Pointless/Useless/Cliched Responses (Athlete Interviews)
I say this as someone who enjoys a great deal of sports, for the record.
I find this applies mostly to the pre- and mid-game interview variety, but the inanity of the answers the athlete provides can really make my head swim:
- "We need to give 115% out there today." - Applies to any number percentage greater than 100, which is...ummm...impossible.
- "We need to take it one game at a time." - You mean you can't start a second game in the middle of the one you're playing?
- "We need to play our game against these guys." - Who else's game are you going to play? It's not Pictionary, is it?
- "We need to come out and play today." - That's your job, right?
- "We know what it takes to win." - It's usually scoring more points than the other team does, if my memory serves me correctly.
Those are just ones off the top of my head.
I also notice more and more these days athletes who preface answers with "Yeah," although it's not a yes/no question.
>INTERVIEWER: "How do you intend to stop [OPPOSING TEAM'S BEST PLAYER] today?
>ATHLETE: "Yeah, he's definitely a guy you gotta watch out for or he'll burn you."
>INTERVIEWER: "How do you break this four-game losing streak?"
>ATHLETE: "Yeah, we need to get on the same page and turn this thing around."
>INTERVIEWER: "What can you say about the amazing point-scoring streak of [TEAMMATE] over these last six games?"
>ATHLETE: "Yeah, he's playing on another level right now."
If you really start listening for this, it'll amaze you how many players do it. And, yes, I realize that - in those fake answers I just provided - I inadvertently provided more cliche examples.
Enjoy!