Monday, March 31, 2008

Cy Hates When Athletes "Say All the Right Things"

My comment made on the Tyler Hansbrough post raises another issue that really, really irritates me: Athletes being expected to "say all the right things" by the mainstream sports media, and all too often obliging. The problem is that by saying all the right things, they're never saying anything worth listening to.

Hansbrough is the perfect example. I can't fathom why the sports media keeps booking him for interviews when they already know what they're going to get: the same-old tired "gee-whiz, aw-shucks, we're just taking it one game at a time" routine. C'mon Tyler, be a man! Have an opinion! (Like this guy!)



This is why I'll never understand why so many people have such a strong dislike for Moss, TO, and Ocho-Cinco. How can you not love these guys? Sure they're dicks; but they're entertaining dicks, and aren't sports supposed to be about entertainment? Is Randy Moss threatening to shake his dick at fans not entertaining? What about TO doing sit-ups while he's being interviewed in his drive way? That was so surreal, there's no way anyone should have been able to not enjoy that. And if you don't get excited every time Chad Johnson does anything, from sending opposing DBs Pepto-Bismol to threatening to use a live deer during a TD celebration, then you should just stop watching sports right now.

From now on, I'm rooting extra hard for athletes that say all the wrong things. If you like your athletes milquetoast boring, then by all means, you can have your Hansbroughs and your Mannings and your Rices. Me? I'll take my Moss's and my Roenicks and my Sheeds. At least if one of my guys says something boring, he'll do it with style:




3 comments:

Mikey K said...

tyler won't have an opinion, or be a man, until he's 40!!

this all started with michael jordan, who realized that buttoning up his collar and his lip would make him the greatest marketing machine of all time. has been continued in the nike dynasty by Tiger. Same thing with Peyton, and look how many commercials he does!

those guys are both know assholes, but in front of the camera or a tape recorder, all the right things is all you'll hear. and those three, the greatest pitchmen of the last 25 years, are laughing all the way to the bank.

Mikey K said...

addendum - M. Jeff and Tiger are known to have a mean streak on the playing field, but I can't really say the same about Peyton. I'd let that guy teach football to my kids, like in that United Way commercial...

Megan Sweas said...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/28/AR2008022804230.html

This is a great article on athletes with opinions and the Jordan/Tigers who say nothing about political issues. Oden had just endorsed Obama when this column came out. (And contrary to my last comment bashing him and others for leaving college, he does seem to want to learn about the issues of our day.)