Some Olympics News Coverage Sadly Lacking in Sports Knowledge

I can’t keep track of everything that’s happening in Sochi, but when perhaps the best ladies’ singles skater in the world today is treated like a newcomer nobody’s ever heard of, and it is suggested that she has been cheated up score-wise, and then a snowboarding interview is cut short because the reporters don’t understand any of the sports slang, perhaps it’s time to hire new people.

There was a time when sports reporters were experts on their craft. Some soccer games have the announcers knowing every name of every team member of every team even when you can’t see the number or name on the jersey, or the weather is so bad you just can’t see anything at all, and they are expected to know everyone, and their whole life story. So it is odd to me when stuff everyone else in the viewing public knows is foreign still to Olympics reporters. It just makes it seem like amateur hour, where the amateurs are the reporters, and not the athletes.

There is such a thing as Wikipedia, you know. Just get a list of who’s who, and look them up. That seems pretty easy to me. And you could always ask your nephew about the X-Games sports slang, I would think. Or maybe it’s time to hire some younger people to cover the games than people like Meredith Vieira, et. al.? And agencies could just hire some appropriate people just for the Olympics, you know: they don’t have to anchor the Nightly News afterwards or anything.

Here’s another silly, embarrassing Olympics news gaffe story:

http://www.grindtv.com/olympics/2014-winter-olympics/post/billy-morgan-creates-stir-in-u-k-over-snowboarding-slang/

Hey, if the reporters don't know sufficient youthspeak, then why not invent some words for the reports, like: "This year's snowboarding was even more snowdosed than last time, with more gnarlosity and bitchismo than ever before!" Then maybe even the young athletes will think the reporters know even hipper lingo than they do.