6 sports analysts who are actually glorified trolls

Our culture needs to toughen up.

Media sensitivity and over-amplification are at an all-time high. So much political correctness can be cripplingly inefficient. That doesn’t mean, however, that we must intentionally be politically incorrect to make a point – or attract attention.

It’s a common trope: Say something outrageous to boost ratings or generate web traffic. I have a respect for these some of these writers, anchors and analysts. They some of them are excellent thinkers in sports – but they use it for evil too often.

Here are the six “sports analysts” who take things too far on a regular basis.

Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith

They must be clumped together – they’re a two-headed troll. Bayless was bad before Stephen A. entered the picture, but in 2012 when Stephen A. joined First Take permanently, things got out of hand. Stephen asserted that teams could tie in hockey. He made remarks on the Ray Rice scandal that got him suspended from ESPN for a week. Skip Bayless makes a point of arguing with everything that Stephen A. says – which often results in a fruitless debate. Between, Stephen A.’s incessant phrase, “this dude!” and his stutters, it’s hard to know what exactly Stephen A. is arguing.

Bayless’ shameless support of Tim Tebow are well accounted for. He and Tebow are probably the only people in the world that think Tebow’s still got a shot in the NFL. Bayless is as polarizing as people come in sports – maybe the most hated. Add in that he once supposedly said “I’ve had more sex than all of you people combined” to Woody Paige and Stephen A. It makes you think that he’s just a 62-year-old bro, shooting the shit.

Woody Paige

The Denver Post columnist will say almost anything to get himself some extra points on Around the Horn. He stammers on with his nose high and voice loud as can be. He’s like a youngest child screaming for attention. At times, he makes some excellent points. Other times, he’s clearly picking a side to stir pandemonium – to shit disturb. He once called the 1996 Jacksonville Jaguars the “Jagwads.” Those Wads defeated his Broncos in what he called “the second biggest upset in history.” Sucks to suck.

Bob Costas

He’s actually a phenomenal commentator and anchor. It’s just that he had pink eye during the Olympics. An NBC spokesperson denied the allegations that the pink eye had something to do with an infection following a botox procedure, saying “This has zero truth to this. Zero.” At least Costas gave everyone something to talk about during the Olympics’ slow start.

I know you’re all thinking it, if it was pinkeye, then who farted on his pillow? We’ll never know.

Chris Berman

This. Just this:

Jason Whitlock

Whitlock is known for throwing out unfiltered ideas into the twitterverse. He either says everything he’s thinking, or he premeditates the most ridiculous thing he could say, then says it. The most recent? RG3 is the next Akili Smith. Business as usual. But there’s a point where people abuse their power on social media.

After Jeremy Lin drained 38 points to help the Knicks top the Lakers amidst the throws of Linsanity. He tweeted this:

“Some lucky lady in NYC is gonna feel a couple inches of pain tonight.”

Really, Whitlock? He’d still be on here with his grabby, click bait headlines and his alternative stance on all things sports. That stuff is benign – sometimes it even makes for good reading. But this is too far. Whitlock gave a half-assed apologized. They always do. It meant nothing.

Tim Tebow

He doesn’t even have to do anything. The guy has won the Internet by simply being him. Everything he does on camera gets blown out of proportion. Now that he’s a sports analyst – and in front of a camera all day long – he could be the on the All-Decade team of “Internet Winners.” He’s definitely up there with candidates like Rihanna and Miley Cyrus.

Tebow was never particularly insightful when interviewed in the past, but perhaps he was just falling in line with what he thought his coaches wanted him to say. One thing’s for sure, the SEC network is bound to get better ratings if they get Tebow to take his shirt off. The internet almost broke the last time that happened. His potential as an NFL quarterback may be dead, but he’s got incredible potential someday to be broadcasts best troll – I mean analyst.