Were you born before .......
 

....... the era of physicality and athleticism in sport's broadcasting?

Do you remember the first time you heard this words used by a broadcaster?

Do you remember the last time you watched a broadcast when they weren't used?

I don't remember the first time I heard those words used, but I remember them being used a lot related to Bo Jackson.

I think it is a prerequisite to use those two words for someone to be hired as a broadcaster today. I don’t think they were used at all in the 50s and 60s.

Personally I think it's a result of years of the influence of "ESPN isms".....coming up with a new word or catchphrase to make you sound smarter then the next guy.

Surely Cosell must have used those words.

There are definite trends in broadcasting. The term "impactful" has been in vogue for quite a while now. A couple of years ago, it seemed like everyone was using "matriculating" to describe a football team's progression down the field in a series of small yardage plays. Eventually they got wise and figured out that the term has a very precise and exclusive meaning in the realm of education.

Here's something I have noticed as well. Next time you check out the play-by-play, notice that any time a team gets stopped by the opposition or otherwise fails to score, the broadcaster will inevitably tell us that they "can't". They never say "didn't" score because that word doesn't have the same effect as "can't". I really believe that kind of detail is likely imparted in the more prestigious journalism schools like Newhouse.

Yeah but I can't recollect.

Yeah that's truth.

I can remember Howard Cosell from the early 70's as a kid, but I can't recall any other broadcasters from that time, at least by name.

Keith Jackson had a pretty large word palette.