Stop Billy Packer - Take Action

[ibumgardner]

I think that is safe to assume that at least 95% of us think that Billy Packer is an idiot who doesn't know what he is talking about, especially when it comes to officiating. We can all belly ache about it or we can get a grassroots effort going to get him off of the air. The internet can obviously be a powerful tool for this effort. There are countless political examples of its effectiveness from both sides of the aisle.
There are a few things that we can do:
1. The easiest is to sign on online petition. Here's the link. However, I don't know what action is associated with it. http://www.ipetitions.com/campaigns/Billy_Packer/

2. Secondly, we can all send an email directly to CBS. Click on "Feedback" at the bottom of the CBS Sportsline page. Here's the direct link: http://www.sportsline.com/help/contactus/usersspeak
The petition letter at ipetitions.com is a good form letter. Here is a copy of the letter that I am sending. Feel free to us it.

As a sports fan and referee, I have had to suffer too long and listen to Billy Packer commentate the biggest college basketball games of the year. As a referee, I enjoy watching the best officials officiate at the highest level of competition. As a referee I understand that they do not get all of the calls correct. However, I do think that they get a lot more right than Mr. Packer gives them credit for. When replays show that either Mr. Packer’s initial observation was incorrect or that it wasn’t as obvious as he once thought, he rarely gives the officials credit. I’ve even heard commentate that an official has called a foul, when they have actually called that the ball went out-of-bounds. After either playing or commentating for virtually all of his life, one would think that he would know that an open hand would indicate an out-of-bounds and a fist would indicate a foul. I could go on.

This weekend I will note all of his obvious mistakes (if his games are on in my area). Next week, I will give you more specific examples. I would not be surprised if there aren’t about 20 mistakes from the 2 games that he commentates.

3. After listening to his idiotic remarks this weekend, let's make a list (with TiVo, we can get the exact quotes, time, play, who made the call, etc.) and send another round of emails. Or if you already have a list handy, send it on. Let's hope their servers can handle it.

[zebraman]

I find Billy Packer irritating and extremely educated as well. However, firing a bunch of e-mails to CBS will only reinforce his employment status. All it proves is that we are watching. CBS will just deduce that his irritating nature is what is keeping us all tuned in.

The only way that personalities get taken off the air is when nobody watches them. Love him or disain him (I choose the latter), he ain't going anywhere. He's been polluting games for years without ever having read a rulebook. Our only hope is that he retires.

Z

[ibumgardner]

The man has been doing this for over 25 years. I doubt that his employment status can be reinforced much more.
Public response has proven to be effective, at least inasmuch as it begins dialogue. Recent examples: Super Bowl, Monday Night Football pregame, Dan Rather. The list could go on.

[zebraman]

Originally posted by ibumgardner
The man has been doing this for over 25 years. I doubt that his employment status can be reinforced much more.
Public response has proven to be effective, at least inasmuch as it begins dialogue. Recent examples: Super Bowl, Monday Night Football pregame, Dan Rather. The list could go on.

This isn't a case where anyone has broken an FCC law or anything that serious. It's a case of someone being irritating. I used to be in the TV business. For each e-mail received about a show, the tv networks have a formula for how many people that e-mail probably represents. When they get a bunch of e-mails about Billy Packer, they'll be thrilled that so many people are interested enough in their broadcast to take the time to send them an e-mail.

Maybe you could set up a trap and catch Mr. Packer in a compromising position with a sheep. Then you might have a way to force early retirement.

Z

[canuckrefguy]

Great idea, but the examples you give in your petition letter are kind of weak - and basically boil down to "Packer says this about the refs, and as a ref, I don't agree." That doesn't cut it. He's a commentator - he's SUPPOSED to comment. The fact you don't agree with his assessment is irrelevant, and, as some have already stated, only reinforces the notion that people are watching.

The big gripe we have with this guy is that he clearly does not know the rules of basketball, as played in the NCAA - and continually verbalizes this ignorance on the air - which misinforms and, in some cases, misleads the public about how the game is supposed to be played and administered.

Nice effort, though....your heart is in the right place. But I have to agree with the others - it'd take something major to get him pulled off the air - maybe a racial comment or something (a la Jimmy The Greek).

[ibumgardner]

Referring to Allen Iverson as a monky didn't get him fired...but I guess that wasn't blatant enough

[ShadowStripes]

A more appropriate request of CBS is to get together with the NCAA just as FOX and CBS have done with the NFL. After years of butchering the football rules on TV broadcasts, the NFL now makes a hotline available to the supervisor of officiating so that announcers can get an accurate rules clarification. I think the NCAA should make Hank Nichols, or somebody with similar knowledge available to CBS for the tournament. Of course, this would mean the egomaniacal Packer might actually get corrected on a few of his incorrect observations. We should never expect annoucers to side with the officials on 50-50 judgment calls, but it does a disservice to the game for the annoucers to falsely "call out" the officials for "blowing a rule" when they clearly don't know or misunderstand the rules, because that misinformation becomes the "law of the land" for everyone else watching the broadcast.

[tjones1]

Originally posted by ShadowStripes
We should never expect annoucers to side with the officials on 50-50 judgment calls, but it does a disservice to the game for the annoucers to falsely "call out" the officials for "blowing a rule" when they clearly don't know or misunderstand the rules, because that misinformation becomes the "law of the land" for everyone else watching the broadcast.

And this is why we hear "over the back" and "reaching in" yelled by the fans.

[Forksref]

I will NEVER sign a petition. A petition is the lazy-man's way out. If I have a beef, I go as far as I can up the chain of command. In the case of TV, it is media and as was mentioned above, if you don't like it, don't watch it! It's the old market-value concept.

[Malcolm Tucker]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by zebraman

Originally posted by ibumgardner

Maybe you could set up a trap and catch Mr. Packer in a compromising position with a sheep. Then you might have a way to force early retirement.

If you want to get the photo send him to New Zealand. This is their National pastime

[ChuckElias]

Originally posted by Forksref
I will NEVER sign a petition. A petition is the lazy-man's way out. If I have a beef, I go as far as I can up the chain of command.

Couldn't you do both. . .?