BBC Soccer Reporter In Trouble After Comparing Using A Terrible Analogy On-Air

Tuesday, August 26, 2008


As always, it amazes me what the human brain comes up with when someone is at a loss for words and you can now add using an analogy that compared a Soccer team's defense to the plane crash in Madrid, Spain last week. According to England's Mail Online, reporter Chris Price was on-air when he decided to drop this lovely gem on the listening audience....

Reporter Chris Price was speaking live on air when he said Rochdale 'were making more holes in the Bradford defence than in a Spanish aircraft'.

He was speaking on Saturday just three days after a Spanair plane crashed at Barajas International airport in Madrid killing at least 153 people. Outraged listeners complained to BBC Radio Manchester, which has now been forced to issue an apology.
Freelance journalist Price, 25, from Rochdale, said he had been trying to add some colour to his report during the live update on the League Two match.

But he admitted he had made a 'horrible mistake'.

One former BBC commentator described him as 'unprofessional and stupid'. A spokeswoman for the BBC said: 'This was an inappropriate remark and we would like to apologise to our listeners for any offence caused.' Price, who has covered football and rugby for the BBC for a year, claimed he only had a split second to put the report together.

'I honestly thought I was being descriptive,' he said. 'It wasn't meant to be funny; it was just a descriptive phrase. If people are offended by what I said, then of course I apologise but I never intended to offend anyone.'

He added: 'From the reaction there has been, if I could take it back then I would.'
Ah yes, the non-apology-apology. It's one of my favorite moves that people use when they don't really think they said anything wrong. Look, you don't have to go all "Michael Richards" on us, but if you can't apologize or see that comparing a defense to a plane crash in which 153 people died....you just don't really deserve to be on-air.

BBC apologises after football reporter makes jibe about Spanish air crash during match commentary (Mail Online)

Posted by Awful Announcing- at 8:04 AM

4 Comments:

At least he didn't call them all "Medal Cunts".

GMoney said...
Aug 26, 2008, 10:51:00 AM  

'It wasn't meant to be funny; it was just a descriptive phrase."

What...I wasn't trying to be funny saying that your mom is a whore. I was merely being descriptive.

Your mother is a giant whore. There's nothing funny about that, I was just trying to equate how big of a whore this other woman was, and your mother was the first person I could think of. Because she is a giant whore. Sorry to offend.

Anonymous said...
Aug 26, 2008, 11:18:00 AM  

I am spanish, fuck off mr price

Anonymous said...
Aug 27, 2008, 7:31:00 AM  

Well, he could even more descriptive using another methaphore: "they care about the holes lesser than the British for their small daughters"

A million more like this could be more descriptive than the not so "accidental" comparison.

If such offensive comparison would have been done with anything to do with the USA, the BBC and even the government would have had a better and respectful reaction with US than the reaction with Spain.

Anonymous said...
Aug 29, 2008, 8:32:00 AM  

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