There are two old sayings that came up in politics in the last five or six years that seem very relevant in the wake of Greg Gumbel blasting sports talk radio last week.
I had never heard the term “nothingburger” before Ted Cruz used it to describe Jeff Sessions’s meeting with the Russian ambassador during Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Apparently, the term’s use has been documented in print dating back to 1953.
I had never heard the term “a hit dog will holler” until Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum used it to describe the way now-governor Ron DeSantis reacted to accusations that he embraced racist tactics and propaganda spreaders during that state’s 2018 election. I have plenty of friends who say they heard it from their very Southern grandparents long before that.
All four of my grandparents were either dead or living in Greece when I was born. Maybe that explains my lack of familiarity.
I thought about both of those terms last week as I watched people respond both online and on air to Greg Gumbel taking a giant dump on sports radio. My initial thought when Arky Shea posted the story was “who cares?”. It seemed like the epitome of a nothingburger to me. When was the last time anyone thought about Greg Gumbel?
Then I watched a lot of people rush to social media to sound off, to be the knight in shining armor for our format.
Plenty of hit dog will holler types were in there, but so were some really talented people, people that have no business giving the comments a second thought. Maybe Gumble touched a deep-seeded insecurity. Maybe they were showing off for potential future employers. Whatever the case, Greg Gumbel hit and those dogs hollered.
Guys, Greg Gumbel is pretty close to a nobody at this point. He accomplished a lot in the world of sports television, but honestly, do you even know what he does or where he is on in 2022? I don’t and it never occurred to me that I didn’t until we posted that story.
Seriously, he could be dead for all I know and his quote about sports radio could have been obtained via seance. I wouldn’t be moved one way or the other.
The collective reaction pissed me off. It made our entire format look like a bunch of fragile babies. Sports radio could stand to be a little less defensive.
Let’s be less PR team and more punk rock. What do we think of Greg Gumbel’s comments on sports radio? Who cares? It’s Greg Gumbel.
Greg Gumbel’s reasons for hating sports radio were neither new nor particularly interesting. He doesn’t like to hear people argue? He can see for himself if a pitcher is good or bad and doesn’t need to be told what to think?
I mean, WFAN went on air July 1, 1987. I am pretty sure these arguments were formed on July 2, 1987, and people have been using them to prove how smart they are ever since.
Clap-back culture is more of a problem than anyone wants to acknowledge. We’re all alphas on social media, right? We’re not here to take shit!
In reality, you have to learn when to use your voice and when clapping back makes you look petty and small.
In this case, the guy pissing and moaning about our industry said he didn’t want to be told what to think about the California Angels. Are you waiting for him to defend the Quebec Nordiques? What more evidence do you need that he is not to be taken seriously?
His radio history, his more successful brother, the fact that he is old. Fire away with whatever ammo you want. Greg Gumbel won’t see it and he doesn’t care and that is fine. He’s 76. He isn’t exactly a thought leader. Hell, are we positive he knows how to access the internet?
We don’t need to waste time discrediting or swaying his opinion. It was infuriating watching this man get in the feelings of people that I know are smart and talented.
Let’s acknowledge that it is okay that some people don’t like what we do. Who cares? They are not our concern. Let’s acknowledge that not everyone in this format is good. That’s not ideal, but it is okay. Good is subjective and the world is filled with people that are not good at their job and find a way to remain employed.
Save the outrage for an opinion that matters. Getting angry about Greg Gumbel’s opinion on sports radio is like getting angry about a bear’s opinion of post modern architecture. You aren’t going to change the bear’s mind, and if you do, what exactly did you accomplish?
Demetri Ravanos is a columnist and features writer for Barrett Media. He is also the creator of The Sports Podcast Festival, and a previous host on the Chewing Clock and Media Noise podcasts. He occasionally fills in on stations across the Carolinas in addition to hosting Panthers and College Football podcasts. His radio resume includes stops at WAVH and WZEW in Mobile, AL, WBPT in Birmingham, AL and WBBB, WPTK and WDNC in Raleigh, NC.
You can find him on Twitter @DemetriRavanos or reach him by email at DemetriTheGreek@gmail.com.
