ESPN overkill on veterans stuff?

I wish Salisbury was still there so he and Clayton could really go at it like they did in the good old days.

"Tougher war: Iraq or Afghanistan?"

"More effective leader: Patton or Eisenhower?"

"The A-Bomb: Should we have dropped it?"

 

My cousin, who's serving in Afghanistan, got namedropped by the ESPNU play-by-play guy coming out of the halftime break in the North Carolina-Florida International game. It was mostly because his brother is friends with said ESPNU guy, but cool all the same.

I honestly don't think you can overdo veterans stuff on Veteran's Day, but I live in the military capital of the world and I have cousins in two branches of the military, so my perspective's different.

According to Wikipedia so you KNOW it's true: There are only three verified World War I veterans still alive. A fourth is unverified, and a fifth began his duty after the end of hostilities but before the signing of the Treaty of Versailies. This could be the year we lose our living link to The Great War. And we're probably not far away from the end of the link to 1800s births, too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_surviving_veterans_of_World_War_I

 

DING-DING-DING.

What's the issue here? Why is this off-putting, bud? Putting a military spin on sports is one of ESPN's better ideas in quite some time. Believe me, this could end much, much worse.

Speaking of which, I really enjoyed Shelley Smith's piece last night on the golf hole the soldiers at the DMZ in Korea set up. Fascinating story. Talk about your brutal assignments and dangerous golf holes. Hook the ball off the tee and it's in a minefield.

No thanks. I'll reload if it's OK.

 

I agree with budcrew08 that there's been a lot more Veteran's Day coverage all over than in past years. I wonder if the Fort Hood shooting has anything to do with that?

 

I think that's a coincidence, because it's not like you wake up one day and decide to do Fox NFL pregame in Afghanistan and Sportscenter in West Point. That Fort Hood happened helps to give the day an edge, of course, but it was unintentional.

 

Based on this thread it appears that some think that ESPN shouldn't give tributes to our armed forces nearly as much as they are today, but those people have no idea what should be on instead. Just, less of this.

 

why would anyone have a problem giving veterans all the props and attention they can get?

 

I don't think it can be overdone, but it would be nice to see some of the networks not just try to show how great they are by exploiting the day for ratings, but to donate to some vet organizations.
But vets have always been exploited by sports. How many stadiums and arenas were built as "memorials" to service members? Most leagues use the military to elevate the importance of their events with flyovers, color guards, and by wrapping themselves in the flag, turn their sports event into a national event that every American should be interested in.
I'm not knocking it - but lets not kid ourselves about who gets the better end of the arrangement.

 

I'm waiting for a debate on Around the Horn. Who is Number #1: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and do you disagree with Mack Brown when he said the Coast Guard doesn't belong in the discussion.

Cowlishaw: We need a playoff, but Marines should be favored.
Adande: Gotta go with the Army, they've done it longer, and harder than anyone.
Paige: It's gotta be Navy, did you see Top Gun!
Marriotti: I've never been to Iraq or Afghanistan, but they need to fire the generals. It's just not working.

 

South Carolina and Maryland are rolling out camo uniforms, with camo shoes, and instead of a name on the jersey, it will say honor or courage or some other military buzzword.

That's just dumb. Don't watch ESPN so I don't know what crap they are rolling out, but it sounds like it is over the top.

 

Some of the shout-outs may be cheesy to some, but there have been some interesting things have come out of it. For one, I thought it was good to hear the story of Pat Tillman's wife on NFL Countdown this Sunday. All we heard about was the controversy surrounding the reports of his death, and not the good she's trying to do with her scholarship foundation in Pat's name. Thought that was a worthwhile piece.

It was also interesting having College GameDay be at the Air Force Academy the weekend following the Fort Hood shootings. Accidental timing, sure.

Yes, it does seem like this is getting a lot of coverage. Last year's Obama win may have had something to do with it, but being in a pair of military conflicts also plays a part, no doubt.

 

The Howie, Bradshaw, Glazer, etc. rendition of God Bless America instantly became one of the Top 5 worst things I've ever seen on TV. I can't remember a more artificial, cheesy, and tacky moment than that. And then at halftime when Curt Menefee led that "impromptu" standing ovation from the desk guys to the troops ... ugh, I want to blow my brains out. I thought it was the lamest, most patronizing thing I'd ever seen. If I were in the army I'd be insulted.