Keith Olbermann: New studio host for post-season MLB games

[Flunky]

Kieth Olbermann did the online equivalent of calling into a radio station where PSU kids were promoting THON to shit on them.  Whether his criticisms are valid, the context of the situation made him look boorish and dumb.

 
He didn't call anyone, the girl tagged him. She basically tweeted "Hey Keith Olbermann (who I know hates on us), we raised all this money for a good cause. What do you think about that?!?!" I highly doubt he meant raising money for charity is pitiful in his one word response. I think it's more like he felt the use of said charitable action to show him up is pitiful. They raised it for some sick kids, not as ammo to start some Twitter war.

 

[Tony C]

Oh please, His response was inane and immature -- I actually like his show, but he has an achilles heel and it's his huge ego and propensity for getting into sophomoric troll wars like this. Calling PSU students pitiful just for being at a (state) institution that had some leaders who fucked up big-time when those students were in Jr High has about as much logic as calling all Sox fans back in the day pitiful because Yawkey was a racist. Grow the f up.

 

[Ed Hillel]

We're all in agreement that PSU more or less systemically enabled the rape of children, right?

 
Yeah, but the student body in general didn't. It was a very odd rant from Olbermann, but it's not really out of character. ESPN knew what it was getting into. Schilling has also said worse, but they've let him skate, likely because he had cancer.

 

[E5 Yaz]

What would Olbermann want to see happen at Penn State? The dissolution of the entire university? Or does he, and other media/Internet tough guys just want to keep using it as a punching bag?

 

[kenneycb]

What would Olbermann want to see happen at Penn State? The dissolution of the entire university? Or does he, and other media/Internet tough guys just want to keep using it as a punching bag?

Presumably the students to not act like the true victims of the whole proceeding.

 

[E5 Yaz]

Presumably the students to not act like the true victims of the whole proceeding.

 
As Laddie said, we all know who the true victims are.

 

[CaptainLaddie]

 
As Laddie said, we all know who the true victims are.

Exactly.
 
The PSU student body (and alumni) have been acting for years like they're being punished unfairly.
 
They're a bunch of fucking morons, and while Olbermann's an idiot for responding to them like he did, he's not the one defending a man who knowingly allowed the rape of children to happen.
 
Maybe just once (ONCE) they should donate the money from THON to an organization that helps the victims of sexual child abuse.  Or -- even better -- have a second fundraiser!  Maybe months later?

 

[kenneycb]

 
As Laddie said, we all know who the true victims are.

We do.  There is an argument to be had if they do.

 

[E5 Yaz]

We do.  There is an argument to be had if they do.

 
I think if you get most of these college knuckleheads away from Twitter, they probably do.
 
But being college knuckleheads, they feel persecuted about something they had nothing to do with. The posts KO responded to don't mention defending Paterno; it's just there by inference.
 
As long as the KO's of this mediaverse paint everyone and everything associated with Penn State as being stained forever, college-aged knuckleheads are going to feel victimized.
 
Should these kids have poked the bear? Of course not. But there are opponents more worthy of KO's well-sharpened scorn than this group.

 

[JohntheBaptist]

We do.  There is an argument to be had if they do.

 
You're doing the work for him. He figured he could take some digs at an easy target because he'd have a lineup of folks who would just shrug their shoulders and say, "well fuck PSU kids because pedophilia."
 
He was a dickhead to a bunch of college students raising money for kids with cancer. A smarter guy would pick his spots.

 

[MentalDisabldLst]

The PSU student body (and alumni) have been acting for years like they're being punished unfairly.

 
The students and alumni basically did nothing to deserve punishment.  Those deserving of punishment were all in the administration, and they have all (to my limited knowledge) been fired, resigned, convicted and jailed, or in the case of Paterno, fired and expired.  The NCAA was finally made to see the futility and, frankly, injustice of continuing to punish the athletics department and the students who bore absolutely no responsibility for doing what they were being punished for, and lifted the restrictions on scholarships and postseason play.
 
Other than not wanting to hear people, in general, tell you that they're victims, I can't fathom why unaffiliated people like ourselves would want to see some further retribution imposed on PSU.  The legal system has done its work, hasn't it?
 
edit: E5 said it better.

 

[kenneycb]

I think if you get most of these college knuckleheads away from Twitter, they probably do.
 
But being college knuckleheads, they feel persecuted about something they had nothing to do with. The posts KO responded to don't mention defending Paterno; it's just there by inference.
 
As long as the KO's of this mediaverse paint everyone and everything associated with Penn State as being stained forever, college-aged knuckleheads are going to feel victimized.
 
Should these kids have poked the bear? Of course not. But there are opponents more worthy of KO's well-sharpened scorn than this group.

My experience has been outside of the Twitter-sphere with alums I worked and interacted with on a daily basis that largely felt that way.  Not everyone, but many.

 

[mauidano]

Again, the general consensus is that KO just reached down below his level and took shots at kids who really have little to do with the horrible incidents of the past.  They were doing something positive and wanted him to know that not everyone at PSU is an ass.  His stand on PSU is well documented and he has made his point from his high profile soapbox.  Granted, maybe the kids should not have "poked the bear" but KO definitely should have been the mature one and left it alone.  He's the one who ends up looking stupid here.

 

[Bergs]

Again, the general consensus is that KO just reached down below his level and took shots at kids who really have little to do with the horrible incidents of the past.  They were doing something positive and wanted him to know that not everyone at PSU is an ass.  His stand on PSU is well documented and he has made his point from his high profile soapbox.  Granted, maybe the kids should not have "poked the bear" but KO definitely should have been the mature one and left it alone.  He's the one who ends up looking stupid here.

 
This.

 

[CaptainLaddie]

 
The students and alumni basically did nothing to deserve punishment.  Those deserving of punishment were all in the administration, and they have all (to my limited knowledge) been fired, resigned, convicted and jailed, or in the case of Paterno, fired and expired.  The NCAA was finally made to see the futility and, frankly, injustice of continuing to punish the athletics department and the students who bore absolutely no responsibility for doing what they were being punished for, and lifted the restrictions on scholarships and postseason play.
 
Other than not wanting to hear people, in general, tell you that they're victims, I can't fathom why unaffiliated people like ourselves would want to see some further retribution imposed on PSU.  The legal system has done its work, hasn't it?
 
edit: E5 said it better.

 
The students and alumni are being punished, and that's for good reason: they're fans of a guy who let someone rape children in his building for years and years.  They're using the facilities built with the money his program raised.  They're still begging for his statue to be put back up.  They're total fucking assholes for these reasons.
 
They should have kept Paterno's wins from him.  Why?  Because there's no other good way to punish a dead man.  He was complicit in allowing this at the highest level.  God for-fucking-bid he's not allowed to keep those wins, even after his death.  The man is evil, plain and simple, and now he gets to be honored as the winningest coach NCAA DI football history.
 
PSU should be punished - forever - for what happened.  The students should feel bad about giving money (read: tuition) to an organization that enabled the rape of children in the name of not hurting their athletic programs and academics.
 
I genuinely wished PSU football was given the death penalty.  They shouldn't be allowed to reap the benefits of what D1 football brings to a school after what happened.  Fuck Joe Paterno.

 

[CaptainLaddie]

Again, the general consensus is that KO just reached down below his level and took shots at kids who really have little to do with the horrible incidents of the past.  They were doing something positive and wanted him to know that not everyone at PSU is an ass.  His stand on PSU is well documented and he has made his point from his high profile soapbox.  Granted, maybe the kids should not have "poked the bear" but KO definitely should have been the mature one and left it alone.  He's the one who ends up looking stupid here.

Oh, this is 100% correct.

 

[Blacken]

But do you hate and make fun of the biggest student-led fundraiser in the country? Cause that's what KO did.

The people behind it--sure, why not? They're still caping for pederast defense by their attendance and their tuition. A fundraiser doesn't make up for that.

 

[E5 Yaz]

The people behind it--sure, why not? They're still caping for pederast defense by their attendance and their tuition. A fundraiser doesn't make up for that.

 
That's an awfully large leap of logic there. Are you actually trying to argue that every student at Penn State is supportive of the university's stance on the Paterno-Sandusky disaster? Every single student? And that none of them, none at all, could be going to that school for another reason?
 
So, to carry forward this line of thinking, what happened here ...
 

 
... should serve as evidence that no one should live in, work in or visit the city of Boston because of the horrible nature of its past?

 

[kenneycb]

If that happened 5-10 years ago, I would say you'd have a much better argument than the one you put forth.

 

[Tony C]

This whole strand of argumentation is internet holier-than-thou trolling at its finest. Is there any institution/city/country that could not be damned with the same broad paint brush? "OMG, you work for/live in x place, where such and such horrible thing happened..what kind of scumbag are you to be part of that community?"

 

[E5 Yaz]

If that happened 5-10 years ago, I would say you'd have a much better argument than the one you put forth.

 
so, in 30 years, students can go to Penn State again?

 

[E5 Yaz]

This whole strand of argumentation is internet holier-than-thou trolling at its finest. Is there any institution/city/country that could not be damned with the same broad paint brush? "OMG, you work for/live in x place, where such and such horrible thing happened..what kind of scumbag are you to be part of that community?"

 
Better said than I

 

[snowmanny]

Lucky for him ESPN is beyond reproach.

 

[lostjumper]

 
 
PSU should be punished - forever - for what happened.  The students should feel bad about giving money (read: tuition) to an organization that enabled the rape of children in the name of not hurting their athletic programs and academics.
 

 
 

The Redsox should be punished - forever - for what happened.  Their fans should feel bad about giving money (read: tickets and merchandise) to an organization that promoted racism.
 
Am I doing this right? PSU Students are raising millions of dollars for charity. Lambasting them for something that adults did while they were still in elementary school is downright idiotic.
 
.

 

[kenneycb]

 
so, in 30 years, students can go to Penn State again?

I don't have an issue with them going to school. I have an issue with the mindset of their students and alumni. I was pointing out holes in your analogy.

 

[kenneycb]

 
 

The Redsox should be punished - forever - for what happened.  Their fans should feel bad about giving money (read: tickets and merchandise) to an organization that promoted racism.
 
Am I doing this right? PSU Students are raising millions of dollars for charity. Lambasting them for something that adults did while they were still in elementary school is downright idiotic.
 
.

What about all the people that provided an influx of donations when the scandal hit?

 

[JohntheBaptist]

I don't have an issue with them going to school. I have an issue with the mindset of their students and alumni. I was pointing out holes in your analogy.

 
Here's what you keep missing: going to PSU does not mean you condone or excuse anything. You guys just keep breezing by this part of the discussion. Either they're tarred irrevocably by association or you're wrong. That was E5's point.

 

[CaptainLaddie]

 
 
 

The Redsox should be punished - forever - for what happened.  Their fans should feel bad about giving money (read: tickets and merchandise) to an organization that promoted racism.
 
Am I doing this right? PSU Students are raising millions of dollars for charity. Lambasting them for something that adults did while they were still in elementary school is downright idiotic.
 
.

 

 
Of course, one difference (among many) is that the Red Sox aren't owned by racists now, and fans and players don't talk about Tom Yawkey like he's Mother fucking Theresa.
 
PSU fans, students, and alumni, on the other hand, still holds up Paterno the most important person in American history who was SO VERY UNFAIRLY maligned through the whole thing.
 
They want the statue of a man who actively enabled child rape to go back up.  Talk about missing the forest for the fucking trees.
 
And no one -- except Olbermann, I guess -- thinks that the students doing THON is a bad thing.  That's a strawman.

 

[JohntheBaptist]

1. "PSU fans, students, and alumi... still hold up Paterno..." Which ones? How do you know?
2. How is that a strawman, exactly? That's exactly what we're talking about--whether KO was over the line.
 
You guys are getting these responses because you seem a bit too comfortable painting every person with an association to the school as some rah-rah Paterno person. Since you really can't say that, you really can't lean on it when referring to Olbermann's twitterstorm the other night, because he doesn't know he was razzing a Paterno supporter, but he knows he razzed someone promoting their work raising money for kids with cancer. And so if his position is essentially "doesn't matter, they go to PSU"--well then it's another chapter in the Keith Olbermann is an Asshole file. Because he did it knowing many would get all caught up in this line of thinking and not call him on it.
 
If we're not talking about that... what are we talking about?

 

[Blacken]

1. "PSU fans, students, and alumi... still hold up Paterno..." Which ones? How do you know?
2. How is that a strawman, exactly? That's exactly what we're talking about--whether KO was over the line.
 
You guys are getting these responses because you seem a bit too comfortable painting every person with an association to the school as some rah-rah Paterno person.

No. I'm painting them as willing to support through tacit acceptance monstrous, monstrous acts. You know how you get out of that? By making heads roll. By withholding your money and your support from the place until it chokes out the people responsible. Doing less than that is utterly immoral; doing nothing is not merely doing less, it is support of the status quo. And it's their right to support that status quo. I will with no hesitation whatsoever think that they are shitheads, and that doesn't go away because of a fundraiser.

You don't have to be a rah-rah Paterno person to be fundamentally supportive of the institutions that let Paterno's buddy fuck kids. Actions have consequences. Own them, shitheads.

 

[dcmissle]

Bill of attainder -- check it out. And that Red Sox comparison -- ouch. Those beloved and cuddly "67 Red Sox were still owned by him, and the "86 version, by his wife. Our original sin was not selling Babe Ruth: it was that Yawkey thing.

Truth be told, some of the most vocal Keth supporters in this instance probably wanted Penn State burned to the ground.

I like Keith but in this instance he acted like that word that Myt chides your ass for using if you post it here.

Edit -- I forgot that unforgettable "75 edition, with our Goldust twins. Tom owned them too. And they made us so happy right around the time that flagpole above was used as a weapon, and Judge Garrity was in fear of his life for imposing a busing decree.

 

[JohntheBaptist]

Yeah, shitheads!

So youre cool with guilt by association, got it. Thats what KO was doing, if youre owning that more power to you, I just disagree.

 

[Tony C]

The people responsible have been "choked out," no? (correct me if I'm wrong on that -- haven't heard about any stragglers escaping notice)
 
Assuming that's correct, they were "choked out" well before an innocuous tweet bragging about raising money for a good cause was sent out.
 
I have no idea what the logic is here, except for moral grandstanding. More power to you.

 

[JohntheBaptist]

The people responsible have been "choked out," no? (correct me if I'm wrong on that -- haven't heard about any stragglers escaping notice)
 
Assuming that's correct, they were "choked out" well before an innocuous tweet bragging about raising money for a good cause was sent out.
 
I have no idea what the logic is here, except for moral grandstanding. More power to you.

 
Yeah, I'm having trouble with what exactly is being said here, too. I mean, I would guess that the vast majority of us are virulently opposed to what went down there. I thought we could skip the hating-pedophiles bonafides, but fair enough. Personally I agree with everything Laddie said--I think they should not have a football team anymore, parts of that statue should be used to make sewage pipes, there should be a seminar every freshman takes wherein it's explained that the Paterno Era wasn't what it seemed and they're moving on from it, and on and on. Dig up the thread, I had my own little nutty session that required taking a break from the board it got so consuming. 
 
But we're not talking about that. We're talking about KO being an asshole to college students raising money for sick kids because he felt like he could, and that there would be people too rage-blind about it to care about the distinction. If you're saying everyone who hands PSU a tuition check is under that umbrella, that seems a bit out of touch with reality to me. Anyone that excuses it on any level--yeah, fuck them, obviously.

 

[MentalDisabldLst]

Lucky for him ESPN is beyond reproach.

 
As long as they keep providing 60-80% of Disney's net profits, they could broadcast scat porn all day long for all anyone's going to come down on John Skipper and co.
 
I'll leave the other bones of contention alone - they've been well-covered.

 

[DLew On Roids]

 
As long as they keep providing 60-80% of Disney's net profits, they could broadcast scat porn all day long for all anyone's going to come down on John Skipper and co.
 
I'll leave the other bones of contention alone - they've been well-covered.

 
I thought that was called First Take.

 

[Hagios]

How about a compromise?

Let's humiliate and shame people who share a geographic connection to horrible acts for ten years. Then we'll forgive and forget.

That way we've still got some good PSU-shaming years ahead of ourselves, but we're still free and clear of Yawkey.

 

[mt8thsw9th]

 
That's an awfully large leap of logic there. Are you actually trying to argue that every student at Penn State is supportive of the university's stance on the Paterno-Sandusky disaster? Every single student? And that none of them, none at all, could be going to that school for another reason?
 
So, to carry forward this line of thinking, what happened here ...
 

 
... should serve as evidence that no one should live in, work in or visit the city of Boston because of the horrible nature of its past?

 
If the city erected a statue of Louise Day Hicks, had it torn down, and the city clamored to have the statue put back up, then I think you'd have a good argument for people shunning Boston.

 

[JohntheBaptist]

 
If the city erected a statue of Louise Day Hicks, had it torn down, and the city clamored to have the statue put back up, then I think you'd have a good argument for people shunning Boston.

 
No. Analogies don't have to be direct DNA matches to have some utility.

And in your example, you still wouldn't have an argument for shitting on a random citizen in this version of Boston for bringing up the money they'd just raised for the Jimmy Fund.

 

[grimshaw]

I put my appendix back in after I found out my surgeon attended the same school as Ted Kacyzinski.

 

[sfip]

Olbermann started his return with his apology.
 
http://youtu.be/bPzaUHRX7_Y

 

[SoxJox]

I have to admit..this is very creative and pretty well crafted.  Either he or his writers, perhaps both really spent some time (hmmm...4 days?) on this.
 
But there are just enough hints in there that it's all an act.  Too bad.  The unfortunate thing for KO is that, quite simply, his history suggests he will not be able to help himself at some point, or some multiple points in the future.  He is a social media addict (although I think I detected in there the hint with, "batting practice ends", that he is entering Batting Practice AA and has declared the first all-important step).  And the pitfalls to be found in that hell are infinite.
 
I'd say, best of luck Keith, but I really would't mean it.

 

[dcmissle]

He is the Davey Johnson, or Larry Brown, of our media age. Wherever he goes, it ends badly for him with many recriminations.

 

[mauidano]

Olbermann started his return with his apology.
 
http://youtu.be/bPzaUHRX7_Y

I thought he handled it as well as possible.  I was explain to my wife his propensity for his big mouth and ego getting him into trouble wherever he's worked.  But he owned it and that's about all you can ask for.  I found him sincere.

 

[MentalDisabldLst]

Yeah, my impression with Keith is that his real sin is poor impulse control.  He's probably not actually an asshole all the way through.  His id just has free rein too often.

 

[Tony C]

Yep, that's about right. Both id and ego out of control but, at least, unlike a lot others who are out of control in that respect, he is a genuinely smart guy. Thought the apology was well done and apt (though, just to have one last poke -- noting his "anonymous" gift-giving is another example of a compulsive need to draw attention to himself).

 

[dcmissle]

Douchebag on douchebag crime between him and Ted Cruz on Tom Brady, HRC and deflate gate.  Splendid.
 
KO is not that smart, or that funny, and he is an asshole.

 

[bankshot1]

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/espn-wants-keith-olbermann-quit-806220
 
ESPN wants KO to KO the commentary and may make it a condition of renewing him.
 
In particular ESPN is concerned about commentary about Roger Goodell, and whether the NFL has given ESPN a less attractive slate of games in retaliation for Olbermann and Simmons attacks on RG.
 

 
ESPN walks a particularly fine line in how its reporters and personalities handle the professional sports leagues that are so critical to the network's success. ESPN's Monday Night Football deal (which extends through 2021) is worth $15.2 billion to the NFL. It is the richest rights deal among the NFL's TV partners – which also includes CBS, Fox and NBC – in part because it comes with extensive highlight rights critical to feeding content to ESPN's myriad sports programs. ESPN has had MNF since 2006, the current deal represented an increase of more than 70 percent ($1.9 billion per year up from $1.1 billion under the previous agreement). And while NFL schedulers have historically worked to spread marquee match-ups among its TV partners, the upcoming MNF schedule is viewed one as pointedly lacking in high-interest games. And multiple sources inside ESPN's Bristol, Conn. headquarters believe the "terrible" schedule is “pay back for Simmons and Olbermann,” as one source put it.

.

 

[soxhop411]

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/espn-wants-keith-olbermann-quit-806220
 
ESPN wants KO to KO the commentary and may make it a condition of renewing him.
 
In particular ESPN is concerned about commentary about Roger Goodell, and whether the NFL has given ESPN a less attractive slate of games in retaliation for Olbermann and Simmons attacks on RG.
 
.

Sure. That's why you got a less attractive slate of games. Because you did not kiss the ass of the nfl.

ESPN is a joke.

 

[Van Everyman]

So ESPN lets Simmons go after he criticizes Goodell and right before the Deflategate punishment is handed down – the creator of two of its most signature platforms (Grantland and 30 for 30).

They insist on the cancellation of a TV show when it depicts football too accurately.

They drop out of a partnership with Frontline at the 11th hour during the production of a documentary on football concussions

Now they can Olbermann for, uh, having opinions.

I get that the NFL is a very important business partner. And I understand that ESPN has always been as much if not more of an entertainment network as it is a news organization.

But at some point this in effect cleansing of anyone or anything that criticizes the NFL or (more importantly) its leadership has got to bite ESPN in the ass, no? If all fans want is puff pieces on the draft and the Top Ten Best TD Receptions of 2005, can't they just go to the NFL network or even Fox for that?