Offending Decisions
Posted on
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
by Gary A. Ballard
I heard a bit of news this morning regarding something I normally don't care much about, network TV sports broadcasters. I don't care much about them normally, because with few exceptions, they fill the air with inane jocularity that distracts me from the game I'm trying to watch, dropping in the occasional network promo for a show I probably don't watch. Yes, Joe Buck, I know Prison Break and 24 are on Fox, and I can't stand either one of them. Now shut up and let me watch the Packers get assraped by junior varsity teams.
But sometimes a broadcaster will do something to get fired or be forced to fake contrition and apologize on air. I like a good trainwreck, so I pay attention. Sometimes the firing/humiliation is warranted, but sometimes it is so insidiously logicless that I must speak out if for no other reason than to shake off the confusion. Such is my reaction to the firing of Steve Lyons by Fox after his comments on Friday night's MLB playoff broadcast. For details, read the story on ESPN.
Steve Lyons is a decent analyst. He's not got the personality of a Harry Caray, the baseball knowledge of a Steve Stone or a Bob Brenly, or the senile bombast of a John Madden, but he's pretty good. He doesn't make me want to turn the channel from overexposure. Yes, I'm talking to you, Joe Buck. Please do a few less broadcasts. He doesn't detract from the game.
But Lyons gets fired for making a comment that only an oversensitive middle managing nitwit would think was racially insensitive. I would think it would be more insulting to whoever this comment was supposed to offend that the dots were connected in this manner. It's as if the executives who made this decision really do believe Lou Piniella or Hispanics in general are prone to stealing wallets but don't want to be admit they made that connection when the rest of the world ignored the comments as useless banter-y white noise played over a baseball game. Does Fox Broadcasting believe Lou Piniella is a pickpocket? Do they clutch their wallets tighter to their over-priced suit pants when passing Latinos or Hispanics or Mexicans? Who is the racially-insensitive one, the guy sitting in the booth shooting the shit with his co-worker and buddy or the cloistered pack of corpro-twats sitting in comfortable air-conditioned offices in LA stories above the mean streets full of all those low-income immigrants?
Maybe someone was offended by that. People get offended by weird things. If you were offended, however, I'm going to have to tell you to grow a pair. There are a lot more offensive things that could be said. Be glad it was Keith Hernandez in the booth. No one wants to hear what he'd have said.
But sometimes a broadcaster will do something to get fired or be forced to fake contrition and apologize on air. I like a good trainwreck, so I pay attention. Sometimes the firing/humiliation is warranted, but sometimes it is so insidiously logicless that I must speak out if for no other reason than to shake off the confusion. Such is my reaction to the firing of Steve Lyons by Fox after his comments on Friday night's MLB playoff broadcast. For details, read the story on ESPN.
Steve Lyons is a decent analyst. He's not got the personality of a Harry Caray, the baseball knowledge of a Steve Stone or a Bob Brenly, or the senile bombast of a John Madden, but he's pretty good. He doesn't make me want to turn the channel from overexposure. Yes, I'm talking to you, Joe Buck. Please do a few less broadcasts. He doesn't detract from the game.
But Lyons gets fired for making a comment that only an oversensitive middle managing nitwit would think was racially insensitive. I would think it would be more insulting to whoever this comment was supposed to offend that the dots were connected in this manner. It's as if the executives who made this decision really do believe Lou Piniella or Hispanics in general are prone to stealing wallets but don't want to be admit they made that connection when the rest of the world ignored the comments as useless banter-y white noise played over a baseball game. Does Fox Broadcasting believe Lou Piniella is a pickpocket? Do they clutch their wallets tighter to their over-priced suit pants when passing Latinos or Hispanics or Mexicans? Who is the racially-insensitive one, the guy sitting in the booth shooting the shit with his co-worker and buddy or the cloistered pack of corpro-twats sitting in comfortable air-conditioned offices in LA stories above the mean streets full of all those low-income immigrants?
Maybe someone was offended by that. People get offended by weird things. If you were offended, however, I'm going to have to tell you to grow a pair. There are a lot more offensive things that could be said. Be glad it was Keith Hernandez in the booth. No one wants to hear what he'd have said.
posted by Gary A. Ballard @ 9:08 AM
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1 Comments:
King Kaufman at Salon had a good article on this. His point was that nobody actually seems offended at all, there were no protests, no complaints.
And I do agree that in a way it does almost seem like racism on the part of the Fox people. It never even occurred to me to be offended, I didn't put 2 and 2 together (and end up with 47) and deduce it was a racial comment rather than two guys needling each other a bit.
Margalis
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