A list of purported 'Olympic Bloopers' or 'Sports Bloopers' — verbal gaffes supposedly committed by TV sportscasters during the most recent Olympic Games.
Description: Viral joke
Circulating since: 2002 / Earlier
Status: Outdated / Dubious (see details below)
Example #1:
As posted on Facebook, Aug. 12, 2012:
Sports commentators show their intelligence
Here are the top nine comments made by NBC sports commentators so far during the Summer Olympics that they would like to take back:
1. Weightlifting commentator: "This is Gregoriava from Bulgaria . I saw her snatch this morning during her warm up and it was amazing."
2. Dressage commentator: "This is really a lovely horse and I speak from personal experience since I once mounted her mother."
3. Paul Hamm, Gymnast: "I owe a lot to my parents, especially my mother and father."
4. Boxing Analyst: "Sure there have been injuries, and even some deaths in boxing, but none of them really that serious."
5. Softball announcer: "If history repeats itself, I should think we can expect the same thing again."
6. Basketball analyst: "He dribbles a lot and the opposition doesn't like it. In fact you can see it all over their faces.
7. At the rowing medal ceremony: "Ah, isn't that nice, the wife of the IOC president is hugging the cox of the British crew."
8. Soccer commentator: "Julian Dicks is everywhere. It's like they've got eleven Dicks on the field."
9. Tennis commentator: "One of the reasons Andy is playing so well is that, before the final round, his wife takes out his balls and kisses them. .......Oh my God, what have I just said?"
Example #2:
Email contributed by Colonel Dan, Aug. 24, 2008:
FW: Olympic Quotes
Here are the top 10 comments made by NBC sports commentators during the Summer Olympics that they would like to take back but, alas . . . :
1. Weightlifting commentator: "This is Gregoriava from Bulgaria. I saw her snatch this morning during her warm up and it was amazing."
2. Dressage commentator: "This is really a lovely horse and I speak from personal experience since I once mounted her mother."
3. Paul Hamm, Gymnast: "I owe a lot to my parents, especially my mother and father."
4. Boxing Analyst: "Sure there have been injuries, and even some deaths in boxing, but none of them really that serious."
5. Softball announcer: "If history repeats itself, I should think we can expect the same thing again."
6. Basketball analyst: "He dribbles a lot and the opposition doesn't like it. In fact you can see it all over their faces."
7. At the rowing medal ceremony: "Ah, isn't that nice, the wife of the IOC president is hugging Cox of the British crew."
8. Soccer commentator: "Julian Dicks is everywhere. It's like they've got eleven Dicks on the field."
9. Tennis commentator: "One of the reasons Andy is playing so well is that, before the final round, his wife takes out his balls and kisses them... Oh my God, what have I just said?"
10. Another favorite is during the diving competitions two nights ago the commentator said... "Look at that... you aren't getting anything between those legs."
Example #3:
Email contributed by Joe D., Sep. 8, 2003:
Fw: sports bloopers
Actual comments from sports commentators they wish they could take back!
1. Weightlifting commentator at the Olympic Snatch & Jerk Event: "This is Gegoriava from Bulgaria. I saw her snatch this morning during her warm up and it was amazing."
2. Ted Walsh - Horse Racing Commentator: "This is really a lovely horse and I speak from personal experience since I mounted her mother."
3. Grand Prix Race Announcer: "This lead car is absolutely, truly unique, except for the one behind it which is exactly identical to the one in front of the similar one in back."
4. Greg Norman, Pro Golfer: "I owe a lot to my parents, especially my mother and father."
5. Ringside Boxing Analyst: "Sure there have been some injuries and even some deaths in boxing - but none of them really that serious."
6. Baseball announcer: "If history repeats itself, I think we can expect to see the same thing again."
7. Basketball analyst: "He dribbles a lot and the opposition doesn't like it. In fact you can see it all over their faces."
8. At a trophy ceremony BBC TV Boat Race 1988: " Ah, isn't that nice, the wife of the Cambridge president is hugging the Cox of the Oxford crew."
9. Metro Radio, College Football: "Julian Dicks is everywhere. It's like they've got eleven Dicks on the field."
Analysis: The exact origins of all these purported "bloopers" are impossible to pin down, but we can safely say they were not uttered — contrary to what's claimed in the most recent version of the list shared on Facebook — during the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
Nor were they uttered — contrary to what was claimed four years ago — during the Beijing games in 2008.
In point of fact, most of these quotes were already circulating as far back as 2002, and a few even date back to 1999 or earlier. Viral compilations of this kind are endlessly revised and recycled, to the point where even journalists mistakenly assume they must be authentic.
Perhaps the most outrageous actual flub ever committed by a TV commentator during the Olympics was uttered by Venezuelan sportscaster Willie Oviedo on TVes:
"Never in the Olympic Games has any mortal, any living being been able to win eight gold medals. Only Michael Phelps in the Olympic Games of Munich in the year 1972, over there in the Germany of Hitler, where he refused to give him the medals himself back then."
Yes, he really said that. View the clip on YouTube.
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Sources and further reading:
Commentator Mangles Olympics History
NineMSN.com, 23 August 2008Hitler No Quiso Darle Medallas a Phelps, Denuncia TV Venezolana
Reuters, 22 August 2008
Last updated: 08/13/12
