When Micah Richards is not laughing, you already know you are in trouble.
It was unpleasant to look at Jamie Carragher attack Kate Abdo and throw a verbal grenade, which appeared to jokingly suggest that she is unfaithful to her partner Malik Scott.
If you watched this on CBS Sports Golazo during Arsenal’s coverage of Porto within the Champions League, you will immediately remember that cringe. Maybe you grimaced, perhaps you covered your eyes, perhaps you place a T-shirt over your head, Fabrizio Ravanelli-style.
Even in case you don’t live within the United States or watch CBS’s coverage of the Champions League, there’s a likelihood the clip could have popped up on your social media timeline – as is typical of CBS banter.
If you are not accustomed to CBS, host Abdo and guests Carragher, Richards and Thierry Henry helped revolutionize soccer coverage within the States. Their mix of study and verbal sparring is superb and very fun to look at. Their chemistry is undeniable and contagious.
CBS takes advantage of this by recording the funniest moments and posting them on social media. If you reside within the UK and still have an addictive penchant for scrolling through Twitter, you are probably accustomed to comedy slightly than evaluation, especially joke intros that follow a formula of exaggerating Henry and Carragher’s achievements, followed by a joke in regards to the lack of trophies Richards has won in his profession (despite the Premier League title).
Henry will raise his eyebrows and purse his lips, Carragher will set free a very loud exclamation, and Richards will shout something like, “Kate went for BIG MEEKS.”
Either way, it’s all in good fun.
However, on this particular instance, CBS didn’t tweet Carragher’s full-throttle clatter. It didn’t even make the station’s 10-minute “best of our stories” compilation on YouTube because, well, it was awkward.
Carragher, wearing an Arsenal shirt picked up from the group, suggests that Henry and Abdo wear it next.
“I am loyal,” she says. “To whom?” – Carragher asks. “Manchester United, thank you very much,” Abdo replies.
“Not for Malik,” says Carragher. Oh shit. Richards, rarely not commenting, stares silently at his shoes. Henry turns and looks at Carragher. Abdo seems shocked, “What…how can you even say that?”
Carragher nervously laughs and says that Malik’s name hasn’t been mentioned on the show yet. It’s pathetic in the intense and all it lacks is a groan of disapproval from Gary Neville.
The fights were nothing recent, they’re a key a part of the show, but are they okay? Is this accepted? Even if it was a joke, is that this what we expect from our broadcasters?
Or is that this simply a watershed moment that was completely inevitable when it seems that presenters and experts are being encouraged to create “banter videos” that will go viral on social media?
“The format of our show is quite lighthearted,” Carragher previously said. “I’m just very determined to make good TV. Kate can push, and some people need to be pushed.
“I could not tell certain things to some people. That’s why we’ve this relationship where we feel like anyone can get away with anything. Everyone knows it’s a fair game and in case you leave yourself open, you have got to expect what’s coming.
If they wish to format the show this manner – locker room jokes for a mainstream football audience – and people enjoy watching it, then what is the problem?
Well, obviously on this case the road was crossed and, to be fair to Abdo & Co, it was expertly addressed on the next evening’s show.
Another HIT @kate_abdo introduction 🥲❤️ pic.twitter.com/SeyhgMfeGU
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 13, 2024
Abdo said that within the group’s three and a half years together, she gained three brothers, calling Carragher an annoying, annoying middle child who can say anything to get attention, who can go too far, but all the time apologizes. Nicely done.
I even have also reached out to CBS for comment.
When game developers flirt with shortening football matches because people haven’t got the eye span to look at them for 90 minutes, you may fully understand why broadcasters feel the necessity to create more dynamic programs with shorter segments and light entertainment to draw viewers slightly than than an hour of solid pre-match interviews and forecasting.
I feel like we’re living within the second era of football banter. The first one, well, lasted a very long time, ending in 2011 when Richard Keys’ prehistoric banter got here to an end (“Keysy” even had the nerve to take to social media this week to sentence Carragher and the show for being ” too buddy”).
It was around this time that Neville joined Sky and ushered in an era of intelligent, analytical evaluation with a deep dive into Monday Night Football and expected goals and all that entailed.
There was still room, but overall it was weak while everyone worked towards a recent establishment in a post-Keys/Gray world.
Charlie Nicholas tried: “Well, maybe you should go then too, Jeff, because that night you couldn’t see the option of driving home, because you don’t even wear glasses in front of the TV because you’re afraid of getting hit, so you just stick to Specsavers, and I’ll take care of the game. Exactly.
Now let’s move on to Banter 2.0. Football coverage in the age of social media; controversial statements or biting jokes that can be quickly shortened to 20 seconds and sent to thousands of people. At this age Roy Keane tells people to do their job, Alan Shearer doesn’t win the FA Cup and Big Meeks comes on the scene. Even Neville ushered in the era of sound. He sings Chelsea songs before the Carabao Cup final because he doesn’t like Liverpool.
Rebounding society in 2024? A good series that had one bad moment? Or maybe we should strive to improve our football coverage?
As Abdo said in the video referring to Carragher’s comment – which has been viewed more than 13.7 million times – “Here we’re, one other day, one other show.” The banter continues.
