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ESPN Anchor Slips Up (Gaffes Of The Year – #10)

2010 was a banner year for controversy in the world of sports media. From the usual barrage of accidental profanity, to the fairly untrodden territory of Twitter faux pas, up to and including the cultural phenomenon that was athletes taking pictures of their penises and sending them to everybody, this year really did have it all if you enjoyed watching people make fools of themselves.

From now until December 30th we’ll be going through our favorite oopsies from the year that was. So come and join us, won’t you, as we count down the Top Ten Sports Media Gaffes of the Year! Today’s gaffe: Chris McKendry has an unfortunate slip of the tongue.

I’m a big fan of Chris McKendry. Personally, I think she’s one of the better anchors that “SportsCenter” has, and not just because she’s very pretty. She’s smart, she’s funny, and she can roll with a joke (as evidenced by her famous bout of the giggles when describing an NBA player’s marijuana charges). I like when she tells me about sports. Which is one of the reasons why it was tough for me to include her on this list.

It should be noted that McKendry ended up on here because of an honest-to-goodness mistake. A lot of the people you’ll see on this “gaffe list” did extremely stupid things that need to be highlighted one more time before we cross over into 2011. In Chris’ case, it was an unfortunate tongue twister that got her here and, really, it’s a mistake that anyone could have made.

Still, it was very funny.

On November 1st, McKendry was in the midst of a football segment with ESPN NFL analyst Tedy Bruschi. As per usual for NFL analysts, Bruschi’s footballspeak sounded like he was describing a sex act. Here’s what he said:

“You see the New Orleans Saints right here. You’re gettin’ low, you’re gettin’ penetration, you’re stopping his momentum. Vilma comes around, Charleston right there finishes it out. Goal line defense: it’s about inches.”

That’s when it fell to McKendry to segue into another highlight. Here’s what she meant to say.

“Well, Ben Roethlisberger called it a gut check.”

Unfortunately, the words “Roethlisberger,” “called” and “gut check” somehow became intertwined as McKendry said them. Here’s what we got.

“Roethliscock-berger.”

And you know what? Ben Roethlisberger is a cockburger. So, really, it’s not so much of a gaffe as it is a point of fact.

McKendry, to her credit, rolled along like nothing happened, because she’s a professional, and a little thing like an unintentional slipup wouldn’t phase her. For that, we applaud her.

Stay tuned tomorrow, when we unveil our #9 biggest gaffe of 2010, when a respected reporter got one of the biggest scoops of the year… and it turned out to be completely wrong.

The Top Ten Sports Media Gaffes of 2010

10. Chris McKendry’s Unfortunate Slip-up

9. Tim Cowlishaw’s Darrelle Revis “scoop”

8. Jeremy Roenick Cries on the Air

7. Mike Wise’s Fake Twitter Flap

6. Jay Mariotti’s Arrest Brings Joy To Everyone

5. The Media Vs. Cam Newton

4. Karen Owen and the Duke Sex List