The Day The Earth Was Offended

*warning: a bit of a rant upcoming*

Uber-sensitive people crack me up sometimes.

During the Thanksgiving Day's 26-6 drubbing of the NY Giants by the Denver Broncos, there was apparently a gaffe by the parabolic microphone crew on the sidelines, one that was aired on the NFL Network broadcast of the game. Not once, but twice, before it was suitably *bleeped*.

The gaffe? The on-sidelines mic caught a tirade from Broncos coach Josh McDaniels, after the Broncos had, twice in the "red zone" during the first half, committed stupid fouls that prevented them from scoring touchdowns, and they had to settle for field goals. I didn't hear what McDaniels shouted in anger at his offensive unit, but considering I was shouting something akin at my car radio during the stretch of shooting themselves in the foot ("get your f***ing heads in the game!"), it doesn't take a rocket scientist to guess what McDaniels said, and was aired on NFL Network, twice.

*Faux shock* Like sideline "f" and "s" bombs have never gone over the air from a live broadcast of a sporting event?

Anyway, in reading comments on Yahoo Sports on the matter, there came a comment from an alleged "Bronco fan until yesterday" who also claimed to have been a former Broncos cheerleader. "She" was "deeply offended" by McDaniel's language on "national TV" that "even children heard", and she'd never be a fan of the Broncos again.

If I could, I'd love to ask her in that calm, almost bored-sounding manner of mine, "are you a moron by birth or choice?".

If she actually WAS a Denver Bronco cheerleader, does she mean for me to believe that she NEVER HEARD such language being used at a nationally-televised game, by coaches, players, or fans? And that because a head coach -- justifiably angry at his offense for taking opportunities to score touchdowns away from themselves through stupid penalties -- dropped an *f bomb* to emphasize his anger at such stupid play, that is reason enough to quit supporting a team she claims to have been a fan of, up to then?

Political correctness and uber-sensitivity to anything remotely offensive, has reached new lows with some of the population.

Apparently no football coach EVER lost his temper on the sidelines before this. Apparently when the Raider's John Madden had one of his legendary meltdowns on the sidelines back in the 70s, never once did anything stronger than a "heckydarnpoo" or a "doshgone it!", utter forth from his ranting lips. And players, in the heat of 'combat', were never heard to lose their sense of civility and say untoward things about another player's ancestral heritage. A couple-three years ago, when an NBC camera was zoomed in on Buccaneers Coach John Gruden, what was clearly said by him and nervously laughed at by the TV sports commentators, had nothing to do with procreation in the abbreviated, abrupt form. Gruden would NEVER have lowered himself to say such a thing on national TV, like Josh McDaniels did.

And let us not stop with the pros. College football has always been coached by men of strict decorum and the highest standards of conduct and civility, like Ohio State's Woody Hayes and Arkansas/Notre Dame's Lou Holtz.

I won't even bother venturing about college basketball coach Bobby "Mr. Polite" Knight.

So...if an NFL team coach says something *offensive* in the heat of competitive combat, that is inadvertently picked up by a TV crew's parabolic mic, and not screened out by the engineers before it airs live on TV, that is the fault of the coach, and his team is now disreputable dog meat in the eyes of the easily-offended.

Ah, ya gotta love political correctness.

And to Ms Manners, an alleged former Denver Bronco cheerleader and now ex-Bronco fan because of one *f bomb* from the coach during a game that the NFL Network -- inadvertently aired twice -- I am truly sorry you were offended by this obvious lack of intuitive sensitivity on the part of the coach. I hope the rest of the world is as attuned to your very sensitive ears as the lowly Broncos apparently failed to be on Thanksgiving. A thousand pardons, oh frail flower.

May I also throw in a snippet of wisdom that was once attributed to John Wayne, whether he actually said it or not: Life's tough..it's tougher if you're stupid.

Go grow some f***ing 'nads, Ms. Sensitivity, or go stick to genteel sports, like synchronized whining.