To play or not to play, does it matter?
Recent changes in the sports landscape have opened up opportunities for less traditional voices. Not everyone seems pleased.
The most overused term in sports today is “analytics”. In reality, the introduction of analytics is just teams using math to make informed decisions .The word has become a pejorative to dismiss a new trend, nerds in sports. Or, more specifically, people who didn’t play the sport.
Mina Kimes is an NFL analyst for ESPN. She never played football professionally, being a woman. But, she is Yale educated and a fan of the game. This combination has made her one of the better analysts in the field. Despite what detractors like former NFL Quarterback Jeff Garcia might have to say.
Garcia went public with his thoughts about Kimes and others who have never played. Stating that she was a “joke” because she’d never “taken a snap”. This was sparked by Kimes’ thoughts about Jimmy Garrappolo, who she said was not contributing to his team’s success.
Garcia wasn’t the only person to question the validity of those that hadn’t played football. Jason Brown, of Netflix’s Last Chance U, also voiced his displeasure. Attacking not only Kimes’ place analyzing football, but a colleague of hers as well.
In this instance, it seems that people are defending Garroppolo due to a personal attachment to the team he plays for. But, it raises the questions, do people care if analysts played the sport they cover? Along with that, do coaches have to have played to earn the respect of fans or those they coach?
Immediately after ending his playing career, Tony Romo stepped into the announcing booth. The former quarterback of America’s Team has quickly become a fan favorite. There’s no question that his playing experience allows him to being a unique aspect to calling games. Romo has become known for predicting plays accurately.
But the former quarterback admits that what has allowed him success is not his football acumen. His goal is to keep the attention of the audience. And he knows that means telling a story, and to “make it good”. So while he may offer a different perspective as a former player, his ability to present it well is what matters.
The recent Super Bowl featured two coaches who didn’t have successful professional careers as players. Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay’s biggest claim to fame as a player was receiving an award over Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson in high school. McVay led his team to a second Super Bowl appearance, this time winning over the Cincinnati Bengals.
McVay is known for his ability to recall plays from previous games. He is praised for his understanding of how to take advantage of his player’s abilities. If the assertion that playing was necessary to even have a valid opinion, the Rams fans and organization would be disappointed. Because their coach would’ve never been given a chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
Another coach who proved his worth despite not playing professionally, is Jeff Van Gundy. Van Gundy played some college basketball, but never had a chance at the NBA. Even still, he has been a successful NBA coach and is currently an analyst for ESPN. Like McVay, Van Gundy is praised by colleagues for his basketball intelligence. Some going as far as calling him “the voice of the NBA”.
Bringing it back to Jeff Garcia, he was given an opportunity to address his comments on Mina Kimes. Garcia doubled down and would decline any chance of an apology. The members of the Steiny and Guru Show pointed out that they didn’t play either, but were still discussing football with the former quarterback. Garcia decided he was done talking on the matter.
So does it matter? Does anyone REALLY care if their team’s coach ever played the sport? Would Mina Kimes be any better at her job if she’d thrown a pass in the NFL? No. Prior experience is just an argument that becomes convenient in an emotional moment. Just ask Jeff Garcia. Or, don’t. He won’t want to talk about old news.
References:
Backus, K. (2021) Mina Kimes [Photograph]. Emmys. https://www.emmys.com/news/mix/her-transition-game
Camenker, J. (2022, January 28). Former 49ers QB Jeff Garcia goes after ESPN’s Mina Kimes for her comments about Jimmy Garoppolo. The Sporting News. https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/jeff-garcia-mina-kimes-twitter-49ers-jimmy-garoppolo/pkmnzlhamjfv1rhj64vau2pjh
ESPN. (2022, January 25). Can Jimmy Garoppolo lead the 49ers to the Super Bowl? First Take debates [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWNXyXlH8SA
Traina, J. (2021, September 10). Tony Romo on How He Went From the Teacher in ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ to the Broadcaster He Is Now: TRAINA THOUGHTS. Sports Illustrated. https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2021/09/10/tony-romo-says-he-sounded-like-ferris-bueller-teacher#:~:text=Tony%20Romo%20was%20a%20smash,uncanny%20knack%20for%20predicting%20plays
Gonzalez, A. (2019, January 24). Prep football legend: Rams coach Sean McVay returns to Georgia as coach. ESPN. https://www.espn.com/blog/los-angeles-rams/post/_/id/33826/meet-the-rams-stone-cold-killer-beast-and-prep-football-legend-its-coach-sean-mcvay
Bontemps, T. (2018, July 3). ‘The voice of the NBA’: How Jeff Van Gundy became basketball’s John Madden. Washington Post.
[Photographs of Sean McVay]. (2017). https://twitter.com/thecheckdown/status/934923449654325248?s=20&t=X7QyIYmr3zddNDeCLDG-Jw
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2018/07/03/the-voice-of-the-nba-how-jeff-van-gundy-became-basketballs-john-madden/
957 The Game. (2022, January 28). Jeff Garcia doubles down on comments to ESPN’s Mina Kimes [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_-ddl_j2Ps