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Originally Posted by JRutledge
You might be right, but to be fair. What you are likely judging Vitale on as well as many others, is the fact that he does not know rules the way we like him to. And the role of the color commentator is to tell the public about the strategy of the game. They would not be qualified to reference rules or understand officiating issues. That is an industry wide problem and unless the particular commentator takes extra time to learn the rules or talk to officials, we are not going to get what we want as officials. And of course it is possible that you and others might not like Vitale’s style. But it is clear that you are in the minority in that area, because a lot of people seem to like him whether you or I do not like him.
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Actually, he drove me nuts before I ever put on the stripes, and all the sports fans I knew in college felt the same way. It had nothing to do with the rules knowledge he couldn't display; we wouldn't have known he was wrong. It was just his style and over-the-top antics.
Obviously, he is liked and something is telling the networks he's popular. I just don't know more than a handful of people who like watching him work on TV (and that includes the folks on this board who have said they like watching him.)