Looks like ratings are down for the Winter Olympics, but I could care less whether the U.S. has two fewer gold medals than Germany. Not when you have just one great athlete like nineteen year-old snowboarder Shaun White to entertain, both in actual competition and in front of the cameras. I've seen this guy in X-Games of years past, and while I appreciated his skills on both the skateboard and snowboard, I figured, hey just another X-Games athlete, complete with the slacker persona and fashion sense (fashion in this case used very liberally). But I don't know if I can remember a more likable athlete - the best in his sport, no less - give a more entertaining interview.
I caught him on ESPN News last night after I got back from running, and the kid is good. He's got a natural enthusiasm that's infectious, and seems unconcerned with appearing cool, even though he competes in sports where cool is a big part of your markteability. He also stays away from the awfulness that is the sports cliche, and he's funny as hell. In the span of a 2-minute interview, he managed to hit on twice-his-age SportsCenter anchor Linda Cohn (who wasn't conducting the interview, but it was still funny), diss his silly Flying Tomato nickname while still reminding viewers that the tomato is a cool vegetable that's good for you, and seem genuinely in awe of winning a gold medal that he was the favorite to win. Now, someone explain to me why the hell anyone would "Join Bode" when there are guys like Shaun White who we could be watching instead?
2 comments:
I'm on board. I'm sick and tired of this Bode character too. I mean, I respect this guy for being elite in his sport but I want to see some anger. That's the problem with these athletes who make a living participating in their sport, the Olympics is just another competition to them. Gone are the days when an athlete trains diligently for 4 years or more to prepare for the fleeting moment when they will pour out their heart and soul for a chance at glory. It just doesn't matter as much anymore, and it shows.
Dammit Jim, he's a snowboarder, not a botanist!
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