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naraburns  nihil supernum  1yr ago (text post)   3879 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for November 20, 2022

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

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Why do I find it so heartbreaking that so many 2022 FIFA World Cup commentators and panelists are women? I have a hard time articulating my justifications for these feelings, but there’s a weight in my chest as if I’ve lost a close friend or just discovered that my lover is cheating on me. One of those ideas that’s like seasickness - you feel like you’re going to die and everyone else thinks it’s pathetic and funny.

To me it's just a symptom of the professionalisation of sports "journalism". Commentating on sports shouldn't be like a board meeting, you're supposed to have fun!

Often it's not even the women themselves that's the issue, it's that it has to be both men and women. Commentating is a great deal about banter repertoire, men and women almost never have it together. It would be ten times better if half the matches had female commentating teams and the other men, then people wouldn't be so stiff and "professional".

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