| 
|
|
Live TV makes people go crazy
There’s something you can see in any televised basketball game, whether it’s the NCAA, NBA or international play, and as I’ve been watching the NBA playoffs, I’ve seen it often.
It’s not a lack of fundamentals or whiny players blaming officials for their own mistakes. Those things are just as common, but what I’m talking about is off the court and in the stands.
In any televised game where commentators sit in front of the crowd, fans seem to experience an uncontrollable urge to act like idiots any time they might be on camera.
Anyone who’s ever seen the shot of two announcers sitting courtside has also seen the fans behind them making faces, screaming and flailing their arms like they’re flagging a rescue chopper.
The two go hand in hand because you can’t have that shot without a crowd behind the commentators and you can’t have people on TV without them acting like drunken fools.
It doesn’t matter what the event is or where it’s taking place, and this behavior is not limited to basketball games. On-scene news reports, WWE wrestling or even behind Matt Lauer while he’s outside on the Today Show — any time people are in the background on TV, they can’t help but go crazy.
But why do they do it? It’s said everyone gets 15 minutes of fame, but is that really the best way to spend it? These TV lunatics need to understand that we’re not sitting at home thinking, “Boy, that guy’s funny because he’s waving his hand in front of Al Roker.” Instead, we’re thinking, “Somebody get that moron out of there!”
Some people seem to think that when the lens is pointed in their vicinity, it’s lights, camera, action, and they have to put on a show. However, we’re not tuning in to watch them act as if they’ve lost their minds.
Furthermore, acting like a buffoon while behind someone on live TV is not going to get you a career in television. The execs at TNT aren’t going to say “Did you see that guy who took off his shirt and belly danced behind Reggie Miller last night? Let’s get him his own spin-off.” Not only do the producers of shows in this environment hate that behavior, they sometimes put up screens so it doesn’t detract from the broadcast.
Very common is people yelling “Hi, mom!” while on camera, but how many mothers out there really want to see their children making fools of themselves on national television? Are they proud of this accomplishment, telling everyone they know how their son yelled in Marv Albert’s face or how their daughter flipped off the local news crew?
I would guess not, and I would hope not. However, some mothers and other relatives might be happy just to see that someone from their family made it to the big stage no matter what the circumstances. Perhaps while most of us sit at home thinking, “That jerk doing the robot is really annoying,” those who know him may jump off the couch and excitedly proclaim, “Hey, I know that jerk! Show ‘em how it’s done, Tommy!”
I’ll probably never know why people act the way they do once the television cameras get in front of them, but there’s definitely something about being on live TV that makes them go crazy.
If I want to watch certain shows, I’ll just have to accept that I’ll always see people making ridiculous faces, screaming just to make noise and leaning in between the announcers.
It’s guaranteed, like death and taxes. Get people in front of a TV camera and they will lose their minds. We don’t know why. It just happens.
Perhaps, though, it will be me sitting behind Marv Albert one day at a basketball game when the camera’s red light appears and I inexplicably lose my mind. Maybe I’d be the jerk leaning over and yelling in his face or, if things got really crazy, I might even grab his toupée.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
