# VS Sports Pundits 'dissing cyclists'



## Gnarly 928 (Nov 19, 2005)

Last night I was catching up on the latest on the Tour on TV and I happened to "go over" on my recording machine and catch some of the next broadcast on VS..Some 'sports news and commentary" show with a couple of those shaved-head goatee types and a pumped-up gal, sitting around talking oh so predictable cliches and trying to sound cool. 
The first segment was about the Tour and the happenings with Schleck's chain, etc. was the subject. So these All American dick-h***s started making fun of Euros and their "quaint" way of competing...Said stuff like..."They should grow a pair" and "Wassup wit diss Marquis of Queensberry stuff...? If your competator goes down, you should stomp on his throat, win"

Then they made some fun of Andy Schleck's being angry..."Oooh, Gee...a 6'1 one hundred forty pound man is gonna kick my ass?....I'd be soooo worried..." or some such condescending stupid remark. Then they went right into Armstrong's doping case...Like that is the Real Cycling News....

What a bunch of Moreons! Just cause it ain't murikan football or UFC or NASCAR..it is somehow less Macho? Love to get one of them on a bike and take him up some mountain road, see how macho he rides...watch him puke on his dorky goatee...


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## wiz525 (Dec 31, 2007)

nice rant. i agree. I heard that too last night and thought the same thing.


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## oily666 (Apr 7, 2007)

Sadly, it's the norm for a lot of news and sports. They don't know $#!+ about the subject and don't care. Real journalism is too much work and it's not what they're about anyway. Instead they fill the time with over the top statements, opinions and other irrelivent blather while finding themsevles incredibly fasinating.

Did just describe Ann Coulter?


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## Keeping up with Junior (Feb 27, 2003)

*Macho Test*



Gnarly 928 said:


> Love to get one of them on a bike and take him up some mountain road, see how macho he rides...watch him puke on his dorky goatee...


Actually the better choice would be the 60 mph descent down the other side. Let him try to get the stains out of his polyester Hollywood slacks.


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## jptaylorsg (Apr 24, 2003)

It's America, and this is cycling.

Have a look at the USA Today sports section. They get at least one important thing dead wrong in their brief Tour De France write-up every single day. Today, they had a picture of Contador with the caption "Alberto Contador, winner of Stage 15."

We just kind of have to live with it, even from the network that broadcasts the cycling.


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## theBreeze (Jan 7, 2002)

Look at the rest of the Versus line up. This is exactly what the cage fighting, bull riding, bass fishing, extreme moto watching folks want to hear. Why are you surprised? I am amazed they give up almost the whole of July for cycling. Goodness knows they only give us 3 hours a week all the rest of the cycling season.


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## MaddSkillz (Mar 13, 2007)

This thread is awesome. 

I too have a lot of disdain for Americans perception of Cycling.


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## nOOky (Mar 20, 2009)

If the show is "The Daily Line" and the woman on the show is JENN STERGER than a simple google search yields 2 nekkid pics of her about 7 results down. Now naturally I didn't look at the pics myself, but I've heard they are saucy


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## nayr497 (Nov 8, 2008)

Yeah, I saw a bit of that show last week. Sadly, most American sports shows are geared toward the pumped-up, ultra macho, homophobic, meathead frat dude type. After they leave the frat they continue to work on their chest and biceps, grow a gut, lose their hair, shave their head, grow a nice goatee and mock anything that isn't manly.

Between watching tons of idiots who don't know squat comment on the World Cup and now having to do the same with the TdF, phew...I'm pretty tired of hearing fools talk about sports they don't know or follow.

The annoying thing is that my favorite sports - ice hockey, cycling, soccer - pretty much get ignored until something bad/odd happens. Then everyone jumps in and calls for rule changes. "Yo man, what is up with injury time?! That sheeeit is so stupid man, just put the time on the board!!"

Ugh, shut up and go away and leave all the sissy sports to us sissies

Best just to ignore them, as those shaved head amped up cage fighting dudes aren't going to get anything about cycling anytime soon.


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## Coolhand (Jul 28, 2002)

MaddSkillz said:


> This thread is awesome.
> 
> I too have a lot of disdain for Americans perception of Cycling.


sweet irony


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## Salsa_Lover (Jul 6, 2008)

but but ?

I read here that Cycling is now huuuuge in America thanks to LA


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## snowman3 (Jul 20, 2002)

Gnarly 928 said:


> .it is somehow less Macho?


Yes, that's correct. I/you/we can appreciate cycling for what it is. Macho it ain't.


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## ti-triodes (Aug 14, 2006)

nOOky said:


> If the show is "The Daily Line" and the woman on the show is JENN STERGER than a simple google search yields 2 nekkid pics of her about 7 results down. Now naturally I didn't look at the pics myself, but I've heard they are saucy



That more than makes up for the fact hat she can't speak English. Thanks for the tip! :thumbsup:


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## JohnHemlock (Jul 15, 2006)

Other than cycling forums where we all get worked up about the details, the public could care less. Today the local sports radio show spent 2 minutes on Lemond and his accusations of "steroids in pro cycling." They summed up their opinion in two words, "Who cares?"

Once Lance is out of the peloton you won't need to worry about being dissed because mainstream media will go back to not mentioning it whatsoever.


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## light_monkey (Apr 27, 2005)

*easy dude...*



theBreeze said:


> Look at the rest of the Versus line up. This is exactly what the cage fighting, bull riding, bass fishing, extreme moto watching folks want to hear. Why are you surprised? I am amazed they give up almost the whole of July for cycling. Goodness knows they only give us 3 hours a week all the rest of the cycling season.


Please go easy on the cage fighting thing. MMA is a physical chess match where athletes carefully pick and choose from many of their pugilistic arsenals. It takes quite a bit of sweat and blood to be able to execute a subtle game plan to pummel your opponent. :thumbsup: 

I've been following cycling ever since Greg LeMond bursted onto my living room TV with John Tesh overly dramatic instrumental as the back drop. I enjoy riding my bikes as much as I enjoy watching the elites of the sport go at it.

Poor excuse for a sports show not withstanding, I appreciate Versus for carrying two of my favorite sports. If they showed amateur wrestling and swimming on a regular basis, I'll be hooked. 

Now let us "surgically" direct our attention to people who deserves our scorn.


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## RRRoubaix (Aug 27, 2008)

JohnHemlock said:


> Other than cycling forums where we all get worked up about the details, the public could care less. Today the local sports radio show spent 2 minutes on Lemond and his accusations of "steroids in pro cycling." They summed up their opinion in two words, "Who cares?"
> 
> Once Lance is out of the peloton you won't need to worry about being dissed because mainstream media will go back to not mentioning it whatsoever.


Good point, that.
Dunno if that's an improvement or not...


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## bike_guy (Mar 26, 2002)

What's wrong with a shaved head and goatee? I think I look pretty damn sexy!


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## Jeff in Texas (Mar 17, 2006)

"The Daily Liar", I watched about 20 minutes of the show and that's enough. Hosted by a punky geeks. Oh and Jen should dye her hair blond, what a ditz.


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## cru_jones (Nov 29, 2009)

Watch it with the sound off...


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

nOOky said:


> If the show is "The Daily Line" and the woman on the show is JENN STERGER than a simple google search yields 2 nekkid pics of her about 7 results down. Now naturally I didn't look at the pics myself, but I've heard they are saucy


hmmm Google image search has been updated... nice!


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## QuiQuaeQuod (Jan 24, 2003)

Salsa_Lover said:


> but but ?
> 
> I read here that Cycling is now huuuuge in America.....




Some people can remember when the total major media coverage of cycling (not just the tour) was box score level coverage of the TdF in some newspapers, and a sports page story on page 7 + one really bad show on network after the TdF was all over.

Huge? Not even close. But it's a lot bigger than ever before.


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## Undecided (Apr 2, 2007)

JohnHemlock said:


> Once Lance is out of the peloton you won't need to worry about being dissed because mainstream media will go back to not mentioning it whatsoever.


I'm looking forward to being able to go through a normal day without running any risk of seeing a spoiler.


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## rogger (Aug 19, 2005)

Creakyknees said:


> hmmm Google image search has been updated... nice!


Those boobs look expensive.


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## the mayor (Jul 8, 2004)

Gnarly 928 said:


> What a bunch of Moreons! J.


I can't believe no one noticed this in the original post!
Kind of set the tone....


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## JohnHenry (Aug 9, 2006)

I dont care what they say...


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## brandtw (May 27, 2010)

they launched this show on the back of the TDF with the hope that they will get some viewers. I was curious so I watched it a couple of times when they had some good guests - Pete Carroll, Drew Brees - but Jenn has trouble reading 2 sentences back to back and the comedian is just combative and Ryan the host is a doofus. I call this show canceled before September. 

Bon Chance Daily Line


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## bigmig19 (Jun 27, 2008)

I consider myself a sub-demographic of this forum in that i like ball and puck sports, but i am self aware enough to know that the purveyors of ball and puck sports are indeed Moreons. MMA is cock fighting, nothing less. Cycling will be completely invisible when lance re retires. My fellow Americans are not exactly known for their wordly views.
I wish vs would go universal sports on us.....swimming, wrastling, all the olympic type stuff.


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## chasea (Feb 7, 2009)

I have the tour tracker this year, but had to watch it on cable in 2009. I had a fascination with a show that often followed the airing of the tour, in which fat Americans in baseball jerseys argued over sports subjects. Couldn't watch most of it, but I gathered the gist of the show was that the loudest, rudest, most obnoxious fan was the one who won a particular argument. They would often "cover" bicycle racing, or the tour -because, let's face it, its the only bicycle race they're aware of. I loved watching these [email protected] sitting at home on their couches, in front of their webcams, arguing that cycling isn't even a sport. 

Its not journalism or even intelligent conversation. Its sensationalism and gets people wound up on their most basic, instinctual level. These people are uninformed and, therefore, fearful of sports that are popular in most of the world. Fearful, because they don't want to admit that their small scale expertise is threatened by a greater knowledge of what's going on in the world around them (see: Phish fans). 

I often wished I could be on a show like that. If I could only present 3 main points, they would be that 1. people in that kind of shape should not fancy themselves experts on athletics 2. in baseball, which they considered to be a highly athletic sport, it is generally agreed that its greatest player was a 300lb man (I 'm not even going to touch the widespread and unchecked drug use there) and 3. if they'd care to check their ratings versus the ratings of bicycle racing worldwide, they might reconsider how much impact their opinions really have.


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## qatarbhoy (Aug 17, 2009)

The main point I agree with here is that you don't have to be massively built in order to be hard as nails. Schleck may be a beanpole physically but he has Ti balls. Anyone who can complete the Tour deserves massive respect; to get up and complete a stage after 3 crashes, all but win a stage after attacking 40kms out, take part in a bunch sprint at 80pkh etc takes more courage than those TV moreons have ever possessed.


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## Opus51569 (Jul 21, 2009)

I am reminded of a cartoon I saw years ago with a picture of a choir conductor, baton in hand, standing in front of a pig. The caption read:

Never try to teach a pig to sing.
It wastes your time and annoys the pig.


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## Rhymenocerus (Jul 17, 2010)

Yes they are annoying, but they know nothing about the sport and put on a half assed sports show. Im not too concerned what they think about Cycling.

Oh and that Jen girl has the personality and camera presence of a bowling ball.

Just dont watch the show, im sure it wont be around for very long.


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## Mordy (Aug 30, 2006)

These guys are more comedians than sports columnists, actually, some of them ARE comedians. Did this show replace sports soup? That was a great show


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## theBreeze (Jan 7, 2002)

I'm not a "dude" dude.


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## JohnHemlock (Jul 15, 2006)

Undecided said:


> I'm looking forward to being able to go through a normal day without running any risk of seeing a spoiler.


Heh. A friend of mine was avoiding any possibility of being spoiled before he could get home and watch Stage 16. He was getting gas on his way home to watch the replay and the pump had a little TV screen in it. Right when he was putting the nozzle away, an announcer came on with "Lance Armstrong UNSUCCESSFUL in his attempt to win a stage today!" and footage of the finish sprint.

FML!


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## Blue CheeseHead (Jul 14, 2008)

oily666 said:


> Sadly, it's the norm for a lot of news and sports. They don't know $#!+ about the subject and don't care. Real journalism is too much work and it's not what they're about anyway. Instead they fill the time with over the top statements, opinions and other irrelivent blather while finding themsevles incredibly fasinating.
> 
> Did just describe Ann Coulter?


...or Bill Maher.


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## troutmd (Sep 7, 2007)

I like store boughts on size 2 frames ... TV as in Live .... just turn off the sound!


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## davidka (Dec 12, 2001)

Even funnier is that the guy that took the shot as Schleck for being a twig gave him 10 lbs. Doesn't he weigh 135? 

American ball sports fans are funny, fat and sitting on a bench for the majority of game time somehow conveys strength.


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## sa7nt (Jun 28, 2010)

davidka said:


> Even funnier is that the guy that took the shot as Schleck for being a twig gave him 10 lbs. Doesn't he weigh 135?
> 
> American ball sports fans are funny, fat and sitting on a bench for the majority of game time somehow conveys strength.


I don't really follow professional (ball) sports anymore, but this just isn't true for most professional athletes. NFL (aside from linesman), NBA and MLS players are for the most part extremely fit. Deriding someone else's sport when it's not true is just as bad as the versus guys making fun of cyclists.


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## 55x11 (Apr 24, 2006)

Rhymenocerus said:


> Oh and that Jen girl has the personality and camera presence of a bowling ball.


that girl is super-cute. I will volunteer to give her personal lessons about history of TdF.


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## dwgranda (Sep 8, 2009)

55x11 said:


> that girl is super-cute. I will volunteer to give her personal lessons about history of TdF.



It's pretty cool watching their teasers they run during commercials for the upcoming show. It appears to be her time on the rivet - so to speak - as she wrestles with what's been written for her.


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## davidka (Dec 12, 2001)

sa7nt said:


> I don't really follow professional (ball) sports anymore, but this just isn't true for most professional athletes. NFL (aside from linesman), NBA and MLS players are for the most part extremely fit. Deriding someone else's sport when it's not true is just as bad as the versus guys making fun of cyclists.


Not true? NFL and NBL have numerous star players that would not qualify as "fit" by any acceptable measure. Is it ok with you if it is true? 

The Daily Line guys are paid to cover sports and this show follows the largest bulk of programming on their own network for the month of July. I am just some guy poking fun at bench sports on the internet. 

Another funny thing, NFL lineman are a lot fitter than you realize. 350lb men that exert themselves at maximum effort against each other every single play? I'd wager they have the highest workload per game of any player type on the field. You're proving my point about people thinking that strength looks a certain way.


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## Nimitz (Jul 8, 2004)

nOOky said:


> If the show is "The Daily Line" and the woman on the show is JENN STERGER than a simple google search yields 2 nekkid pics of her about 7 results down. Now naturally I didn't look at the pics myself, but I've heard they are saucy


I want my money back...no nudes.

Chad


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## nOOky (Mar 20, 2009)

There are two pics, did you click the [email protected] result?


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## Nimitz (Jul 8, 2004)

nOOky said:


> There are two pics, did you click the [email protected] result?


I found! 

Chad


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## Nimitz (Jul 8, 2004)

bigmig19 said:


> I consider myself a sub-demographic of this forum in that i like ball and puck sports, but i am self aware enough to know that the purveyors of ball and puck sports are indeed Moreons. MMA is cock fighting, nothing less. Cycling will be completely invisible when lance re retires. My fellow Americans are not exactly known for their wordly views.
> I wish vs would go universal sports on us.....swimming, wrastling, all the olympic type stuff.


talk about you guys being some serious hypocrites.

cycling is suppose to be seen as OMG AWESOME but yet the stereotypes (morons with shaved heads and goatees) and MMA = cock fighting?

the cardio shape MMA pros are in is just as impressive as a cyclist IMO. that takes serious training and mental strength to do what they do.

good thing you have "wordly views" eh?

Chad


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## cyclejim (Mar 31, 2004)

oily666 said:


> Sadly, it's the norm for a lot of news and sports. They don't know $#!+ about the subject and don't care. Real journalism is too much work and it's not what they're about anyway. Instead they fill the time with over the top statements, opinions and other irrelivent blather while finding themsevles incredibly fasinating.
> 
> Did just describe Ann Coulter?


My local news guy pronounces Schleck Shell-ek. Then again Jenn Sterger has a fake rack and she can barely read the teleprompter while trying to look hot so i guess they are even.


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## Nimitz (Jul 8, 2004)

davidka said:


> Not true? NFL and NBL have numerous star players that would not qualify as "fit" by any acceptable measure. Is it ok with you if it is true?
> 
> The Daily Line guys are paid to cover sports and this show follows the largest bulk of programming on their own network for the month of July. I am just some guy poking fun at bench sports on the internet.
> 
> Another funny thing, NFL lineman are a lot fitter than you realize. 350lb men that exert themselves at maximum effort against each other every single play? I'd wager they have the highest workload per game of any player type on the field. You're proving my point about people thinking that strength looks a certain way.


just look at warren sapp he would out sprint QB's running 4.3's and 4.4 40 yard times and do it weighing 330 lb or so they are agile, quick on their feet and fast twitch muscles are insane.

oh they also put up 225x15-20 times lol

Chad


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## sa7nt (Jun 28, 2010)

davidka said:


> Not true? NFL and NBL have numerous star players that would not qualify as "fit" by any acceptable measure. Is it ok with you if it is true?
> 
> The Daily Line guys are paid to cover sports and this show follows the largest bulk of programming on their own network for the month of July. I am just some guy poking fun at bench sports on the internet.
> 
> Another funny thing, NFL lineman are a lot fitter than you realize. 350lb men that exert themselves at maximum effort against each other every single play? I'd wager they have the highest workload per game of any player type on the field. You're proving my point about people thinking that strength looks a certain way.


I would disagree that most NFL and NBA players aren't fit.

I am well aware that linemen are strong and fast. I would not however describe them as fit as most of them are seriously lacking in the cardiovascular endurance category. I woud describe an all around athlete (endurance, strength, speed) as fit. Just my personal definition.


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## TmaxR (Aug 31, 2008)

Rhymenocerus said:


> Oh and that Jen girl has the personality and camera presence of a bowling ball.


Or maybe 2 bowling balls?


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## eddya (Aug 7, 2009)

People who dismiss endurance athletes as sissy because they look skinny are frankly shallow and unable to see past physical appearance. People who then go on to ridicule a sport they have neither any knowledge nor interest in are bigheaded and ignorant. 

Let's see those pundits try and cycle 2000+ miles in 21 days at an average of 25 miles per hour in 30+ degree heat. Let's see them tackle the Tourmalet at 14 mph after 100 miles of hard riding, or descent a mountain at 60 mph on tiny little breaks wearing nothing but a thin layer of lycra to protect you if you fall. Got huge quads? Sure, let's see them sprint to the finish line with 200 meters to go at 40 mph, while bumping shoulders with other people going the same speed, trying to stay upright.

Pah!


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## Rhymenocerus (Jul 17, 2010)

eddya said:


> People who dismiss endurance athletes as sissy because they look skinny are frankly shallow and unable to see past physical appearance. People who then go on to ridicule a sport they have neither any knowledge nor interest in are bigheaded and ignorant.
> 
> Let's see those pundits try and cycle 2000+ miles in 21 days at an average of 25 miles per hour in 30+ degree heat. Let's see them tackle the Tourmalet at 14 mph after 100 miles of hard riding, or descent a mountain at 60 mph on tiny little breaks wearing nothing but a thin layer of lycra to protect you if you fall. Got huge quads? Sure, let's see them sprint to the finish line with 200 meters to go at 40 mph, while bumping shoulders with other people going the same speed, trying to stay upright.
> 
> Pah!


Its Euro it must be gay.


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## Hula Hoop (Feb 4, 2009)

On a related note, american TV coverage of motorsports is almost exclusively Nascar
and USAC, which are in auto racing is a complete joke compared to Formula one grand prix.


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## Nimitz (Jul 8, 2004)

Hula Hoop said:


> On a related note, american TV coverage of motorsports is almost exclusively Nascar
> and USAC, which are in auto racing is a complete joke compared to Formula one grand prix.



really? because there aren't too many formula1 drivers who have made the switch successfully...but yet jeff gordon was posting times in Juan Pablo's car that were competitive qualifying times within a few laps.

where the hell do you watch USAC? I'd love to watch more of it.

speed has every single Formula1 GP...

Chad


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## Hula Hoop (Feb 4, 2009)

Nimitz said:


> really? because there aren't too many formula1 drivers who have made the switch successfully...but yet jeff gordon was posting times in Juan Pablo's car that were competitive qualifying times within a few laps.
> 
> where the hell do you watch USAC? I'd love to watch more of it.
> 
> ...


um, Jeff Gordon drove an F1 car around the Indy track, as with all USAC tracks,
unbelievably easier than any F1 course. He admitted the obvious technical
superiority of an F-1 car to anything in american autosports. I was not, incidentally,
disparaging the skill of USAC drivers, just commenting on the vastly more complex
and difficult nature of the respective racing venues, the beauty and cutting-edge
technology of F-1 cars, and the ambience\aura of the european gestalt.


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## Nimitz (Jul 8, 2004)

Hula Hoop said:


> um, Jeff Gordon drove an F1 car around the Indy track, as with all USAC tracks,
> unbelievably easier than any F1 course. He admitted the obvious technical
> superiority of an F-1 car to anything in american autosports. I was not, incidentally,
> disparaging the skill of USAC drivers, just commenting on the vastly more complex
> ...


easier yes, but what did juan pablo do? fly off the course multiple times.

when you say USAC what are you referring to? USAC is the open wheel class sprints, midgets, silver crown etc. just making sure we are talking about the same thing.

the indy track is arguably an easier course yes, but it is one they have used for F1 before (disaster that was)

Chad


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