Noel Murray of the Onion’s AV Club asks, “Why does most sports broadcasting suck so hard?” It’s a good question and his investigation is reasonably thorough. I agree that the best shows are the ones with the highest ratio of highlights:nonsense.

I think an important point he sort of skirts, though, is that in-game sports broadcasts are aimed to please the largest possible audience. They’re not necessarily dumbed down but they’re certainly simplified in the name of appealing to the casual fan. I’m not saying that’s the way it should be or that it would be all that hard for a baseball broadcaster to explain the paramount importance of getting on base, but I imagine the thinking is that hardcore fans are going to watch no matter what the broadcasters say, so no need to appease them.