Media MonsterMLBNFL

A…Countdown Of Recent Keith Olbermann Sports Moments

As you’ve probably heard, last night we were hit with the sudden news that Keith Olbermann’s MSNBC program, Countdown, is over. It marks a shockingly abrupt end to a run that was, for one reason or another, never boring, and one we’ve written about ourselves several times in our relatively short existence.

In fact, as former sports anchor Olbermann still saw fit to mention matters sporting fairly frequently, in honor of his dearly departed program, we will now present to you a – wait for it – countdown of our chosen top five Olbermann moments we’ve written about on this site, including video of the Countdown segment in question when applicable. Let’s do it.

5. Olbermann names Ines Sainz to “World’s Worst”

Remember when the Ines Sainz controversy dominated the news cycle? Yeah, that was…really great. And it compelled Olbermann to comment. He was tough on Sainz, which we don’t really agree with, since she was the wronged party (hence the lower spot on this list)…but hey, Olbermann was never one to shy away from controversial statements. Brief snippet from that World’s Worst segment below.

4. Olbermann delights in sportswriter’s faulty prediction

Another World’s Worst clip (you’ll be noticing a pattern along these lines). In this one, Olbermann’s pretty much just in a joking mood – at the expense of Andy Martino from the New York Daily News. Martino, you see, thought that the prospect of free agent Cliff Lee signing with the Phillies was so unlikely that he’s “cover spring training in a Speedo” if it happened. Then, it happened. And after that, this happened:

3. Fun at Favre’s expense

Remember when Brett Favre dominated news cycle after news cycle after news cycle? Yeah, that was…oh, fine, we can’t even pretend anyone enjoyed it. When it was announced Favre was getting hit with a lawsuit by two former Jets massage therapists, New York tabloids and Olbermann both got some jollies at that one. See it here:

2. The Keith Olbermann-Bill Simmons feud

OK, so this happened before we were actually a site (and off the airwaves), but we’ve got posts in our archives from when we were building up a content base – one’s linked above, the second is here. The gist: Simmons wrote about Tiger Woods’ return to golf, and compared him to Muhammad Ali in the process. Olbermann called it “the most poorly-informed conclusion I’ve come across in sports media this year,” to which Simmons responded that Olbermann is “my worst case scenario for my career in 12 [years].” MEDIA FIGHT OMG

Olbermann shot back again, saying in part:

I was stunned to receive several emails from some of Mr. Simmons’ bosses there, thanking me for pointing out the absurdity of, and the embarrassment to ESPN provided by, the Woods/Ali comparison.

This would have indeed been a rather surprising development, and Simmons’ editor defended him to Mediaite by saying:

We believe Bill’s a uniquely gifted writer and thinker who makes us great and meaningful to sports fans.

Olbermann posited that “if Mr. Simmons does leave ESPN, it may not be entirely of his own choosing,” a statement that, given last night’s developments plus the fact that Simmons isn’t going anywhere, now carries with it significant irony.

1. Olbermann slams Orioles birther Luke Scott

Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Luke Scott made waves earlier this offseason when he voiced his opinion that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States. Olbermann couldn’t leave that alone, could he? Of course he couldn’t, and gave Scott the – you guessed it – World’s Worst treatment. And in this case, we do mean “worst.”

Yes, Scott took home “top” honors that night, a rare feat on the program for a sports figure. So concludes our look back at Olbermann’s recent sports-related run – we’d expect him to land somewhere on his feet eventually (just not ESPN); he’s too big a name not to. But he’s such a polarizing figure and creates so much discussion that the TV landscape will, no question, be a little duller until he lands his next gig…whatever it is.