Here
I’ve sat for the past two weeks watching the Olympics hoping that
sometime during this time I will get some inspiration for a column
or two. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen and thus I sit here this
evening trying to scrounge something together so I can get this
out before the weekend is completely over. Not to say there
weren’t some exciting and memorable moments during these events.
The ice dancing judging fiasco was unusual for all of us to say
the least. Anyway, I suppose the most amusing thing I can find to
discuss this week are the comments made to most of the athletics
during or after some particular event or another. Now, I would
imagine that interviewing sports figures could tend to get
repetitious after a short period. However, you’d think these
people would attend some sort of on going continuing education
class of some sort to jolt them into asking some new and fresh
questions.
I mean, how many times can we hear…”So, what do you feel right
now?” or “Did you mean to lose?” How about this all time
great….”Coach, your team might have done better today if only?” I
love the half time comments such as …”What do you think it will
take for you to overcome your loss and win?”
The coach or some team captain says some immortal words such as
..”We have to score more.” Of “We’ll have to play harder to beat
these guys.” Well, hello, I’m not a coach and I could have said
that. Of course, you have to score more. Of course, you have to
play harder. Of course, you have to skate faster. If you skate
slower than the other folks, I bet you’ll lose. In most of the
games I’ve seen, the person having the worst score always loses.
So, yes, having the best score certainly helps you get over the
edge. I wonder if these people ever go back and look at themselves
being interviewed and want to slap themselves in the head for
saying something really inane and dumb sounding?
“Yes, I’d like to make it clear that when we start playing again,
we intend upon having a higher score and we feel that this
strategy and this strategy alone will make us the champions. We
have spent a huge amount of money looking at our options and we
feel that a higher score will push us over the top. Thank you.”
Come on, who doesn’t know this? Or how about this one…”We could
have won easily if only we’d had more time.” Well isn’t that what
events are about, time?
I mean if you use this mentality, then just about anyone could win
if the game was extended long enough. Good grief. What drivel.
“Our players just weren’t of the same caliber as those on the
other team.” “We didn’t play hard enough.” No, you didn’t and
that’s why you lost. Perhaps I’m just cynical but it looks like to
me the questions could be asked a little differently…I’d suggest
something like…”So, you guys are losing, what’d you eat for
breakfast? Maybe that’s what happened.” Or ….”Have you ever
thought about playing harder or telling the guys that weren’t
playing hard that they were about to be fired and out of a job?”
Then again, maybe I had better stick to what I know and leave this
stuff to the people that do it day after day. I’ll bet it’s
probably harder than I imagine. I would like to suggest that they
at least try and spice the interviews up with something new. Even
the coaches could help out…wouldn’t it be great if sometimes we
heard some coach or player say something like….”Ah, we were tired
and just didn’t feel like winning today….The other team deserved a
break.”
