Chiefs Whitlock:TV stamps its bland on game

**Tribal Warfare** · 10-19-2009, 12:51 AM

TV stamps its bland on game
By JASON WHITLOCK
The Kansas City Star

This won’t be my typical Chiefs postgame column. I missed the trip to our nation’s capital thanks to a back injury suffered working out. I’m not joking. Yes, I work out. Although there will be considerably less weightlifting from now on.

Anyway, I watched the Chiefs pick up their first victory of the season just like you, alternately stretched on the couch or living-room floor, wondering exactly which quirk of fate I should blame for being a Chiefs fan.

For me, Kansas City’s 14-6 victory over Washington was equally boring and fascinating. I’ve spent 16 years attending just about every Chiefs home and road game in person, comfortably seated in a press box chatting with other journalists and figuring out what I want to say to you about the game.

Sunday, I experienced the game your way and spent the afternoon figuring out what to say to you about the game.

Man, the TV broadcasters feed viewers a lot of team-friendly propaganda. Color commentator Rich Gannon almost had me ready to punch Matt Cassel’s Hall of Fame ticket. And play-by-play man Ian Eagle called guard Mike Goff’s name so much that I came up with the nickname “Willie Goff Roaf.”

When Eagle and Gannon declined to properly discuss the insanity of Todd Haley’s decision to eschew a 42-yard field-goal attempt in favor of a fourth-down pass in the first quarter, I just assumed that Scott Pioli was the executive producer of Sunday’s broadcast.

Seriously, the Chiefs were playing one of the worst offenses in the league and Haley turned down three points in the first quarter so he could pass the ball on fourth and 2. Cassel, of course, was sacked on the play.

It was an asinine decision. Eagle and Gannon pretended it never happened.

OK, here comes the big-picture curveball.

Pro sports are in total partnership with the networks that televise their games. The reason there’s never been another Howard Cosell is because the networks are uninterested in allowing a loose cannon to comment on the games. An objective-opinion broadcast on network TV could get in the way of the propaganda that must be fed to prospective ticket buyers.

ESPN is in the process of taking over and redefining sports journalism. ESPN is in partnership with all of the sports leagues. The Worldwide Leader has been launching Web sites targeted at specific markets. ESPNChicago.com, ESPNBoston.com and ESPNDallas.com have all launched in recent months. At some point, there very well could be an ESPNKansascity.com.

We’re going to be fed team-influenced, sports propaganda 24/7.

It’s a joke. It’s un-American.

Sunday’s game was an absolute nightmare. Both teams were bad. The coaching decisions were odd. Gannon is very smart. He can recognize bad football and bad strategy. He played for the Raiders.

There wasn’t an offensive touchdown on Sunday. Ian Eagle made one passing comment about the horridness of the play when he cracked a joke about the technical difficulties that knocked the game off the air for several minutes.

I’m not saying Eagle and Gannon should’ve made belittling the game their theme. I would’ve just preferred some recognition that the teams were mirror images.

Washington head coach Jim Zorn is doing the same poor job of multitasking as Todd Haley. They’re both serving as head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. They’re inexperienced coaches trying to do way too much.

Washington owner Dan Snyder and his front-office flunky Vinny Cerrato have no interest in protecting Zorn, so Gannon was free to discuss Zorn’s struggles.

There was no such freedom when it came to Haley. That’s why the broadcast favored Haley’s Chiefs.

Linebacker Derrick Johnson magically reappeared in Kansas City’s playing rotation. Johnson made a couple of nice plays when he was allowed on the field. He’s been rumored to be on the trade block.

Gannon and Eagle never addressed Johnson’s situation.

For a multitude of reasons newspapers are reluctant to tell customers what we try to do that other media outlets can’t. We can attempt to be truthful. Yes, we fail at times. But at least we can make the attempt.

I watched Sunday’s game convinced I was locked in an alternate universe from the TV broadcasters.

10-19-2009, 12:51 AM	Topic Starter
Tribal Warfare The Boom Boom Room Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Far Beyond Comprehension Casino cash: $802813	Whitlock:TV stamps its bland on game TV stamps its bland on game By JASON WHITLOCK The Kansas City Star This won’t be my typical Chiefs postgame column. I missed the trip to our nation’s capital thanks to a back injury suffered working out. I’m not joking. Yes, I work out. Although there will be considerably less weightlifting from now on. Anyway, I watched the Chiefs pick up their first victory of the season just like you, alternately stretched on the couch or living-room floor, wondering exactly which quirk of fate I should blame for being a Chiefs fan. For me, Kansas City’s 14-6 victory over Washington was equally boring and fascinating. I’ve spent 16 years attending just about every Chiefs home and road game in person, comfortably seated in a press box chatting with other journalists and figuring out what I want to say to you about the game. Sunday, I experienced the game your way and spent the afternoon figuring out what to say to you about the game. Man, the TV broadcasters feed viewers a lot of team-friendly propaganda. Color commentator Rich Gannon almost had me ready to punch Matt Cassel’s Hall of Fame ticket. And play-by-play man Ian Eagle called guard Mike Goff’s name so much that I came up with the nickname “Willie Goff Roaf.” When Eagle and Gannon declined to properly discuss the insanity of Todd Haley’s decision to eschew a 42-yard field-goal attempt in favor of a fourth-down pass in the first quarter, I just assumed that Scott Pioli was the executive producer of Sunday’s broadcast. Seriously, the Chiefs were playing one of the worst offenses in the league and Haley turned down three points in the first quarter so he could pass the ball on fourth and 2. Cassel, of course, was sacked on the play. It was an asinine decision. Eagle and Gannon pretended it never happened. OK, here comes the big-picture curveball. Pro sports are in total partnership with the networks that televise their games. The reason there’s never been another Howard Cosell is because the networks are uninterested in allowing a loose cannon to comment on the games. An objective-opinion broadcast on network TV could get in the way of the propaganda that must be fed to prospective ticket buyers. ESPN is in the process of taking over and redefining sports journalism. ESPN is in partnership with all of the sports leagues. The Worldwide Leader has been launching Web sites targeted at specific markets. ESPNChicago.com, ESPNBoston.com and ESPNDallas.com have all launched in recent months. At some point, there very well could be an ESPNKansascity.com. We’re going to be fed team-influenced, sports propaganda 24/7. It’s a joke. It’s un-American. Sunday’s game was an absolute nightmare. Both teams were bad. The coaching decisions were odd. Gannon is very smart. He can recognize bad football and bad strategy. He played for the Raiders. There wasn’t an offensive touchdown on Sunday. Ian Eagle made one passing comment about the horridness of the play when he cracked a joke about the technical difficulties that knocked the game off the air for several minutes. I’m not saying Eagle and Gannon should’ve made belittling the game their theme. I would’ve just preferred some recognition that the teams were mirror images. Washington head coach Jim Zorn is doing the same poor job of multitasking as Todd Haley. They’re both serving as head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. They’re inexperienced coaches trying to do way too much. Washington owner Dan Snyder and his front-office flunky Vinny Cerrato have no interest in protecting Zorn, so Gannon was free to discuss Zorn’s struggles. There was no such freedom when it came to Haley. That’s why the broadcast favored Haley’s Chiefs. Linebacker Derrick Johnson magically reappeared in Kansas City’s playing rotation. Johnson made a couple of nice plays when he was allowed on the field. He’s been rumored to be on the trade block. Gannon and Eagle never addressed Johnson’s situation. For a multitude of reasons newspapers are reluctant to tell customers what we try to do that other media outlets can’t. We can attempt to be truthful. Yes, we fail at times. But at least we can make the attempt. I watched Sunday’s game convinced I was locked in an alternate universe from the TV broadcasters.
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