# I mean, like, you know, just stop talking. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 21, 2010, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-mean-like-you-know-just-stop-talking/544011 "2010-06-21T18:20:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-mean-like-you-know-just-stop-talking/544011/21 "2010-06-21T22:09:59Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > I am totally on board with the OP. > > And I am tickled to death to find that Youtube has preserved a beautifully relevant clip from the movie _Bedazzled_, in which Brendan Fraser’s character makes a set of deals with the Devil in order to try to impress a girl he likes. One of the people he wishes he was was a professional athlete, and the Devil turns him into this guy: > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F4W0R1Zr\_8](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F4W0R1Zr_8) > > It was the first thing that popped into my mind when I read the OP. I think of the [cliche lesson](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeVca9MwDX8) in Bull Durham ) ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-mean-like-you-know-just-stop-talking/544011/22 "2010-06-21T22:27:07Z")
There’s nothing worse than interviewing a boxer in the ring at the end of the fight. They just spent an hour getting punched in the head repeatedly and Larry Merchant thinks he can ask insightful questions about something that happened back in Round 4. That’s why boxers are the only athletes I can forgive for going into “praise God” mode after the fight. They’re usually in no shape to blurt out anything else. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-mean-like-you-know-just-stop-talking/544011/23 "2010-06-21T22:42:21Z")
Stop watching, reading and listening. Your problem solved and if enough people do it, it will show in ratings and the interviews will not be done anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-mean-like-you-know-just-stop-talking/544011/24 "2010-06-21T22:52:00Z")
> [@kevja](#): > > But his job is to play football. Not be an equal to Jim Rome during an interview. There are adults who eat crayons whose intellects (and ability to host radio shows) are [the equal of Jim Rome](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=408571&highlight=rome). ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-mean-like-you-know-just-stop-talking/544011/25 "2010-06-21T23:16:22Z")
I give you [Charles Barkley](http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=148783). > [@](#): > > "One day, in front of his locker, I witnessed pure Barkley. Before the throng could lob its first question at him, Barkley singled out a Houston television reporter. “Would you suck a cock for a million dollars?” he asked. A roomful of men all instantly looked at their shoes. > > “No,” came the cracked-voice reply. > > “A billion?” Barkley challenged. > > “No,” said the reporter, stronger now. > > “Well, how much then?” > > “I wouldn’t do it for anything!” > > Barkley grinned widely. “Well, if you’d do it for free, come on over here then,” he said, while nervous laughter filled the air around him. “Tell y’all what, I would. If I was poor, I’d suck a cock for a million dollars.” Now that’s an interesting, thought-provovking interview. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-mean-like-you-know-just-stop-talking/544011/26 "2010-06-22T00:23:37Z")
> [@kevja](#): > > Maybe he’s not articulate. So what! And maybe he should stop doing interviews. > > But his job is to play football. Not be an equal to Jim Rome during an interview. It’s not a question of being equal. It’s a question of being able to answer the simplest question without bombarding the listener with like, you know, I mean… This has been a long-term trend in public speaking, one that has so entrenched itself that not only are people not cognizant of the fact that they say it, but it’s now acceptable to the public at large. It’s absolutely infuriating to me. Just say what you’re trying to say. Or, as you say, stop doing interviews. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-mean-like-you-know-just-stop-talking/544011/27 "2010-06-22T00:42:55Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > There’s nothing worse than interviewing a boxer in the ring at the end of the fight. They just spent an hour getting punched in the head repeatedly and Larry Merchant thinks he can ask insightful questions about something that happened back in Round 4. > > That’s why boxers are the only athletes I can forgive for going into “praise God” mode after the fight. They’re usually in no shape to blurt out anything else. Watching Larry Merchant interview anybody at any time is a painful experience. He’s boxing’s equivalent of passing a kidney stone. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-mean-like-you-know-just-stop-talking/544011/28 "2010-06-22T01:36:42Z")
> [@](#): > > Speaking of Chas Barkley…the absolute best ‘athlete quote’ ever made (imho) was when the USA first had pro players in Olympic basketball (~early 90’s?). At a post-game team interview (most of the USA players sitting along a big table), a reporter asked how the USA-team felt about the other teams/countries complaining about being beaten by such huge margins or the US players ‘showboating’ against the opposition or such. Barkley kind of snickered and said that those teams just needed to “take their ass-whippins and go home”. Or words very similar, and I am pretty sure he emphasized the “ass whoopings” part. Pure unadulterated Barkley in both attitude and content. > [@](#): > > "One day, in front of his locker, I witnessed pure Barkley. Before the throng could lob its first question at him, Barkley singled out a Houston television reporter. “Would you suck a cock for a million dollars?” he asked. A roomful of men all instantly looked at their shoes. > > “No,” came the cracked-voice reply. > > “A billion?” Barkley challenged. > > “No,” said the reporter, stronger now. > > “Well, how much then?” > > “I wouldn’t do it for anything!” > > Barkley grinned widely. “Well, if you’d do it for free, come on over here then,” he said, while nervous laughter filled the air around him. “Tell y’all what, I would. If I was poor, I’d suck a cock for a million dollars.” And this illustrates why so many athletes resort to the same old cliches. They know it’s better to sound bland than to sound like an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-mean-like-you-know-just-stop-talking/544011/29 "2010-06-22T01:45:47Z")
More hilarity and insight from Charles Barkley" > [@](#): > > 1. Ernie: “Auburn is a pretty good school. To graduate from there I suppose you really need to work hard and put forth maximum effort.” Charles: “20 pts and 10 rebounds will get you through also!” > > 2. Charles Barkley on his thoughts about retiring before the season: “I remember sitting down with the Rockets and saying, ‘Yeah. I’m going to retire.’ They said, ‘Well, we’ll give you $9 million.’ And I said, ‘You got a pen on you?’” > > 3. “All I know is, as long as I led the Southeastern Conference in scoring, my grades would be fine.” #14 is especially true. Wish a lot more athletes spoke their minds, rather than sound like timid, canned and scripted sheep. ---
**Author:** ![kingbighair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/13edae/32.png) [@kingbighair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kingbighair)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-mean-like-you-know-just-stop-talking/544011/30 "2010-06-22T03:14:02Z")
It is like your younger brother when he is told to clean the bathroom. He does such a terrible job that he never gets asked again. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-mean-like-you-know-just-stop-talking/544011/31 "2010-06-22T03:40:03Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I’ll join in on putting a lot of the blame on the sports journalists asking the questions - half the time, they aren’t even asking a question, just putting something out there like, “That was a heckuva second half you played out there.” and then turning the mike over to the athlete. But I agree, one of my least favourite things is watching interviews with professional athletes. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything in a post-game interview that gave me any insight at all into anything going on in the sport. “Biff, that was a heckuva second half you played out there. How do you feel?” “Jim, lemme tell you, I feel great, but I’ve gotta give credit to the team. Today, we came to play. They came to play too, but we played just a little bit better. It was a good game, and we gave 110%. But yeah, I was backed by a good team, and I gotta thank the guys. And Jesus. Thanks guys, thanks, Jesus, and thanks, Jim; I gotta go shower up.” ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-mean-like-you-know-just-stop-talking/544011/32 "2010-06-22T04:07:15Z")
{someone beat me to it} ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-mean-like-you-know-just-stop-talking/544011/33 "2010-06-22T05:38:06Z")
[Well, Brian…](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw8ZL_gcTSM&feature=related) ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@Captain\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-mean-like-you-know-just-stop-talking/544011/34 "2010-06-22T09:03:16Z")
I’m jealous that these knuckle dragging NBA players make more in a game than what a doctor or lawyer makes in a year, or what a minimum wage employee makes in a lifetime and this is OK with everyone. If you look at most players, especially in NBA and NFL, have a lower IQ than even the general public. Many spend four years in college taking miminum coursework just to play basketball/football, with most not graduating. Or they agree with the school to play for them for a year or two then bolt to the NBA. I like athletics, I really do, but these guys make too much money. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-mean-like-you-know-just-stop-talking/544011/35 "2010-06-22T11:52:05Z")
Take it up with your fellow citizens willing to pay too much money to watch the athletes. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-mean-like-you-know-just-stop-talking/544011/36 "2010-06-22T13:11:57Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I’ll join in on putting a lot of the blame on the sports journalists asking the questions - half the time, they aren’t even asking a question, just putting something out there like, “That was a heckuva second half you played out there.” and then turning the mike over to the athlete. I recently watched a coach come back to one of those with “was that supposed to be a question? I’m here to answer questions, but that means _you_ have to ask them.” (emphasis his) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-mean-like-you-know-just-stop-talking/544011/37 "2010-06-22T13:13:12Z")
The dumbass answers are better than the stuff scripted for the athletes by their agents/handlers. Take for instance the ghostwritten response when an athlete possessing a sixth-grade vocabulary and fourth-grade grammar skills has two sixteen-year-old girls up to his hotel room for a party, gets caught and comes out with “I should have extricated myself from a compromising situation, but made a bad decision. I have disappointed myself and my fans, and must seek to regain their trust.” Or the troubled player who is heavily coached on what to say. Ben Roethlisberger: “I’ve never been to me.” ---
**Author:** ![kingbighair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/13edae/32.png) [@kingbighair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kingbighair)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-mean-like-you-know-just-stop-talking/544011/38 "2010-06-22T14:09:53Z")
> [@Captain\_Midnight](#): > > I’m jealous that these knuckle dragging NBA players make more in a game than what a doctor or lawyer makes in a year, or what a minimum wage employee makes in a lifetime and this is OK with everyone. > > If you look at most players, especially in NBA and NFL, have a lower IQ than even the general public. Many spend four years in college taking miminum coursework just to play basketball/football, with most not graduating. Or they agree with the school to play for them for a year or two then bolt to the NBA. > > I like athletics, I really do, but these guys make too much money. While you may be right about general intelligence, these guys might be more knowledgeable about and put more work into their professions compared to almost any other. What other profession studies hours every day just to be able to remain in the profession? Musician? I cannot think of others. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-mean-like-you-know-just-stop-talking/544011/39 "2010-06-22T14:19:03Z")
> [@Captain\_Midnight](#): > > I’m jealous that these knuckle dragging NBA players make more in a game than what a doctor or lawyer makes in a year, or what a minimum wage employee makes in a lifetime and this is OK with everyone. There are millions of doctors and lawyers. There are a few thousand people capable of playing basketball at the NBA level. It’s a market economy. You want professional athletes to make less than doctors or lawyers? Go live in North Korea. In any case, doctors and lawyers can make rather good money for 50 years or more. The average NBA career lasts five years; the average NFL career, just four. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-mean-like-you-know-just-stop-talking/544011/40 "2010-06-22T18:21:02Z")
I don’t pay much attention to basketball and football, so I’m mostly spared the worst of the worst. OTOH, I’ve been through more than my share of painful baseball interviews. NASCAR was once a haven for articulate goofballs but is now seemingly infested with a bunch of robotic clones who always remember to say “The crew worked really hard and the Kellogg’s Office Max Viagra Sherwin Williams Paints Chevy was awesome today”. Most of them, however, can string a meaningful sentence together if they can be arsed to do so. A personal favorite loose cannon was Michael Waltrip. I remember an interview once after a bad finish, driving a car sponsored by the movie “102 Dalmations”, where he led off with, “Well, first I’d like to apologize to my fans, 'cause this car painted up like a dog run like one…” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-mean-like-you-know-just-stop-talking/544011.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-mean-like-you-know-just-stop-talking/544011.md?page=3)