Yeah, What He Said

I haven't posted in a while because my laziness didn't really let me to, but I'm hoping to write more consistently as the new semester begins. Enjoy and click on the ads:

"It was a good game. We gave a strong effort and I think we did our best. Now we just have to look ahead to our next game."

Sound familiar? Yeah, that one guy said it in that post-game interview of that game you never watched. Thankfully, he told you that he and his teammates tried their hardest and that they're now preparing for the future. Otherwise, what could the fans expect? Maybe their favorite players might forget how to play their respective sport ... or maybe they unexpectedly lost the will to try to win. Please, just please, let us know that you are indeed "working hard" and are "hoping to win" or else we'll all have no choice but to watch *gulp* the actual game.

Annoying sarcasm aside, any sports fan is prone to hearing hours of trite interviews filled with the usual cliches. "We tried our best," "It was a tough loss," and "We're playing as a team" are all bound to fill Sportscenter minutes in between highlights. And after a few minutes of watching any typical sports interview, that locker room banter becomes boring, pointless, and ultimately, a waste of time. The dialogue of Laguna Beach is more enriching than Kobe's routine explanation of how the Lakers are trying to "remain focused."

Of course, athletes and coaches have reason for dishing out the usual vocabulary. The greedy political and business aspects of sports keeps a close eye on what is said with little regard of who said it. Virtually any figure in sports is capable of ruining a career or franchise by uttering anything out of the usual (See: John Rocker). Thus, players and coaches alike keep their salaries and reputations secure as long as their jargon stay boring.

But there are reasons why sports fans adore the Chad Johnsons, Allen Iversons, Manny Ramirezez, and yes, even the Terrell Owenses of the professional leagues. The talk-before-you-think type give audiences reason to stay tuned even after the game is in the books. I don't know of many basketball fanatics fast forwarding through highlights to hear what Tim Duncan has got to say. But unlike TD and basically all the Spurs, the athletes and coaches who don't stick to the norms make all that off-the-field stuff fun(ny), which is rare in a sports culture that often emphasizes winning instead of merely enjoying the game.


Anyone seen my jockstrap?

Yet those who "trash talk" or say "inappropriate" remarks - a term which is now as flexible as Yao Ming - are often vilified by officials and pundits for acting outside of the game. Although I don't advocate improper chatter by sports figures, nor do I think it should go ignored, I think we must question why we give them the microphone so often in the first place. If we're so ready to shut down anything out of the norms they have to say, why sneak into locker rooms and parking lots to elicit responses that may possibly get someone in trouble? After all, don't we already know what they all want to say? "We're working harder." "I'm staying positive." "It was a devastating outcome."

Yes, trouble may be good news. But in sports, the more we spend discussing about what the latest no name player said about the Patriots (or even worse, listening to Kornheiser and Wilbon argue about it), the less we lose sight of what actually matters: the game. This isn't the case overseas, where even the best of world's soccer players enjoy life without having to awkwardly undress in front of crowded journalists wielding nosy cameras. Only managers give the usual, hackneyed remarks after the game, and you've got to watch the extremely slow Sky Sports before you hear any of that. Unlike American sports figures, the rest of the world doesn't even need to tell fans that their play will do the talking.

And all that boring talk we're so used to in the States has become ... boring. Instead of asking and hearing exactly what we heard last time, we should allow professional athletes to practice more fundamentals on the field rather than practicing their stage presence in front of the camera. Athletes working without the distraction of a sensationalist media should translate into more talented and skillful competition that rewards those who play the game correctly (a la Marvin Harrison and Steve Nash) rather than those who talk loudly. Sure, we'll give Chad or AI the mic every now and then so they can keep us laughing, but fans will expect the cameras to be only pointed in the one rightful direction: towards the game.