Off The Ball Official Thread <Mod Note - Post #1, #533, #6651>

ziggy wrote: »

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It’s the “only remaining thing I listen to”[/quote]

Yes? "the only remaining OTB show I listen to". You'll have to explain further. I'm not getting you......

If you are confused as to why I still listen it's because a) when on topic, it's the only good show left on OTB and b) I'm now genuinely invested in how much more off-topic and obscure the show can become. That in itself is an interesting pursuit as we see Newstalk's toy department's delusions of grandeur play out on the airwaves. For Jaysis sake, that's a sport in itself!

Jayesdiem wrote:

And this is the type of thing that sports fans want to hear about, day in day out? In newspaper parlance, this is front, not back page, news.

Its a sports story, every sports news site and paper have been covering it and its very relevant recently as the court case just eneded for Bennell. They covered on the Sunday Supplement as well and they rarely stray away from soccer to anything else

Tell me how wrote: »

Jayesdiem wrote:

It's not a sports story. It's a horror story that occurred in the environment of various football clubs. They locked up a paedophile from Birmingham Uni today - that is no more relevant to the sports fan.

Completely disagree.
It happened within a Sports club, to Sports people by Sports people and has been covered up by Sports clubs and possibly Sports governing bodies.

I find absolutely no issue with covering this kind of topic or the current rape case for example. They are genuine stories in the world of sport.

When it comes to the McIlroy-Trump stuff, MON comments or endless stories about racism, female (or otherwise) sports that nobody watches or cares about I draw a line. That's when it becomes self indulgent crap for me and not a sports show.

They have also done doping to the point of parody. Kimmage is like Dunphy at this point.

Tell me how wrote: »

Conservative wrote:

They have also done doping to the point of parody. Kimmage is like Dunphy at this point.

They're not inventing the doping stories though.
It's the single biggest influence on sporting performance worldwide in my view. There isn't a sport unaffected by it, from GAA to curling.
Personally, I think we need people like Kimmage and shows like OTB to keep at it.

People don't like it, maybe because it makes them nervous to acknowledge it, maybe because they're only interested in sports for the entertainment it brings, like a film.

I suppose I'm in the latter camp.. It's not going away so let them at it.

anthonyjmaher wrote: »

You know, I was just beginning to enjoy Joe Molloy's broadcasting again, until he spent an hour ..... yet again... going on about how Rory McIlroy went for a round of gold with Trump. Jesus Christ, he gives me a pain in my face. I think the most underhanded thing about the way they handle such topics is that they present their own opinion as the morally correct and right opinion, before then asking the guest for their opinion, by which point it is impossible for them to do anything but agree with the presenter.
I think at this stage Jessica Kelly is nearly the only presenter on NT that doesn't try to ram her political views and morals down your throat.

For a dyed in the wool liberal, Joe is huge fan of the most conservative right-wing sport on the planet apart from Nascar. No wonder he's confused.

Conservative wrote: »

Jesus. When did this happen?

Well, they talked about it for a few minutes in the paper review last Sunday.

anthonyjmaher wrote: »

I noticed there were social justice warrior antics from Molloy when he's on TV3. He's a proper sports presenter, and a good one, and leaves his political views at the door. I wonder what it is about the Newstalk environment that makes him think that it's okay to turn the sports show in to Global Village. It must be coming from the top, Gilroy. You probably need to cut the head off the snake to change the preaching culture of the show.

I agree. I think Joe has been doing well on TV3. I do get the feeling Ger is top dog in OTB and sets the agenda. I have my own opinions on the guy (from a purely broadcasting/ professional point of view) but won't bother posting them. He does seem to be ambitious and has been good for 'brand OTB', if not the content/direction of the show itself.

On a slightly different topic, the OTB Roadshow last Friday, did anyone here attend, or ever attend one of these things? I listened to half of the podcast this morning. Full disclaimer I have dramatically cut down on listening to the show over the last 12 months and only occasionally listen to the rugby/soccer shows so I avoid (somewhat) the SJW rants etc. that have been well discussed. However, the banter that goes on at these roadshows is cringe-worthy, from a listening point of view anyway, it might be different if you're actually in attendance. It comes across like a real 'boys club' and there isn't a sniff of any SJW'ing. In fact, it seems to swing 180 degrees and they indulge in talk that might be 'offensive' to some (not me per se). And the (unnecessary) swearing goes off the charts for some reason (one of the guests, Martyn Williams, seemed genuinely shocked when Ger said that the crowds reaction was 'Bulls@it'. Again I def. have no problem with swearing but why go from 'whiter than white' during the week to 'having the bants with the lads' for 2/3 hours on these nights? I know it's a different spin on the programme and they have to put on a bit of a 'show' (and lest not forget that some of the audience might be well tanked up by then) but it stinks of hypocrisy. That might sound harsh but they're well able to dish it out so I think they should be pulled up on it from the other side.

Also, it might seem like an obvious question but, is the main motivation for staging these events revenue generating? Must you pay for tickets or is a free gig? I've no problem with this, they operate in a commercial world but they were sponsored by Heineken this time I believe (more hypocrisy there surely from our moral conscience champions, on top of having been sponsored by betting companies). My main gripe is that most of these shows are not listener-friendly (e.g. 'look at this clip of our guest (Martyn Williams) missing a penalty kick in a HEC semi final' or 'listen to our Crappy Quiz where the guests are throwing rugby balls around blindfolded'). Ger also goes into insulting mode at this point, he often remarks on the contestants brought up from the crowd, for comedic effect I guess, but they come across as snide little comments and are def. not funny.

It's probably not fair to drag this old chestnut up but for comparison sake, Second Captains produce a better overall product by a country mile. They can be somewhat jaded the odd time (and some of their sport topics would not interest me) but when they get it right they're more entertaining, smart and engaging than OTB and there can be a genuine sense of fun on the show. They can ask short, direct questions without being boring or losing the listener (and themselves) half way through (cough). They are beginning to beat the 'world service' drum to death but they are in business too and do not rely on sponsors anymore. That's to be respected.

santino wrote: »

However, the banter that goes on at these roadshows is cringe-worthy, from a listening point of view anyway, it might be different if you're actually in attendance. It comes across like a real 'boys club' and there isn't a sniff of any SJW'ing. In fact, it seems to swing 180 degrees and they indulge in talk that might be 'offensive' to some (not me per se).

Yeah I've noted this before as well. It's generally when all the rugger lads are in for their He-Man pints and share their war stories. Well, when I say war stories, it's invariably some cheapshot at a defenseless lad at the bottom of the ruck or similar. "Keith Wood raked my leg with his cogs and I got 14 stitches" - cue rapturous applause from the audience. And I'm saying to myself .. Where are our usual pious OTB presenters? Are they not there wagging their finger at such a wanton, cowardly act of violence?
I think part of it is human nature as well. It's their live event and the rugby players are their guests, so any indiscretions are forgiven. In the same way that at a recent OTB soccer roadshow, there was no furore about when Stuart Pearse used the word "poof". Yet, when Martin O'Neill was giving an interview to another station and used the word "queer" (for which he immediately apologised), OTB spent a week vilifying him.