The Outdated Analogy

The mating of voice to image is like the mating of drink to food; a matched pair can be a thing of beauty; a mismatched pair can be ugly and leave a bad taste in your mouth (think Lime Gatorade and Lobster.) So it is in sporting events.

The 2006 Florida-LSU game produced a uniquely different touchdown pass: Tim Tebow of Florida started to run to the goal line 3 yards away and just as he got to the line he jumped and as he was falling back to earth lofted the ball to the end zone for a touchdown. Beautifully scripted by the coaches, beautifully executed by the players, and beautifully crucified by the announcer Verne Lundquist. Verne's reaction to the play, "That looks like 1955. Oh my gosh."

Sadly, the vast majority of people watching the game do not know what "1955" college football looks like as the NCAA only televised 8 national games a year back then. Even the venerable Verne was only 15 in 1955, so I wonder if he really knows what "1955" college football looks like. If you were over 25 in 1955 (thats 76 and over), you likely have a good idea what Verne Lundquist meant; those viewers under 76 likely had no idea what Verne meant and that folks is Ugly Sportscasting at its best. Alienating the majority of people watching the game and leaving them wondering how a few poorly chosen words could ruin a wonderfully innovative play and an amazing football moment: "That sounds like Verne Lundquist. Oh my gosh."