Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Have you heard of "video?"

Espn.com is currently hosting a vote of the 100 Greatest Highlights from The Babe calling his amphetamine-and-hot-dog-fueled shot, to Trinity College's 54-lateral game-winning touchdown.

I don't know how much you know about sports highlights, and maybe you're not as picky, not as demanding as I am. But when I think "highlights," the first thing I think of is my upcoming tip-frosting appointment. The second thing that comes to mind is VIDEO replays of famous events. They say pictures are worth a thousand words. And sometimes those words are useful. But still shots, holding themselves out as full-on highlights - you know what those 1,000 words are? "Screw you, sports fans," repeated over and over.

ESPN is usually up to the task of reporting scores and showing video of great plays. But this time, when they want us to vote for the greatest highlight of all time...now they want us to go somewhere else for our video. And I have no problem with Youtube, it's where I get to see squirrels waterskiing (Look! Look at the little guy go!).



But if want highlights, I think, maybe, I should get to see them at the site where they want me to vote on them. I don't know, maybe I'm crazy.

One last thought before I leave you. Some of the events on the list are too old, or too obscure to have video evidence of their occurrence. And yet they're included on the "Greatest Highlight" list. Just because an athlete did something amazing does not mean it should be a Great Highlight. The barest, lowest threshold these things should meet is that there is video, like, say, the rest of the highlights on ESPN. Consistency is all I ask for.

2 comments:

Yehuda said...

i agree! this whole espn promotion is way lame. come to think of it, most of what espn does - besides sportscenter - is pretty lame. this includes but is not limited to: NEXT; the hiring of Steven A. Blowhard Smith; Et cetera.

Charles said...

I would think you, sir, would at least acknowledge their longstanding commitment to glorifying the Yankees, e.g. Bronx is Burning, and the Church of Jeter (it's the new megachurch, climb aboard!