My 2 Biggest Passions: Sports and TV
I’m going to try something a bit different this week. I’m going to combine my two passions – sports and television – into one blog post.
It may come as a surprise to some that I have never actually gone off the air since I retired in February of 2023. In partnership with Jay Black and Rhea Hughes, I have stayed in the game on our podcast, The TV Show, for three fun years so far.
Working with Rhea has never been more enjoyable, and Jay – a contributor on our radio show for more than a decade – is the perfect host for a show that explores every corner of the TV industry, including reviews of the newest shows.
At the end of this post, I’ll throw in a few observations on the latest TV programs. But first, let’s look at the state of our sports from a television perspective:
Baseball
To the credit of commissioner Rob Manfred, he understands that his sport has a major problem. The game is boring on TV. Young fans have returned to the stands in recent years, but only because it fits their lifestyles.
Baseball is a perfect sport for kids who can brandish their cellphones while glancing up at the (in)action from time to time. If you don’t believe me, monitor the seats during the next Phillies games. The game is not the main focus of most young fans.
On television, even with positive innovations by Manfred to improve the pace, baseball has evolved into a game of catch between pitchers who reach the upper 90s with their fastballs and hitters who swing from the heels just in case they hit one.
Zzzzzzz.
And one more problem demands mention. Nowadays, you need several streamers and a deep understanding of the Internet to find the games of even your favorite team. MLB’s greed has lured them into lots of TV deals that are making the billionaire owners richer, and the fans more frustrated than ever.
Pet Peeve: Every single time something controversial happens, watch for the reaction shot of Rob Thomson in the dugout. Without exception, the Phillies manager has no reaction. None. Ever. At some point, maybe the local TV crew should try someone else. If a TV producer is looking for human emotion, he should not aim the camera at a robot.
Basketball
There’s a very good reason why basketball’s ratings have been tanking for years now. The current version of the game stinks worse than the garbage piling up on the streets of Philadelphia right now during the city worker strike.
Between the obsession with three-point shots, the meaninglessness of regular-season games and the resting of perfectly healthy players, the NBA really has evolved into a two-month sport now – the playoffs. The rest is fodder for highlights, and nothing else.
You know you have a TV sport in decline when the pregame show – the one with Charles Barkley on TNT, of course – is more interesting than the game it is covering.
If there are any dissenters out there, ask yourself this question: When is the last time you watched an entire NBA game? If you did so without a rooting interest or a bet, congratulations. You are the last fan standing.
Pet Peeve: I have called it consumer fraud when a fan pays hundreds (or even thousands) for tickets, only to learn just before the game than a star player (for example, Joel Embiid) is a healthy scratch. Well, the same applies to a TV game. The stars are the main attraction in the NBA – when they choose to play. In any previous time, this behavior would be disgraceful. Today, it is accepted with a shrug.
Hockey
Years ago, the biggest complaint about hockey on TV was, you couldn’t see the puck. For a while, one of the networks even tried a tech-enhanced vapor trail behind the puck so viewers could keep track of it.
Now, thanks to the advent of high-def video, you can see the puck. But the game is still compelling only when there’s a powerful check or a spectacular goal. Even then, you usually can’t tell exactly what happened until the replay.
After all these years, it’s safe to say hockey is still better in person than it will ever be on TV. The sports just doesn’t translate well to the tube. This is one reason why soccer is surpassing it as a TV event. Sad to say, but hockey’s best days are behind it, at least in America.
Pet Peeve: Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think the Flyers ever found anyone to replace Gene Hart as their play-by-play voice. And on a national level, Doc Enrick’s retirement has left a void never truly filled. In hockey – unlike the other sports – some broadcasters really are irreplaceable.
Football
Football is the closest thing to a perfect TV sport that we have. Don’t take my word for it. Check the ratings, any week, any year, any team.
The acid test, at least for me, is The Red Zone Channel. I look forward to Sundays even when there’s no Eagles game the way a kid counts the days till Christmas. I just park my butt in front of the TV and watch seven or eight games at once, loving every second.
Could baseball do the same thing? Basketball? Hockey? No, no and no. Not a chance.
The games of those sports don’t mean as much, and the dead periods would far exceed the exciting moments, even with five, six or seven games going on at the same time.
There’s a reason why the NFL is king, on TV and everywhere else. It is awesome.
Pet Peeve: Years ago, we had as a regular guest Fred Gaudelli, one of the most accomplished and gifted sports producers ever, and I asked him many times him why he didn’t show Cowboys owner Jerry Jones in his luxury box after bad moments. Jones is often seen cheering TDs and big plays, but rarely otherwise.
Gaudelli never gave me a straight answer. Because he couldn’t. His honest answer would have been bad for business. The truth is, the NFL controls what you see, and Jones didn’t want to be shown when things were going wrong.
Call me a jackass, but if I’m at the game and can train my binoculars on his luxury box, I should be able to see it on TV, too. You’re either covering the game, or you’re not.
Some TV thoughts:
- The Bear (Hulu) is one of the most heralded TV shows of its time, but it hasn’t been good for two years now. Season 4 dropped late last month, and it is unwatchable after episode 3 – unless you like stammering dialogue and long, long, long scenes of nothing happening. Skip it after season 2.
- The best drama I have seen this year so far is Adolescence (Netflix). It is British, so you don’t have to worry about an overlong time commitment. In four riveting episodes, Adolescence is the story of a teenager accused of murder. Two performances cry out for Emmys: Stephen Graham as the dad and newcomer Owen Cooper as the son. Brilliant.
- The best comedy is not for everybody, but it’s extraordinary. It’s called The Rehearsal (season 2 on HBO Max), the brainchild of Nathan Fielder. It is remarkable on so many levels, including a twist at the end that will make you question everything you saw in six insanely inventive episodes. Cringe comedy has never been this creative.
- If you want something more conventional to laugh with (or at), try The Studio (Apple). It stars Seth Rogen as a bumbling studio head, with cameos of some of the biggest names in film and TV. Hollywood has never looked dumber. In other words, it’s an accurate depiction.
- I’m going back to my sports roots for the best documentary in 2025, and I’m hedging my bet a bit by naming an entire Netflix series that has dropped a dozen great (and short) docs under the heading of Untold. The series goes back over controversies – everything from Brett Favre’s legal troubles to the amazing story of crooked ref Tim Donaghy. Even the ones on fringe sports like tennis and bodybuilding are terrific.
- I would be remiss if I ignored one more film that came out this year and is winning every film festival. It’s called No One Died – The Story of Wing Bowl. It is produced by Frank Petka and directed by Pat Taggert. Yes, I’m in it, and proud to be. Where can you see it? Stay tuned.