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Why is Dan LeBatard "hateable"

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by spikechiquet, Mar 6, 2010.

  1. cranberry

    cranberry Well-Known Member

    Skepticism is a necessary skill for any journalist. But the bigger ass-kissing problem involves sportswriters cozying up to general managers (the hand that feeds them) and viewing the teams they cover from that perspective. Athletes are just entertainers, not criminals or suspected criminals or government officials. At least most of them.
     
  2. Starman

    Starman Well-Known Member

    Your main point is right on. It's hilarious how many beat writers and columnists are simply puppy dogs for their local GMs/ADs.

    As far as the athletes "just being entertainers," basically that's true, but they're also astronomically highly-paid entertainers performing in facilities, for the most part, financed out of the pockets of taxpayers.
     
  3. leo1

    leo1 Active Member

    well, i hate him because i live in south florida and he's the afternoon drive host on the main all sports station down here. his self-importance oozes from my car radio. his act is ripped off from the old tony kornheiser show, as in hanging up on people if they ever say 'how are you' and he's so self-important that at least half of each segment is spent discussing the uniqueness of his show. but i like tony; dan isn't half the writer or talker that tony is.

    he also decidedly does NOT suck up to athletes on the show as much as he does in print and on the leader. while he slurps the occasional athlete, his schtick is to ask so off-the-wall questions that once a week or so an athlete or coach yells at him or hangs up in disgust. he couches it in his usual 'i'm not you usual sports talk guy so my questions make you think' but usually the questions are moronic and not funny at all.
     
  4. Starman

    Starman Well-Known Member

    Well, the things DLB does that go nationwide are frequently (almost always) him going absolutely over the top slurping up to athletes involved in various episodes of misconduct.

    It really isn't that often LeBatard goes to bat for athletes in straight-up salary battles with the owners, where the average fan might be slightly (very slightly) more inclined to side with the player.

    But almost invariably, he latches onto episodes where the athlete is involved in discipline cases, misconduct, illegal activities, etc etc, when the athlete is factually guilty about 92% of the time.

    DLB's customary reply: the athlete is misunderstood, he's only doing what a lot of other people do, and he's good anyway so he should be allowed to get away with it. It gets old fast.
     
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