Last week’s “New Year’s Resolutions for Other People” item referenced those who unilaterally extend fireworks season beyond New Year’s Eve. No need to revisit the obvious rationales.
In a similarly improbable vein, we now call upon the television networks to also resolve to do something contrary to their nature when the subject is sports, especially football. When a play is over please refrain — with exceptions, of course — from lingering on individual players as a matter of course.
It’s now way beyond “reaction shots.”
What you typically get — whether the player made a play or was merely in the stadium at the time — is some over-the-top, juvenile demonstration of look-at-me boorishness. Please do not enable and reward such asinine histrionics. It’s not football; it’s football as cheap lounge act.
In fact, if you don’t show such shots, you would remove much of the incentive to behave this way. Instead you’ll be left to chronicle legitimate enthusiasm.
What a concept.