I want to explain something that Berman says each week that really only Midwestern hockey fans from the 90s can understand. Chris Berman refers to the NFC north as the "Chuck Norris" division. Where does that come from? In the 80s, hockey divisions were not named by their regions but by important figures in the NHL. The division that contained St. Louis, Chicago, Minnesota (North Stars), Toronto and Detroit was called the Norris Division, named after James Norris, the former owner of the Detroit Red Wings and hockey Hall of Famer. It was nicknamed the Chuck Norris division because those teams played a brutally tough style of hockey and they used to beat the snot out of each other each time they played.
With similar teams like Chicago, Minnesota and Detroit in the North Division of the NFL, the comparison was natural to the Norris Division. That explains Berman's reference to anybody born after 1980. But this is why Berman is ruining sports for me. He is given such a prime position at ESPN as a knowledgeable football person. His references are constantly classic rock songs that only baby boomers get. He ruins highlights by making a "whoop!" sound anytime any player makes even the slightest juke or turn or eludes a tackle. His nicknames are getting stupider and stupider. He has also made the Home Run contest at the All Star game unwatchable for baseball fans due to his references to local towns where long home runs are said to be headed.
It is a shame, because at one point, I loved his nicknames and I even thought up a few myself. (Mostly late 80s Cardinals like Tim "I shot the " Sherrill, and Bernard "innocent until proven" Gilkey). But he never updated his shtick and I cringe every time he is on the screen because he has ruined ESPN's coverage of the NFL.
Please, make him go away.
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4 comments:
Those are some pretty good Cardinal nicknames you came up with. Another annoying thing about Berman that should be noted is how he also loves to put adjectives before player's names such as "Little David Eckstien" or "Young Josh Barfield." And he says it everytime that player does something in the game. Personally, I think they should start letting the ESPN Deportes announcer do the homerun derby. That would probably eventually get old as well though.
He has withstood the test of time at ESPN and I agree, he really isn't THAT good. I like Stu a little bit better.
Boy are yor right billyv, Berman kills me. His schtick was funny twenty years ago, but the same bit everytime you see him is just stale. Sorry man fan club but stu and his lazy eye is just as much of a beating.
Gene, there is a sports blog called Stu Scott's Lazy Eye.
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