Back when I was in my all-boys high school there was this guy who wore a bright orange sweater to school everyday. It was so easy to spot him as all you had to do was look for a tangerine in the sea of blue blazers. I asked him why he wore that orange sweater (obviously it could not be a fashion statement) and he told me that he wore it to get attention. Whether it be buying a sports car or flaunting your cool new cell phone, trying to get noticed happens all of the time. One of the main reasons why some celebrities are more popular than others is because they try harder to turn up their personality volume. For example, Shaq is a great basketball player but he will be remembered as much for his off court personality as he will for his on court accomplishments.
Sportscasters are no different and these days it seems like sports media personalities are trying so hard to be noticed by trying to be different, entertaining, likable and funny that all sports commentators seem to be cut from the same mold. I have wrote negatively about sports commentating in the past and by making bad jokes and trying to throw in catch phrases, sports announcers are still trying to showcase themselves in the broadcast instead of the sport and the athletes participating in the event. This "Onion SportsDome" atmosphere is what ESPN SportsCenter has helped create.
Loud and ridiculous are the first two words that come to mind after watching the video below. If having to watch a Gold Cup soccer match between Canada and the United States of America was not bad enough, try watching the game with these Gol TV guys commentating. Imagine if Stephen A. Smith was doing soccer commentary after drinking 5 Red Bulls and that is what the Gol TV guy sounds like below. I am admittedly not a soccer fan and do not really know whether the game was actually significant or not (or whether there was that much skill on display either as I only saw these highlights) but I do know horrible commentary when I hear it and it got so bad that I was hoping to hear Kent Brockman take over and do the rest of highlights. I wonder if the commentator is hoping to get discovered so he can fulfill his destiny as a wrestling announcer. Or maybe he was just really excited that somebody scored in soccer?..
