the last couple weeks of the summer by 1 runner. She has had nothing but good seasons until her injury and surgery last season. She returned this season to finish 4th in the Olympics which is another good strong season.

      Whether indoor world championship is on par with the olympics is moot. a meet doesn’t need to be the most prestigious meet to be a major meet. it’s not like the sport only has two real meets. the idea is asinine. We have tons of meets every year throughout the indoor and outdoor season. Any meet deemed a world championship is kind of major.

      her accomplishments in the sport over the course of the last decade are second to no American hurdler currently running. She has spent more time at the top of the American hurdling world than anyone still active. Dawn has been #1 in the U.S. all of a few days now. Lolo has been there consistently for years. Let’s see how long Dawn stays there.

      her looks and tears don’t come close to her accomplishments. if anyone is making the sport look bad it’s Dawn and Kellie with their classless displays on television. Many athletes cry, including men. Showing vulnerability isn’t a negative. Dogging out your teammate because she thinks she’s cute is a negative. they sound like a bunch of catty high school girls. You talk about feeling sorry for themselves, what do you think that was about? Two immature brats feeling sorry for themselves because the pretty light skinned girl is getting all the shine. whoa is me. Get a publicist and hire a better agent and stop the pity party.

      Allyson has sponsors. All of these girls do. Allyson makes far more money than any hurdlers, so I guess that’s another moot point.

  19. This article was spot on. As a Black woman, my heart sank when these two hurdlers carried on in a very unceremonious and unsportsmanlike way. They’re ALL members of Team USA, for goodness’ sake. Sure, Lolo has the attention on her. I don’t agree with it and think Dawn and Kellie should have talked about their OWN success and be gracious to their other teammate. Instead, they came across as catty, rude and divisive.
    It isn’t a Black thing. It’s a MEAN GIRL thing. They would have played the part very well in the Lindsay Lohan movie. They should have put their bitterness aside to celebrate the fact that they’re Olympic medalists, they ran a great race and they’re leaving London as winners.
    Now, I just see them as losers.

  20. Ladies should have stayed focused on the prize (which they won) and been gracious. By ragging, they gave more focus to Lolo. If I worked my tail off and won, the commentators would have had to steer the focus right back to the WINNER-me. And I’m surely not going to worry about someone who LOST…….chile cheeze.

  21. Shane was definately on point in my opinion.

  22. I agree with the article. It’s deplorable that black women are still behaving like this. Leave LOLO alone! Stop hating because she had enough sense to get a good agent who figured out how to make LOLO money! This stuff is unjustified and it is really beneath black women.

  23. While I thought the ladies reaction to Jones was ill-advised, I can empathize. No one can possibly understand what it’s like to labor under someone’s shadow for FOUR years. It didn’t just happen at the London Olympics, but Jones also got more attention at Beijing. Even though Dawn Harper was the GOLD Medalist! She’d have to be an extraordinay human being not to become exceedingly frustrated. How long would you be able to take it if you were doing all the work at your job(s), yet someone else got the credit. If you say you’d be able to remain gracious, well, you’re a better person than I and the other 6 billion odd people on this planet.

  24. wonder what the scenario would’ve been, had it not been Lolo Jones, but instead Jessica Ennis of the UK who could outrun either Dawn or Kellie, looks 200 x better than either woman in sex appeal and overall beauty, and is as charismatic and “exotic” as Lolo being half Jamaican?

    I’ll bet Dawn would throw shade because so,e woman got more media coverage over her athletic ability, ad Kellie would throw shade because Ennis got more ooty coverage and attention. Rediculous, and proves the point that its beyond athletic abilities, it’s about vanity, pride, and ego for both Dawn and Kellie.

  25. What always gets me about these light skinned, dark skinned debates is the fact that people are actually mad at the light person for the attention others give them! As if they requested to be born in the race/color they are! THAT makes no sense at all! That’s like being mad at an attractive person because they are attractive, or being mean to an ugly person for being ugly, like they chose it. I don’t get that at all! And the even more baffling part is the prejudice within one race. WHY? Black is black! No matter the shade. And the only people I see that point it out and have a problem with it are black people! All other races see blacks as blacks regardless of shade. But “WE” make the difference. We are the most self hating race in the world, and that is soooo, sad! And yes I’m light skinned, and have had many, many black women hate me without even knowing me all my life, even in elementary! I get tired of not being accepted by my own people, I get tired of explaining my life, and that I don’t get all the “privileges” that you think I do because I’m light. But unless you walk in my shoes, you wouldn’t know that, because you have this preconcieved notion that my life is so easy, lol! Trust me it’s not, and has never been. And the added pressure of trying to prove my blackness to be accepted by my own people is just sad….

    • @sunshine30ca72:

      sorry but thats not the truth..”Black is Black” is not a true statement. A light skin woman doesn’t understand the plights that a dark skinned woman goes through and vice verse. its reality….just like a woman with naturally straight hair doesn’t understand what a woman with thick nappy hair goes though….although “Hair is Hair.”

      were there any “light skin” maids in The Help??? No! Because Hollywood wanted that down and out, dark and gritty sad looking women in the movie…

      Its the same with Hollywood having Zoe Saldana playing NINA SIMONE!!!!…..They want to take a woman that was talented, and beautiful but, white wash her to the masses to make her more “appealing” and white people friendly……

      Lolo is talented Yes…is she great? No…..but, shes more “appealing” in ads, on television she makes white people feel comfortable, they find her cute and innocent…

      Dark Skin still is taboo, it makes people uneasy…..

  26. What Harper and Wells failed to do was control their ego. The image thing has been around since the beginning of television and movies. What they should have realized is that instead of hating on Lolo they should have got on her train. Came out and support of Lolo’s virginity and faith and wished her well. Had either done that, they would have probably been on Real Sports too and got at least some shine.

    But the “crabs in the barrel” mentality lives on. If you know you better, let the performance say it all. These are smart guys but dumb when it comes to marketing and controlling their egos.

  27. As someone who works in media and has their own media company I definitely understand going with what sells. Do I agree with it? No I don’t but we all know why it’s done…As for Harper and Wells, it was a very poor, distasteful and pointless interview…I am by no means light skinned but I was very unhappy with the way these women played into the typical “black woman” stereotype…Who cares about Lolo being light skinned with fancy eyes (my mother is the same, light skinned with hazel eyes) I have seen discrimination towards her for being too light and not black enough but she’s a successful business woman who has not looked back…my point is these two woman had the chance to have all the media focus on them, give sponsors a reason to place their endorsements on them therefore the Lolo Jones issue wouldn’t even exist…she would have faded in the background and all the focus would have been on them….but instead they showed jealousy which only boosted the media’s already growing love for Lolo…smh, we as black people have to stop being jealous of one another because of skin color, looks, etc….It only holds us back in the end…

  28. After reading all these comments, it’s safe to say…..there is a double standard. Ask Charles Barkely, Carl Malone, Patrick Ewing, Reggie Miller, John Stockton and host of others whether they deserve their marketability because they failed to win an NBA Championship? The girl is getting hated on because she is beautiful, talented, and holds a degree in Economics.

  29. The fact that Lolo chooses to share that she is a virgin and flaunts a Christian lifestyle is not so much a means to gain media attention in my opinion, but perhaps a chance to let people who are like her in that sense feel like they’re not alone. And I’m sure a lot of parents are not mad at the example that she is setting for their little girls. I will not argue the fact that it does make her more marketable as an athlete. People are more drawn to people who share their stories and those who they feel they can identify with. The fact that she’s attractive is a plus.

    I personally don’t feel Lolo got that much attention at the olympics as she shouldn’t have for her failure to deliver. I am not knocking anything she has done in the past, but the past is just that, the past. The only thing she really has going for her now is her looks and story. As a former athlete, it is disappointing to see someone with so much potential to have to resort to something like that to stay relevant.

    Dawn and kelli gave away their 5 mins of fame and I hope that in the future, they will learn to make better choices in their interviews. As far as them being dark skinned, not many, if any, mentioned Ms. Sanya Richards-Ross, who is VERY a consistent athlete and received great media attention at the olympics and has endorsements out of the wahzoo. She commands the attention that she gets every time that gun goes off and that’s why she is where she is today. Being a dark-skinned woman myself, I know what it’s like for us in the world, and especially within the black community. But I don’t think it applies as much in athletics. If Gabby Douglas was light-skinned, I don’t think she would have received any more attention than what she did. She is celebrated for her accomplishments first and foremost and then the fact that she is an african american female in a predominately white sport. And even at 16, she conducted herself much more professionally and with more class than either of dawn or kelli. It wouldn’t kill them to take some notes.

    The hype about Lolo will die down soon enough if she doesn’t shape up. In the meantime, dawn and kelli need to get it together.

    • Sorry for late post but had chime in. Dawn and Kelli was right to speak truth to power because jones did get way too much attention which took away from their earning potential. Gabby story worked because of her staying with white family and yes she would get more pub if she where of mixed race. the olympics are the only moment where one can create their brand and get money later. dawn and kelli got screwed by media. fyi Dawn is one good looking woman with fantastic symmetry and looks better than Lolo to me.

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