Allow me to cite myself. … Permission granted!
For years I’ve written that in sports activities and TV, no concept is so inane that it’s unworthy of duplication then perpetuation. I used to write down that with a touch of sarcasm. No extra. It’s the very fact, Jack.
From replay guidelines to the Rooney Rule, vital choices are reached bereft of foresight. Then, regardless of their self-evident foolishness, they’re sustained — then copied.
Some historic perspective, as described by Antony Beevor in “The Fall of Berlin 1945”: When Joseph Stalin’s Pink Military in 1945 reached the outskirts of Berlin, somebody had an awesome concept. The Soviets trucked in additional than 100 large searchlights to blind the German defenders when that night time’s huge artillery assault would start.
In order the invaders opened hearth, the smoke from the weapons rose in opposition to the beams of sunshine — blinding the Soviets as to what and whom they have been firing.
When the smoke cleared, Soviet generals found that their preliminary bombardment had landed totally on front-line Russian infantry.
In order that they did it once more.
Conditioned by Stalin to consider their troopers as cannon-fodder and blind to regulate the vary for correct firing, they have been dedicated to these searchlights to justify each their presence and Stalin’s navy genius.
In recent times, TV’s soccer networks have been wedded to the same, although much less murderous plan, one born of blind foresight sustained by counterproductive stubbornness or simply habit-formed ignorance and neglect:
For the largest video games, transport your time-filling/killing and insufferably banal pregame and halftime reveals from their regular-season studios, and at nice expense, to the positioning of the sport.
These in-house periods, usually insufferable as you possibly can’t hear what’s being stated, turn out to be a colossal waste of money and time. Usually, the panelists, as many as six, can’t even hear what each other are saying, thus don't know when to pressure their ordinary in-studio pressured laughter.
Sunday, at halftime of Bengals-Chiefs, the 5 dispatched CBS panelists needed to shout by way of their winter overcoats however have been nonetheless indecipherable, muffled by loud music from the general public tackle system. Instantaneous slapstick. Moe: “After I nod my head, you hit it.”
CBS, with earlier alternatives to study from, didn’t see this coming? Or didn’t care?
Fox’s 49ers-Rams halftime — its 5 panelists standing on the sidelines in good climate — was extra sufferable however one needed to pressure to listen to them, additionally by way of or over music from the P.A. system.
Reader Chris Niemir: “Was it me, or did each halftime reveals spoil some good music with commentators making an attempt to speak over it?”
Gonna be troublesome for Flores to show racism
How will we distinguish racial tokenism from racial altruism? Within the case of the NFL’s foresight-barren Rooney Rule, we are able to’t.
Brian Flores has to show that the NFL, the Giants, Dolphins and Broncos are systemically racist of their hiring practices — a troublesome promote earlier than an neutral choose or jury. That his emotions have been damage by rejections, even when predetermined, doesn't make for a reputable authorized plaint.
Then again, the Rooney Rule inevitably would backfire because it logically fuels suspicions of tokenism. Properly-intended, it’s a woefully, predictably misguided rule — and from its begin.
Thus, even when Flores, as he claims, realized that the Giants had already decided to rent Brian Daboll as its subsequent coach, the Rooney Rule demanded that minority candidates be interviewed. The Giants adhered to that rule, regardless of how absurd or purely symbolic.
His filed accusation that the Dolphins are a racist group appears skinny as he was their head coach for 3 seasons, employed from New England, the place he was an assistant coach. The Giants? Does it rely that they'd a GM for almost 11 years, Jerry Reese, who's black?
The place Flores completely loses fair-minded of us is when he raises that low-cost, trivializing declare that the NFL and its groups are structured to deal with blacks as “plantation” slaves. No slave had the proper to stop, not to mention sue.
However it might make a pleasant Nike advert marketing campaign.
If I have been King, I’d lose all “Keys to the Sport” prologues. After “outscore the opposite group,” it’s largely one-size fits-all.
Sunday, CBS’ Tony Romo opened with the “key” that Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes should stay “affected person, affected person, affected person.” However that might solely be achieved if he has the “time, time, time.”
To advise, for instance, that Giants’ QB Daniel Jones keep “affected person” chimes flat, as he has so usually been pressured to take the snap, then duck or dash for his life.
Previous to Cincinnati-Kansas Metropolis, CBS’ Tracy Wolfson gave the Chiefs’ “Defensive Keys” as she stated she gleaned from Okay.C.’s coaches. So as:
“Restrict explosive performs.”
“Win contested balls.”
“End off [Cincy QB Joe] Burrow.”
As inside information goes, gamers’ favourite colours, pizza toppings and Pixy Stix flavors would have been a minimum of as helpful.
FS1 stat comes up empty
Idiots’ Picnic Graphic of the Week appeared Wednesday on FS1. In giant lettering, it learn, “Villanova: Most Factors Allowed In First Half since 2020.” Knifepoint! We wouldn’t publish that at knifepoint!
Reader and longtime pen pal Richard T. Monahan by now is aware of that ESPN’s sense of vital context is — to be beneficiant — zero.
As proof of this season’s success of the Florida Panthers, ESPN famous their scoring differential by durations: First, plus-19. Second, plus-12. However, test it out, Chadwick, within the third interval, they’re plus-24!
Provided that they’re a first-place group, Monahan asks, “What number of of these third-period objectives are empty-net objectives?”
Child steps, Richard. Maybe ESPN doesn’t know what empty-net objectives are.
Does tough-talking, gutter-rap sycophant Peter Rosenberg take requests? How about right now, as an ESPN Radio-NY “The Michael Kay Present” common, he recite the N-word-larded lyrics of Roger Goodell’s Tremendous Bowl headliner, Snoop Dogg, advocating the taking pictures murders of cops? Come on, powerful man.
First, Keith Hernandez’s No. 17 was described in a Mets press launch as “iconic.” Now Mets announcers Gary Cohen, Ron Darling and Hernandez are described in a Mets/SNY launch as an “iconic” trio. Simply observe the indicators to the Iconic Parkway.
This week’s rumors about Jim Harbaugh leaving Michigan to educate within the NFL delivered to reminiscence ESPN’s declare, a number of years in the past, to have damaged the story that LSU soccer coach Les Miles is leaving to educate Michigan. Later that day, ESPN took credit score for breaking one other story: Miles is staying at LSU.
I admit it. The ultimate 2:13 of Ohio State-Purdue on Sunday on CBS took so lengthy to finish — 16 minutes—- I missed it, misplaced to a ebook throughout one of many stops.
What to make of the no-COVID-vax deportation of Novak Djokovic earlier than the Australian Open? From a reader’s good friend, Bruce Calleri: “Say what you'll about Australian tennis, however they certain know how one can return a Serb.”
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