When It Was Just A Game

I don't know why this year's Winter Olympics weren't more popular than they were. To tell the truth, except for the curling and a little bit of the hockey I didn't watch 'em. But that doesn't mean I don't have a theory. After all, I'm a blogger. That's what I do.

So, here goes.

Actually, I think the Olympic's problem is all related to something I call the "Curt Gowdy" effect. What's that, you ask. Who's Curt Gowdy, you wonder. Well, thank goodness there are still a few toothless old-timers like me who can remember back in the '60's and '70's when Curt Gowdy was simply the voice of sports of America. Yes, that's right children, even though there was no ESPN back then they still had sports on TV. In those days there were really only two sports in America - baseball and football - and as the top dog at NBC Gowdy used to call all the nationally televised baseball games (including the playoffs and World Series) and most of the important AFL/AFC football games.

And what a voice he had too. Just as easy and relaxed as aThanksgiving dinner at grandma's house.

He was the king of the sports airwaves back then, and only CBS' Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier even approached his national standing. But Gowdy wasn't a sportscaster in the modern sense of the word. He was of a different era. There was no razzmatazz. He was neither coying nor clever, but sensible and well-rounded, and I always got the feeling that as far as Gowdy was concerned, once the game was over it was over. The contest had been decided and now it was time to go fishing or hunting or whatever else was next on the agenda. Gowdy was a sports fan, but not a fanatic.

Now fast forward to today and think about someone like Al Michaels. I like Al Michaels and he's certainly very good at what he does, but he seems to be a totally different animal than Curt Gowdy. Maybe it's just me, but Al Michaels always gives the impression that even though the game is over he's still talking sports. He's talking sports on the phone, he's talking sports at the dinner table, he's talking sports when he gets up in the morning and he's dreaming sports when he goes to sleep at night. Obviously I don't know the guy and I could be completely wrong about this, but he just seems like the typically modern, post-ESPN 24 hours a day, 7 days a week sports guy. And if he does ever go fishing, I bet he's sitting there in the boat obsessing over stats from last nights Yankees-Red Sox game.

Am I wrong about that? Does anyone else get that same impression?

So what am I getting at here with all this blather? It's just that maybe in this era of wall-to-wall sports tv, this era of sports mania and extreme fans and all that, maybe the Winter Olympics aren't as unique as they once were. Back in the Gowdy days people had a certain perspective about things, but nowdays people are obsessed. They want their sports NOW. They want the scores NOW. They want the stats and video and the bloopers and the rest of that stuff and they don't have much patience with network schedules and primetime and all those other artificial barriers. Where's my SPORTS! Do you realize that the game was over 30 seconds ago and I still don't have the score. What's wrong with you people?

Ahhhhh...... Rest in Peace Curt Gowdy. There'll be plenty of time to catch up on the scores later.