Quote:
Originally Posted by HPF Bob
It's the "jockocracy" Howard Cosell used to rail about - sports color ananlyst is, he says, the one position in life where you can start at the very top of the profession with no qualifications and no training whatsoever other than to be a household name that has retired from the sport they are covering.
If Brett Favre wanted to be an NFL tv analyst, the four networks would be at his door in seconds vying to sign him and they'd put him on their top programs.
Then you toss in the female sideline reporters whose only qualification seems to be their looks and their ability to look firmly into the eyes of a head coach and ask them with a straight face about their feelings. The better ones can actually follow this up with a question about what the coach would like to see the team do better in the second half. I will say that at least the eye candy is better viewing than having Jim Gray or Tony Siragusa asking the same questions.
I still get a laugh out of Troy Aikman spending his first year in the booth with Moose Johnston as a second color analyst as if Aikman need to be protected from any blitzing questions from Joe Buck that might try to sack Troy for a loss.
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I kinda remember this - the Cosell bit. Seemed like he was railing about the Dandy Don's, the OJ Simpson's and the Joe Namath's of the day getting the cushy announcer jobs. Ol' Howard would be rolling in his grave if he could see how prevalent it has become today.....
Aikman, IMO, has gotten pretty good over time. He still has his Captain Obvious moments, though. Not quite sure he deserves to be on the "A-team" for FOX but he is.
While some of the jocks are pretty good or at least have "personality", there are others who don't have much going for them - great athletes in their day but not the best announcers/analysts...