A Quiet Game of Tennis
Taki´s Magazine,
by
Taki
Original Article
Posted By: earlybird,
7/3/2021 3:49:58 PM
Wimbledon is here at last, after the missing 2020 year. What struck me watching the French Open a couple of weeks before on TV was just how much rubbish I had to listen to if I kept the sound on. There are now too many matches broadcast, which means more and more commentators spouting off about the game in the middle of rallies. I don’t know what it is that makes viewers accept these nonstop blabbermouths who interrupt their viewing without raising hell with the networks. We’ve become a nation of sheep, accepting everything so-called experts throw at us. Televised sporting events do not actually need commentators except before
Reply 1 - Posted by:
Avikingman 7/3/2021 4:03:02 PM (No. 834860)
Mega dittos on ridding sports coverage of blabbermouths.
I swear they must be paid by the word. ESPN Sunday Night baseball is unwatchable. So is Fox, but I repeat myself. Announcers, please shaddap!
10 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
coldoc 7/3/2021 4:21:28 PM (No. 834876)
The rattlemouths doing nascar are worse. Take away "3 wide" and there would be 50% blessed silence.
7 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
HerbVA 7/3/2021 4:39:41 PM (No. 834885)
I’m old enough to remember Ray Scott doing NFL games. Minimal yakking, no bulls#$t between plays. Just called the action on the field. As a long time Packers fan he would merely say “ Taylor for the touchdown”.
4 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
JimJr 7/3/2021 4:53:23 PM (No. 834891)
Kirk Herbstriet. For the love of football, will someone please gag the man!
4 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
Maggie2u 7/3/2021 4:55:42 PM (No. 834893)
I still remember the first pro game I went to. The Mariners way back when in the old Kingdome. I was surprised there was no running commentary. You just watched the game and knew what was going on and cheered or booed with the crowd as circumstances warranted.
3 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
JHHolliday 7/3/2021 5:18:32 PM (No. 834906)
I grew up with the old wooden racquets. You also had to put them in a press to store them so they wouldn’t warp. When the oversized lightweights came it it was a godsend for the average player. Sort of like the easier to hit modern golf clubs. A few years ago I bought an old 1950s McGregor two iron on a whim. Took it to the range and couldn’t even get the ball in the air with it. Big difference but at least the new clubs make it easier for beginners to learn the game without getting totally discouraged.
3 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
JimBob 7/3/2021 6:50:40 PM (No. 834979)
The same principle applies to political speeches.
I would watch and listen to President Trump give a speech.
I would keep the audio muted before the speech so that I did not have to hear the leftist TV announcer's blather about what President Trump was GOING to say.
I would bring up the sound when the President started speaking, then turn it off so as to not listen to the leftist TV announcer blather on about what they 'interpreted' what they wanted us to believe President Trump as having HAD just said.
On sports, the only team I paid attention to was the Redskins in the mid-to-late 1970's. Howard Cosell - the loud, boring, arrogant, overwhelmingly STUPID Cosell- was often the ABC network TV announcer. Ugh!
But..... there was a local radio station, WMAL, that had a broadcast team of three people. A play-by-play narrator, then Sonny Jurgenson who was recently retired as the Redskins quarterback, explaining what the offense was doing, and Sam Huff, who was a recently retired All-Pro middle linebacker, explaining what the defense was doing. Their expert commentary made the game much more interesting for me, as they would explain the ever-changing situation- the score, the field position, the down, yards to go for a first down, the matchup of the various players, the time remaining, and how the offense would set up to do a certain play, then the defense would set up to block, but in dong so would open up some other opportunity, which the offense would try to take advantage of. This was constantly changing on every play as the game progressed. At the same time they would make entertaining comments on particularly outstanding efforts by individual players. Instead of just the guys on the field, they brought their listeners into the several layers of mental contests that were going on at the same time as the actual physical contest. It was an entertaining show. But. that was many years ago.
Today with the loudmouth announcers, the dreadlocks hanging out from under the helmets that look like the Uruk-Hai from Lord of the Rings, the kneelers, the leftist politics, the tolerance for players who are Thugs in real life.... the whole thing is dead to me.
No Fans Left for the National Felons (and Fairies) League!
2 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
WI Cynic 7/3/2021 7:52:42 PM (No. 835031)
^^^^
Back when I was a kid in the 60's, we'd watch the Cubs on TV (on one of the three channels we got) with the volume all the way down, listening to a radio announcer doing the commentary.
2 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
earlybird 7/3/2021 10:35:10 PM (No. 835180)
We were spoiled. For decades the wonderful Vin Scully was the sole (by his choice) announcer-play caller for the Dodgers. He believed it was wrong to have two announcers sitting there, chatting with each other. His commentary was minial and any color he added came from his own memory, not a printed script in front of him. And such a lovely man. We were blessed to have known him…
My late uncle loved to wath golf on Saturday morning. Hated the commenters. Turned off the sound and put on radio to the Saturday performance from the Metropolitan Opera...
1 person likes this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
earlybird 7/3/2021 10:36:27 PM (No. 835181)
minimal
0 people like this.
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