New Football Analyst At ESPN.....

....And he's only 10-Years-old!!!!

Another half-witted idea from the ESPN folks to get more viewers (this is not a good idea in my opinion, but I want to hear what the rest of you think).

From Friday, Sept. 7's issue -- sorry, but there's no link here:

"ESPN's Pregame Gig Is Child's Play
(No Byline)

ESPN NFL Sunday Countdown, the network's marquee pregame show, is adding a weekly commentator who never played or coached pro football.

But maybe he will: Jason Krause just started fifth grade.

Krause, 10, says he's a "football fanatic. And a Lego fanatic."

Krause, making his debut Sunday, isn't part of some breakthrough Disney cost-cutting in which high-paid analysts will be replaced by kids who like Krause, tape segments from their playroom.

He got the job when he stood out in footage with his twin sister, Dani, who is fighting cancer, in an ESPN "My Wish" segment with skater Michelle Kwan.

Producer Stephanie Druley, who oversees ESPN's NFL shows, had this reaction to seeing Krause on tape: "We've got to find a role for this kid. I don't know what it is. But he's so entertaining.

Krause's father, Barry, who works in advertising, says his son has never been shy around cameras -- "He looks at them as a way to express himself" -- but this opportunity "just fell from the sky."

In a joint interview, Jason begins explaining his segment Sunday on the Detroit Lions before Barry reminds him of his status: "I think you have to hold back a bit on the details, buddy." "

In the first place, I am sorry his sister has cancer.

But --

Since the SportsJournalists.com crowd loves to rail at some of the blatantly stupid things ESPN does, why on earth, with too many adult talking heads who we all wish would STFU, do we need this?

We don't. Period. I don't care how entertaining his "bosses" at ESPN think he will be.

Just because he missed the auditions for "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader" does not mean that football fans should be punished as a result.

Dying to hear what the SportsJournalists.commers are thinking........

 

This will not end well.

On screen, or on this thread.

 

I give up.

 

Cat got your tongue?

 

Now that is great stuff.

 

Father works in advertising. Yeah, there's a real stunner. :

Remember the dimwit kid at the Palace of Auburn Hills who got a lot of camera time a year or so ago basically by taking his shirt off and dancing in front of the TV cameras during every time out? His father (who stuck his Waldo-like mug in every single goddamn camera shot) works in advertising too.

ESPN needs to tell Daddy Barry to take a hike -- get the hell out of the room -- and then pepper the darling tyke with some reasonably-tough questions, reasonably fast. If Kiddie can handle it, it MIGHT be OK to let him on the air, ONCE. If he needs Stage Daddy sitting there holding his hand to babble out anything coherent, here's a lollipop, thanks for playing, goodbye. Pack up your juice boxes and get out, and take Daddy with you.

More than once, as a "look at the cute kid who knows football" snippet? Never, never, never.

And yes, I'm sorry his sister has cancer, too.

I'm even sorrier that Daddy has decided to milk it.

 

If Disney wants an idea, why not have a 30 minute sportscenter anchored by kids, etc on Disney Channel, not ESPN. The people in the big chairs at ESPN just don't get it. Journalism, reporting, etc. just doesn't mean anything to them anymore.

 

This sounds frightningly similar to the stunt ESPN/ABC pulled a few years ago with a youngster on the mic at the Little League World Series.

 

Anyone remember the SportsCenter commercial where they tried a teenage kid as anchor? ESPN is now following its own parody. Unbelievable.

 

I wouldn't mind having ESPN bring a normal fan in to talk football with the "experts." I actually liked the concept behind Rush Limbaugh having his little challenge flag thingamajig and raising questions from the POV of the average fan. Rush may have been Grade A certifiable, but the idea behind it wasn't that bad.

But not having a 10-year-old kid provide "analysis." What's he going to say: The Lions will win because he likes the colors of their uniform? :

 

To be fair, when I was 12 I could out-Indians-trivia my dad's friends. If the kid knows his NFL, he knows it. Not saying he should be on TV, but maybe he knows more than uniform colors.

 

I spent all of third grade writing NFL game stories (and occasionally drawing my favorite helmets), so I should be working at SI right now -- both writing AND designing. Where did it go wrong?