A Legendary Sports Commercial

Here’s a fun video from way back in 1981.  I can only imagine that it took many, many hours to tape with all those costume changes.  It stands the test of time and is just as awesome now as it was 29 years ago.

I had the pleasure of meeting John Steigerwald once.  I was 12-years-old and the Steelers had just earned a trip to Super Bowl XXX.  I ran into him at Woodson’s All Star Grille on the southside of Pittsburgh.  We bumped into each other, and he was very nice.  We chatted briefly as I towered over him.  He’s probably 5’5” at the most.  Not to make fun of his height, but it was exciting to discover I was taller than someone I watched on TV.

It was an exciting time and I managed to sneak into the background of an interview he did with Rod Woodson.  It was the first photobombing of my life, and it made it to the 11 p.m. newscast.  One of the most thrilling moments of my life.  For that opportunity, and this video, thank you, Mr. John Steigerwald.

FOXy News

One of the main reasons this country is rolling down hill like a snowball that’s headed for hell:  Local news.  It’s become worse over the years, devolving into frivilous infotainment at the expense of legitimate information.  They try to catch the viewers’ eye by scaring them with misleading promos (A household product can castrate your children.  Find out what that means for your weekend, tonight at 10).

The other option is to sex things up.  In the Los Angeles area, local newscasts aren’t even pretending to be about information.  Here’s the latest campaign for FOX 11 in LA:

I’m all for this ad if it’s specifically talking about Good Day LA, which is a fluffy morning show  involving two annoying twats talking with a once legitimate newsman who is slowly going insane (Steve Edwards).  But throwing in saggy breasted middle-aged anchors does NOT mix well.  I don’t want to hear about some woman being my addiction when she’s old enough to be my mother.

There’s no blame to be placed on anyone featured in the ad, as they’re just doing what their bosses asked of them.  A cog in the machine of dumbing down america and getting them to pay attention to nipples instead of news.