What are your sports announcers saying?

[XTinabell]

I'm watching the Olympics and I'm finding myself laughing at how rude the announcers are towards some of the athletes. When I was watching the couples figuring skating, a team was skating to a song called "Impossible Dream" and the announcer said "The song is very appropriate for their chances of a medal." Then the team ended up getting a silver or gold I can't recall, but he was eating his words.

Then just now, watching the women's down hill skiing, a female announcer was reading the order the women will be skiing, she named the first four and then said "After that the good ones will be going." The good ones? They're competing in the Olympics I think they're all good!

I could go on all day quoting the rude things these guys are saying and it got me thinking, what are people saying in other parts of the world? Are your announcers rude too?

 

[Octoberbride03]

I haven't watched the games yet, but that is funny. That skating remark would remind me of Clinton Kelly on What Not to Wear if it were about clothes

 

[Piglets Mommy]

I have noticed that some too.....My thoughts are that they are a heck of a lot better than I would be!!! Heck, I'd wind up in the ER!

 

[mrsv98]

OMG, we noticed this last night! On NBC, the commentator (not Scott Hamilton) was talking about all the hype around Johnny Wier and finished his sentence with "let's see if he can back that up with some skating."...MEOW! I am not a big Wier fan but geesh, talk about the guy's performance and keep your snotty remarks to yourself!

 

[Squirlz]

I'm wondering why the pictures they show of the athletes all look like mug shots!

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

I am most annoyed at the bias of the announcers. They all have their favorite athletes, and they unashamedly praise them even when their performances do not live up to the hype. All this while ignoring an athlete that performs very well unexpectedly.

I also get annoyed at the American and Canadian bias. This from an American...

 

[Free4Life11]

The figure skating commentators always seem especially catty. Haven't ever noticed it in any other sport.

 

[DWGal210]

I agree - I want to keep a notebook next to my couch and write down these things as I watch the Olympics.

I know it must get hard to think of original and constructive things to say after hours of events, but come on people! It's the Olympics for goodness sake!!

 

[Amy&Dan]

The figure skating commentators always seem especially catty. Haven't ever noticed it in any other sport.

I've noticed that too. And in the summer olympics, the gymnastics announcers are the same way.

Last night Dick Button had himself in knots with some of his comments.

I mean I am sure Dick Button was great in 1948 and 1952 but that doesn't make him the know all be all of figure skating today. Frankly, I was hoping he'd be retired before these games.

 

[puffkin]

I absolutely roll at Bob Costas. He gets some zingers in there....especially with Chris Collingsworth. I too need to keep a tablet with me to write them all down. Love him!

My favorite filler piece was the one with Shawn White last night. Hysterical about his mom taking his medal to be dry cleaned. That is the stuff I like to see.....I am so glad they don't have much time to show much fluff this year. I am enjoying the Olympics so much more!

Our all time favorite was when the showed the gold medal pairs team from China stretching backstage before their long program. She was bent over stretching and he was making a very suggestive move Totally innocent stretching but from the TV angle it was quite provacative......OMG we were on the floor at that one. Especially when we heard Scott Hamilton go into a giggle fit and couldn't compose himself for a comment until half way through the next pairs routine.

We also have Andrea (Kremmer???) watch at our house. She did the pool side commentary at Beijing and was constantly staring at and touching the male swimmers. It was hysterical and a running joke in our house. Well then she popped up at speedskating the other night doing the same thing! We lost it again......

We seriously love the Olympics!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Oh yea we yell at them.

That also goes for the Westminster Dog Show that was on. Some of the comments were just stupid beyond all reason.

 

[zachnsamsmommy]

I've noticed that too. And in the summer olympics, the gymnastics announcers are the same way.

Last night Dick Button had himself in knots with some of his comments.

I mean I am sure Dick Button was great in 1948 and 1952 but that doesn't make him the know all be all of figure skating today. Frankly, I was hoping he'd be retired before these games.

Amen! I thought Dick Button's commentary after the skating was just a little harsh. Especially about Jeremy Abbott...omg. I mean, I'm sure he felt bad about his performance without the commentary that followed.

 

[PeterPan09]

The thing that makes me CRAZY about Olympic commentary and coverage is the idea that the only athletes worth covering are the ones who are either from this country or have a shot at the medal stand. Sure, every once in a while we'll get a human interest story about someone who isn't American or who isn't going to "win", but with all those people there and all the TV time available, I'd really like to hear more about the people who are in it for the pure LOVE of what they're doing.

Personally, I think anyone who is there and does a personal best has WON. All the people who miss the medal stand are not losers-but you sure would think it when you listen to these commentators.

 

[Amy&Dan]

Amen! I thought Dick Button's commentary after the skating was just a little harsh. Especially about Jeremy Abbott...omg. I mean, I'm sure he felt bad about his performance without the commentary that followed.

Yes, Dick can be annoying. Have you ever seen any footage of his routines? By those day's standards he was the best, by today's its sort of comical. Heck even Peggy Fleming in her glory can't compare to today's athletes so when Dicky acts like these guys aren't so great, I think to myself, could you have done all that if you had to compete today even if you were young?

The thing that makes me CRAZY about Olympic commentary and coverage is the idea that the only athletes worth covering are the ones who are either from this country or have a shot at the medal stand. Sure, every once in a while we'll get a human interest story about someone who isn't American or who isn't going to "win", but with all those people there and all the TV time available, I'd really like to hear more about the people who are in it for the pure LOVE of what they're doing.

Personally, I think anyone who is there and does a personal best has WON. All the people who miss the medal stand are not losers-but you sure would think it when you listen to these commentators.

I have liked it a few times when someone comes up to the start line or out to compete and they say they aren't here to win a medal but just for the experience. I mean to me that is what makes the Olympics the Olympics! It just doens't get mentioned enough in my book.

 

[MomofKatie]

I thought the figure skating announcers were pretty harsh last night during the men's short program. There was a guy performing who isn't in the medal hunt, but he went out and skated a clean, perfectly wonderful program. As soon as the music ended, the guy was so happy, he fist-pumped and celebrated. The commetators said that he performed "as well as he was capable of" and said, IMO, VERY patronizingly, "Good for him". Of course, they immediately followed that with, "Of course, he has nowhere near the quality skating of the top men, so he won't figure AT ALL in the medal picture". Yeesh, way to pick on the poor guy... I thought he did really well, and they were so dismissive of him. I think it was the Belgian skater (wearing the skeleton costume and skating to "Night on Bald Mountain").

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm not sure if we're current on watching, so I don't know when things happened, LOL.

But the pairs skating we were watching last night (not sure if we were "live" or on DVR from the night before), the woman commenting was just so rude about one of the pairs. I think it was actually against the married Chinese pair. She was just picking apart the woman. And then when they got gold, she was saying something about how "if this had gone differently and that had gone differently, it would have been a different result"...uh, yeah, of course it would! That's what happens when they combine two difference scores! It's the whole point of combining.

Our all time favorite was when the showed the gold medal pairs team from China stretching backstage before their long program. She was bent over stretching and he was making a very suggestive move Totally innocent stretching but from the TV angle it was quite provacative......OMG we were on the floor at that one. Especially when we heard Scott Hamilton go into a giggle fit and couldn't compose himself for a comment until half way through the next pairs routine.

Hamilton was giggling? Oh drat, we missed that, as DH and I were trying to not giggle (lest DS ask why we were giggling)! I said something like "and that right there is the problem when a pair is married, because you see stretching and think OTHER things", and I guess we missed Hamilton's giggle fit!

 

[puffkin]

Hamilton was giggling? Oh drat, we missed that, as DH and I were trying to not giggle (lest DS ask why we were giggling)! I said something like "and that right there is the problem when a pair is married, because you see stretching and think OTHER things", and I guess we missed Hamilton's giggle fit!

He started to laugh, tried to say something and then broke down giggling again. It sounded like they shut off his mic because it ended so abruptly and there was just silence....we were on the floor

 

[PeterPan09]

He started to laugh, tried to say something and then broke down giggling again. It sounded like they shut off his mic because it ended so abruptly and there was just silence....we were on the floor

I would have loved to heard the conversation in the booth during the commercial break!

 

[BunsenH]

The commentating has been a bit spotty.

I thought Dick Button was dead.

After watching for a few hours, I thought of a new Olympic coverage drinking game. You have to drink a shot every time an announcer says "Podium".

......PODIUM....... (shot)..................Podium..... (shot).........

 

[bumbershoot]

After watching for a few hours, I thought of a new Olympic coverage drinking game. You have to drink a shot every time an announcer says "Podium".

......PODIUM....... (shot)..................Podium..... (shot).........

For us, it's been the word "touchdown" (or maybe "touch down"), from the female figure skating commentator. And it's NOT a positive thing. Does anyone know what that means? "She had a bit of a touch down on the landing"...I kept thinking...isn't it GOOD that she touched the ice with her foot? (it wasn't when someone needs to put their hand on the ice) editing to add...I first heard it about the 16 year old female US skater during the short program, I think...

Anyone know the meaning? Because I sure don't!



Puffkin, thanks for the extra info! Love it! I like SH doing the commentator work. What we were watching last night, you could hear him grunt/groan in his concentration when someone was landing something difficult...sure, it's probably bias, but SH wanted that skater to do what he was doing! And since we were practically making the same noise, it was good to know others were rooting for them! We just want everyone to do the best that they can.