I’m still old school enough that when it comes to games, I want the media to know its role. It’s not as important as that which it covers. With that in mind, I wasn’t pleased to hear that Keith Olbermann will be back–this time with TBS as the host of a Major League Baseball postseason radio show. Olbermann, the avatar of look-at-me, listen-to-me arrogance, personifies all that is wrong with over-the-top, show-biz sorts who treat the games they cover and comment on as almost incidental to their personality-driven forums. Plus, in Olbermann’s case, his less-than-subliminal message is: “You and I both know I’m too smart to be doing sports. Deal with it.”
But these media hucksters wouldn’t have these gigs, of course, if the ratings weren’t there. And that’s what makes such rants as this one, alas, “old school” and out of touch. And for the record, no, I don’t wax nostalgic over Howard Cosell, who was way ahead of his time. Different era, but same objection.