"While the Men Watch" HNIC segment drawing ire
Oops. Chalk this one up to not knowing any audience. The CBC announced the invasion of their ladies' themed podcast "While the Men Watch" on Hockey Night In Canada broadcasts. The assumption that women watch hockey differently than men ticked people off (just read Twitter) because the sport has a very large group of knowledgeable female fans -- fans that most guys in my experience look at no differently. If women were like the two ladies on WTMW, I'm pretty sure guys would be walking around with earplugs in.
The thing that I find so outstanding about this isn't the misogyny that's implied here by CBC's bad decision ("Women can't watch a sport! Let's focus this show on sex and shoes!") but that these women are unintentionally hysterical. I can't criticise something that is going to give us gems like:
- Seven Phrases To Yell Out If You Don't Follow Hockey (because screaming "USE THE BOARDS!" makes you sound smart. No, it makes you sound like the drunk STH in my section who didn't know the puck from his arse)
- Love Me Like Lundqvist: Five Sex Games For Hockey Season Pt 1 -- where this is an actual suggestion: "Set the alarm on your cell phone for 5 minutes and challenge your man to see if he can score with you on a 'power play.'" Five minutes? Really? God, horndog. Just let him finish watching the damn game.
- Sex on Game Day: Does He Lock It Up Or Love You Down -- this is classic: "The Action Hero A rare find, this guy has no problem putting it in the net on game day. Somehow he balances hot sex with stellar performance in the game. Other players will try to flatten him for being so sickeningly perfect, but he just shakes it off and puts it in again." Entendre!
- 10 Reasons We Love New York Rangers Coach John Torterella: Number seven is actually "his team is hot." Do you really think that Torts went out and selected only the most attractive guys for the roster? What, did he demote Avery to the Whale because his fashion sense just wasn't as slick as Henrik's?
Anywho, you have to appreciate the humor here. Yeah, it's shameless pandering. Yes, these two women come across like actual living, breathing stereotypes -- while managing to stereotype men in the process as sex and sports obsessed. As Steve Lepore of Puck the Media suggested, just feature Cassie Campbell. Hell, Versus was ahead of the curve (!) with Christine Simpson for pete's sake. You can appeal to non-die hards by having someone explain the sport in a way that isn't condescending.
But please, keep the blog going. This thing is comedy gold.
Hah - humour at its best. I'll just keep watching the game, thanks. Sadly, I'm sure some people will actually follow them...
Ok, so if you want to get a guy going, take a play out of my ex's book. We were watching game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals in 2000, and during the game she got my attention with phrases like "Blow the whistle jack*** he was four feet offside!" and ultimately got me hooked in overtime by screaming "Dish it to Arnott for the one time....YEAH!" and then diving on me. Ladies, if you have a die hard hockey man, faking it will be more turn off then turn on (and unlike orgasms, we'll definitely know). Either wait for after the game, or learn it and play along. If you can legitimately watch the game, he's yours. But please, for the love of god don't try the things this show is recommending...
Haven't paid any attention to it. I have been involved with hockey for over 50 years. I think I know just a little bit about the game....I've watched, played, coached, been an off-ice official including in the UHL and ECHL and been a hockey mom for almost 30 years....I don't need some dim bulb puckbunnies telling me how to watch the sport I love.
I also heard some guy yell "Play to win!!" I have been watching hockey since the Bobby Orr days and love the game. Some guys are just stupid, hate to see them hid behind a good hockey game.
It's not just Torterella: lots of coaches teams have been hot this year... from time to time. Phoenix just stopped being hot for the second time this season, for instance.
But, yeah, they could pull a couple of random female fans from any barn in the league and be practically assured of doing better than this, unless their goal was "unintentional" comedy gold. If that's the case, well played, CBC. Well played.
@David Rogers This has to be the funniest thing I've seen all week. I haven't laughed his hard in a very long time.
