The bane of the X-Games for skiing has to be Uncle E's mic skills. I've e-mailed ESPN with no response (saw that coming) and I've tweeted at them too (no response). Commentators, though largely useless for core fans, also represent the sport and having Uncle E doing it makes us look TERRIBLE.
Alex Schlopy isn't a top top guy in the eyes of ESPN (yes he won gold but the skiing in the X-Games isn't marketed around him) but one of the leaders in Big Air. Uncle E CANNOT get his name right no matter how many chances he gets. It'd be like if I was commentating an NBA game and butchered all their backups names.
His impromptu nicknames are absolutely horrendous as well. Maybe the executives at ESPN find him endearing but as an ambassador to the sport, I saw he should be led out to pasture. PLEASE ESPN, I beg of you give LVV the job next year. Move Mike Douglas over to lead and have Luke Van Valin do color commentating. But then again, this puts us in another quandary because somebody has to do play by play for the live audience. Shit. We're boned.
