uruloki’s lair

Phil Taylor at CNNSI.com says what I’ve been thinking for a while: sportscasters are getting way too loud.

Sportscasters apparently have decided that no statement is so trivial that it can’t be yelled at the top of their lungs, because it seems that every word coming out of my television set is being screamed. It’s getting to the point where anytime you turn on the TV to see what’s going on in sports, you get yelled at more than the kid who made those crude noises in junior high homeroom. There was a time when a shouting sportscaster meant something exciting had just happened. Now they yell when they’re just sitting at a table discussing the NBA salary cap.

He goes on to mention some of the usual culprits such as Michael Irvin (also called out by Peter King), Dick Vitale, and John Madden. However, he doesn’t mention one of the worst: Philly sportswriter and frequent ESPN contributor Stephen A. Smith. That dude has got a pair of lungs on him… For a while ESPN was doing the “Old School – New Skewl” thing on SportsCenter, where he was paired with an old white guy to debate sports issues. Thing was, he was more interested in yelling two or three things (often over the other guy) than building a case and presenting it in any coherent fashion. It sucks that I can’t even remember the other guy, but Smith is a loudmouth. (I’d say something about Philly at this point, but the in-laws would sacrifice me )

Tags: Sports //