If I ruled the world- good bye sports announcers

It’s November and the weather isn’t really any different than October- it just fits the month better. But it hasn’t been too bad, we haven’t had snow or even many hard freezes, just rain and gloom and cool temperatures. Hey, I could take this all winter.

A World Series game was on last night. I’m going to do one of my If I Ruled the World moments here. If I ruled the world no sports game played in prime time would last longer than 2 hours. If it did- it continued off the air anyway. I bet those games would get done in a most timely fashion then. I want the news at its regular time and I want my entertainment, the few hours I get to relax and watch TV, to be on and not pre-empted or delayed. Sports are on for hours in the day Saturday and Sunday, why prime time too?

And if I ruled the world no announcer on those games would be allowed to talk about anything other than what was going on in the game, no chit chat. Sports announcers have the most annoying chit chat in the world. Take last night, these are not the exact words of course but you get the drift.

“Hey Mo is that a heating pad I see there under Bigboys coat?”
“Yah Bo I think it is a heating pad.”
“Ah yes it is a heating pad”
“Yes I think there is a heating pad under there.”
“He probably has that heating pad to keep his arm warm.”
“Yes its cold here so he probably needs a heating pad to keep his arm warm.”

Brief respite while they announce actual game events. Then back to :
“ You can see that heating pad just peeking out under Bigboys coat there.”
“Yes, he probably needs a heating pad here tonight Bo.”
“ Heating pad keeps his arm warm I guess.”
“ Maybe he needs the heating pad to keep him warm” laughs Mo
“ Well I wonder if anyone else has a heating pad”
“ I don’t know Bo, but Bigboy sure has that heating pad under there,
“ He’s smart, he has a heating pad, keeps him warm I guess”

Another small respite while they talk about the events happening in the game. Then:
Take a look at Bigboy there, he has a heating pad under his jacket.
“ It keeps his arm warm Mo”
“Yes Bo I bet all the players would like a heating pad tonight”
Yah, Mo, a heating pad would be nice” Both chuckle.
That Bigboy he’s smart- he has a heating pad under there”
Yah you can just see that heating pad peeking out under his jacket there, on the left.

And so on, and so on. Announcers should not be allowed to chit chat. Better yet get rid of announcers and let people watch the game. It’s TV folks, you can see what’s going on.

I personally would not watch any sport on TV but I humor my husband now and then. I read in the room with him and he watches some sport on TV. Quality time. We have an agreement that if there is something on in prime time that I want to watch we watch that, since I seldom have time to watch TV. He watches TV a great part of the day, especially in cold weather. But of course last night after Desperate Housewives, ( ok, I choose stuff that’s entertaining, not intellectual), was over he had to get back to that great game. The game with all the crowd noise- screaming drunks- and inane announcers and stupid music. It’s the first reality shows, professional sports. The games are scripted and pre-determined winners are chosen by the mafia bookies but the public actually thinks its reality. Maybe that’s why they leave those stupid announcers chit chatting - makes it seem real. Between TV advertising dollars, outrageous salaries, and the amount of money that gets bet on games, you can bet the outcome is known in advance by a few people.

Hey, if I ruled the world I’d make betting on a game legal. Then collect big taxes on the bookies and the winners. Balance the budget maybe. Maybe I’d make all the players wear clown suits too, if I ruled the world.