Pen Pen's Evangelion
A Pen Pen for your Thoughts
This section will just be for, basically random thoughts and feelings. Since my thought process is mostly random you can probably expect this to be updated frequently. Back to Previous Pennys. Back to Pen Penny.
ESPN Gets A “Bee”
ESPN. It is a channel that was meant to be. It beams sports programs to your television. It has broadcast important events and spectacular moments. However, ESPN’s distant cousin from another state, ESPN 2 is not the same. ESPN 2 is nothing like it’s older and wiser relative. Whilst ESPN will usually broadcast important sporting events, ESPN 2 is left mostly with leftovers and broadcasts just to fill time. Sure, occasionally there will be two important events on at once and then ESPN 2 will feel important because it’s ratings will hit a spike due to a large event and splitting of an audience with it’s cousin. The rest of the time it will air strange and obscure events that a small group may enjoy. Sometimes, though hard to believe, there may be only one sporting event taking place at that particular time, leaving ESPN 2 will little to manage with. It will end up desperate to fill it’s programming.
This became most evident when I watched the National Spelling Bee (yes, you read correctly, unless of course you read it incorrectly) on ESPN 2. I mean no disrespect to the younglings participating, because spelling is sometimes quite difficult, but why is this on ESPN 2? Can this actually be considered a sport? What possibly could have entered the mind of the person when he suggested airing a spelling bee on a sports network? Also, why did the network agree to it? It seems like something a sports network would not do unless beaten with a bat and tortured. Even then, it would still be reluctant afterwards. Who actually, genuinely considers spelling words a sport? Anyone? There is no actual physical action. In chess, minds at least battle each other not some judge. The word is the opponent. A word! What can a word possibly do to you except for possibly offend you. Offensive words are easy to spell though. Sure, if it got some friends together and made a sentence, then it could battle fiercely. A single word is as threatening as a single ant (I am not referring to Atom Ant, who is quite powerful). I will easily admit that the words were difficult to spell, but I did not consider the fact that it could be exciting. Now, it seemed to be your standard spelling bee. I believe the saddest part was that there actually was an announcer. Okay, air the “bee” but don’t hire an announcer. It makes me sad. I take pity on the announcer. It may have been a pity hiring. Obviously they must have flunked out of announcing school or maybe there is an overpopulation of announcers on the job market. I am not really qualified to analyze the job market for announcers so I can’t be sure.
What did the announcer do? What sort of insight can an announcer really give to a spelling bee? Well, you may (or may not) be surprised. At one point she gave insight into why the word was spelled that way, it is common for French words. At other points she discussed the jobs of the parents of the contestants (should I refer to them as athletes?). Throughout the competition she also pointed out lucky items that the competitors (or athletes if you prefer) and parents brought along. Then it got into the later rounds. The competition was breathtaking. It was an intense battle. No wonder, I thought, it is airing on a sports network. There were suspenseful pauses for thought. Asking of definitions and if there are other pronunciations. I was on the edge of my seat. Who will win? Back and forth the incredibly odd words almost never used in actual conversation were spelled. There was the relief on the competitor’s (I have decided they should not be referred to as athletes) faces and the agony of defeat. It was a spectacular event. At the ending they interviewed the winner. Wow! What an epic event it was to witness. I can only hope ESPN 2 will air it next year and, hopefully, they’ll air the National Geography Bee as well. –5/30/02
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