Trash talk

[vettecat]

Has anyone else noticed that the ice-skating commentators at the Olympics are being particularly nasty and snarky this year? (Scott Hamilton is being a gentleman, as usual - I'm referring to the other two, who do most of the talking.) It's one thing to say, e.g., "oh, he did a double instead of a triple, that's going to cost him points." It's quite another to say someone's costume reminds you of your dining-room drapes (yes, they really said that), or to say a competitor's choreography is "trite," or to make sweeping less-than-complimentary comments about the competitors from a particular nation. These are the best skaters in the world, trying their hardest to perform extremely difficult moves under intense pressure; the least they deserve is a little respect. There were points both last night and tonight when I was so disgusted by their insults that I was seriously tempted to hit the mute button, but it's hard to fully appreciate the beauty of a skating routine when you can't hear the music. Is this making anyone else's Olympic-watching experience unpleasant, or is it just me?

Comments

Yes and no

[introverte.livejournal.com]

I appreciate it when they go into some depth on explaining technical points. But I think you're right that they are getting a bit cruel this time. Particularly, I wish they would keep commentary to a minimum during the actual performance - I want to hear the music and concentrate on watching so I can form my own opinion. If they want to deconstruct, they can do it afterwards in replay.

Re: Yes and no

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

I was thinking that, too. The constant babble can be very distracting.