I have a problem with anyone who reviews football or anything, be it sports, literature, music whatever who has not played the game. They have no idea what amount of work, dedication, sacrifice, it takes to get on that stage let alone perform on a high level in front of an audience big or small. Hemingway actually punched out a NYC critic and I applaud him. Some of these guys make a living critiquing something they've never experienced first hand.
I also have a problem with a Tennessee/Alabama homer yokel positioned as some kind of expert on Florida football. You could tell the edge in his comments, trying to act objective but unable to
Finebaum is a gimmick that caters mostly to the SECw crowd, particularly the Alabama schools. No one tunes in for a technical breakdown. Including him in a UF-centric documentary was...odd.
I thought he had some comments which were over the top. But I’ve got no problem with a journalist that didn’t play.
Really? I played the game through college and coached HS after. You don't have to be a painter to recognize beauty, an engineer to appreciate the efficiency of a Porsche, a writer to recognize the nuances of a great book. College football is my favorite game, but it is not rocket science. Hemingway?
I appreciate what you’re saying, agree with most of it — but no question being an engineer helps one appreciate the nature and details of technical marvels
It's a compelling debate/question. Music criticism was once a prominent profession and those who wrote major critical reviews indeed came with a great deal of musical knowledge and experience. Critics played piano and studied scores prior to attending and reviewing concerts. I see sports journalism a bit differently. Some journalists (ex. many of the broadcasters on SECn) were notable athletes. I wonder, though, about the athletic experience of people like Bob Costas, Howard Cosell, Al Michaels, etc. Some played and others were basically academics who studied broadcast journalism and came up through the profession. Finebaum is often annoying, but for whatever reason, has carved his niche and become highly successful.
He added nothing. Even boring Dooley would have been better, or Fowler. Herbstreit is a known personality as well. Sean mcDonough too. Best part is ALL of the gators’ rivals wanted a hit piece- even finebaum didn’t do that
And to be fait, here you are commenting on a commentator saying he doesn't know what all goes on to be a football player, while you also go on making this comment while having zero knowledge about how much work the commentators do researching and analyzing the sport and players... Ironic.
I am pretty sure if an engineer and a non-engineer stared at the Great Pyramid, both would say "how the %$#& did they build that?" and fully appreciate the size and scope... Same two people staring at the James Webb space telescope could be a totally different discussion. Football is absolutely not a hard subject to grasp for anyone, anymore so than understanding how much study time it takes for a student to get a degree.
Hard no listening to Herbstreit in the Gator documentary...good god no one needs to hear some old guy who is still sobbing over watching his Buckeyes getting handed both ends of their own ass in the national championship.
Absolutely none. Whatever beef UF fans may have with him in different contexts shouldn’t have been triggered by anything he did or said in this documentary, which to me was benign, neutral, and straight forward.
Do you feel that way about everything? Do you have a favorite movie? Have you cleared it with people who make movies on whether it’s good or not? Have you ever eaten something that tasted terrible? Did you double check with a chef to make sure it actually does taste bad? I assume you also just trust politicians know better than you. It’s possible to take objective measurement of an easily measurable game. Finebaum makes his bread on controversy, but it’s rediculous to say if you haven’t done something then it’s impossible to have an objective or well informed opinion on it. Besides, if you played high school football then you know more than Todd Haley, Joe Gibbs, and Adam Gase!
