ESPN's Ric Bucher Is Not Making Friends In Utah Anytime Soon

Friday, April 18, 2008


If I had heard this live I probably wouldn't even have paid attention but I think Deseret News writer Scott Pierce brings up a good point. See Ric Bucher was talking about the home court advantage that the Jazz will get in the Playoffs when he decided to bring up Religion and the fact that outside of the Arena, Utah is boring.....

"Let's be honest. They're Mormon. And they're in Salt Lake. And there's nothing else there," he said. "You've got to smile and be happy all the time. This might be one opportunity for fans to get vicious."

Let's leave aside the lame comment about how there's nothing to do in Utah. That's been done so many times it's neither original nor amusing — let alone accurate. If Bucher had left it at that, nobody would have noticed his comments.

And let's leave aside how dumb it is to assume that everyone in Utah, let alone everyone in the EnergySolutions Arena, is a member of the LDS Church.

But let's be honest. If Bucher had been talking about the Knicks and said, "They're Jews and they're in New York City"; if Bucher had said, "They're African-Americans and they're in Memphis," he would have been suspended if not fired by now.
This is almost along the same lines of someone saying that all Southerners are Rednecks and watch NASCAR, and people just don't ever make the connection that it's prejudiced. Per usual.....just keep religion and race out of things.

Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before (Deseret News)

Posted by Awful Announcing- at 2:21 PM

23 Comments:

Sports Media Watch is speculating that Bucher HAS been suspended, albeit not publicly.

Morgan Wick said...
Apr 18, 2008, 3:36:00 PM  

Will someone tell me why it is ok for people to rip on Mormons? Like Scott Pierce writes, if it was another religion it would not even be a suspension...he would most definitely be fired. Fire this idiot. Maybe this will stop this form of over the top prejudice we see in this country for this religious faith.

Anonymous said...
Apr 18, 2008, 3:55:00 PM  

Ric Bucher is a pompous ass. Take it easy on the hair gel, soul patch.

GMoney said...
Apr 18, 2008, 4:01:00 PM  

Dood they also cling to guns and stuff cuz they're angry?

E Buzz said...
Apr 18, 2008, 4:31:00 PM  

I'm especially pissed off about Ric Bucher's comments...because it means Holly Rowe or Homer's Vegas Wife (Heather Cox) have to be on the sidelines in his place.

Anonymous said...
Apr 18, 2008, 5:00:00 PM  

Just goes to show these banana heads, the so-called "professional" journalists don't have to be raving geniuses to do their jobs. ESPN has become so pathetic it's like watching a sitcom instead of sports news and entertainment programming.

Anonymous said...
Apr 18, 2008, 5:22:00 PM  

I wonder if Boucher thinks Kobe will be traded before game one of the playoffs?

Unknown said...
Apr 18, 2008, 5:38:00 PM  

excuse me Bucher. I spell as well as he reports.

Unknown said...
Apr 18, 2008, 5:38:00 PM  

im fairly sure the CLDS has a slightly bigger publicity issue to be dealing with right now than worrying about some dbag on espn

BackBergtt said...
Apr 18, 2008, 6:07:00 PM  

"Let's be honest. They're Mormon. And they're in Salt Lake. And there's nothing else there,"

I'll take "Reasons why no major free agents will sign with Utah"; for $500, Alex.

You people do realize what the "Deseret News" is, right?

Anonymous said...
Apr 18, 2008, 6:15:00 PM  

Wait... all Southerners aren't Rednecks who watch NASCAR?

Anonymous said...
Apr 18, 2008, 6:15:00 PM  

Mike Georger,
You are one smart man. The FLDS Church is NOT AT ALL affiliated with the LDS Church or the Mormons. Please do your research before you come of as an arrogant moron.

Anonymous said...
Apr 18, 2008, 6:46:00 PM  

@anon

Leaving plural marriage aside, LDS and FLDS still believe Joseph Smith found god's message in some buried gold plates. Who's f***ing one or twenty wives is inconsequential to the mindf*** perpetrated by a corporation disguised as a legitimate religion to avoid taxation.

How's that for research?

Anonymous said...
Apr 18, 2008, 7:14:00 PM  

@anon 6:15

No, not all Southerners are rednecks who watch NASCAR. Except for Alabama.

Anonymous said...
Apr 18, 2008, 7:24:00 PM  

Bucher is a tool. Agree with earlier that ESPN is o-o-c. Only Melrose n Baseball2night keep me watching(and THAT even has the obligatory HACK ex-athlete).
If you're into Blondes..Utah could be for you. It's not just the 500+ inches of fluffy snow that'll blow your.. mind.

Monty said...
Apr 18, 2008, 10:14:00 PM  

and anotherthing...LDS church owns the Deseret News. Shocker!

Monty said...
Apr 18, 2008, 10:16:00 PM  

Per usual... you are correct. :-)

Anonymous said...
Apr 18, 2008, 11:41:00 PM  

anyone know which FOX announcers are doing which games tomorrow?

Anonymous said...
Apr 19, 2008, 12:35:00 AM  

I know this is the wrong post to address this but I can't wait any longer. Please please please can we get Eduardo Perez off of Baseball Tonight? This is getting ridiculous. The show is unwatchable with him on it.

Anonymous said...
Apr 19, 2008, 12:38:00 AM  

I agree anon 12:38, he is unbearable, every sentence is choppy and hard to understand. He offers very to no insight and he cut-ins on highlights make me wanna throw a rock at my TV. Send Perez back to ESPN Deportes please!!!!!!

Anonymous said...
Apr 19, 2008, 1:27:00 AM  

oh i know theyre not affiliated with them, but people some people no doubt think they are, and i think they need a media blitz denouncing them. this is the same kind of crap, people just making really overbroad generalizations about mormons and assuming theyre all the same. sure they have some odd ways but they catch a really bad rap overall.

BackBergtt said...
Apr 19, 2008, 7:04:00 AM  

@Anons 12:38 & 1:27:

I turned off Baseball Tonight after the five feeble attempts he made to impersonate Lou Piniella yesterday.

Apr 19, 2008, 11:45:00 AM  

Ric Bucher is to Jason Kidd what Jim Gray is to Kobe Bryant. Nothing more. Him defending David Stern on his handling of the SuperSonics situation shows he and most of the national media had no clue on what was going on in Seattle. Funny thing is Bucher could totally pass as a some suburbanite off of SLC who collects The Book of Mormon from every Marriott he goes to doing reports.

Anonymous said...
Apr 20, 2008, 7:25:00 PM  

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