Who else thinks Dick Vitale is obnoxious during his college basketball broadcasts?

Question

His voice and his know-it-all comments are so annoying along with his extended Italian Gumba/Piasano remarks. With the college March Madness games approaching, I cringe at the idea of having to turn on the TV and hear his voice as commentator. Any one else out there feel the same? I am a woman who enjoys college hoop games more than professional team sports.....I continue to dread this March Season with hearing that voice/comments! (I do mute the sound at times!)

Hey Leroy...
Yes he is enthusiastic in his comments and comical too, but he is rude and talks over the guys who are trying to make their educated/statistical comments also.....Are you saying we should humor the OLD guy?
Does seniority have it's priviledges?

I LIKE and AGREE w/ALL OF YOUR COMMENTS!!!
THANKS...

SAMMY

Answer 1

Vitale suffers from more than East Coast bias. He suffers from having a big blue devil stuck where the sun don't shine. He could be calling a game in the dang SWAC conference and STILL find a way to harp on Duke for at leat 10 minutes of that game. That's 25% of the game, friends.

I don't doubt that he has amazing enthusiasm for the game. And I bet he's one of the few uber-annoying announcers who is a genuinely nice person (as opposed to trolls like Billy Packer, Verne Lundquist, and Digger Phelps). But his rants and raves in favor of Duke Duke Duke make me honestly ask if he's on the Duke University payroll as a friggin recruiter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 2

I've met Vitale regarding some business dealings unrelated to basketball. He is an extremely nice guy.

But I gotta tell you, I agree with you. As an announcer, I gotta say that I think that Vitale is obnoxious. He basically started broadcasting major college games back in the mid-late 80s, and he's been doing it ever since. I was in my 20s then, and it actually was fun listening to him... but here we are, 20 years later, and he's still doing the same ol' schtick.

But you're right Leroy.. Vitale is passionate about college basketball, and I have to respect the fact that he's been able to keep this level of enthusiasm up for so many, many years... he just loves the game.

My biggest problem with him as an announcer is that he treats every breakaway dunk as though it were the greatest feat of athleticism ever achieved. Hey, Vitale, it's just a breakaway dunk, man...no big deal...everybody's doing it!

I think when an announcer does that, it takes away from the truly athletic, in-traffic dunks that we see a lot of the better players doing.

Vitale definitely knows college basketball...he knows all the players, etc... but again, my problem with him is that he thinks that every little dunk is the greatest athletic feat ever accomplished...and that gets old after 20 years.

He also had the annoying habit of using acronyms to describe something, and then defining the acronym OSL (one second later)... for example, "HE'S A PTP'er, a PRIIIIIME TIIIIIIIME PLAYER!!!" ... you get the idea.

However, having said that, I admit that we used to imitate him when we played on the courts... if we threw down a dunk, we'd yell and call ourselves PTPers, practically in unison, in a Vitale-like voice... and no doubt, a lot of kids are still doing that today... it's just that, from my perspective, it gets old after so many years... But for some people who are just getting into the game, he definitely brings a unique style to broadcasting that can't be duplicated.

Answer 3

Dick Vitale suffers from extreme east coast bias! I've heard him cover games in other parts of the country and when the discussion turns to top players in that league or great venus where basketball is played he always turns the conversation to great players or venus in the ACC or some other east coast conference. Yet, when he is covering basketball on the east coast you hear little or nothing about anywhere else! Unless it is something about how a top team in another conference wouldn't have as many wins in the ACC. It really gets old pretty quick! A fun guy if he could just loose the bias.

Answer 4

I'm not sure if I'd call him obnoxious. He's is VERY excited about college basketball...and can you blame him? With some many young superstars, and so many great teams. I'd be excited if I was in his shoes. He's got one of the best jobs in the world. He gets paid to watch stars like Kevin Durant, Gred Oden, Acie Law, and Julian Wright. I'd be obnoxious, too!

Answer 5

I disagree with you as a woman who watches all sports I think that March Madness wouldn't be what it is without Dick Vitale. Sometimes he is annoying but when he calls someone a diaper dandy then you know who is talking

Answer 6

this is a livin legend we are talkin about,,,every announcer has their own personality that they bring to the table...the problem is they only bring part of theirs, dickie v brings all of his which makes watching the game exciting...dickie talks as if he is not on the air which most of the people watching the game can relate too...sure he can be a lil wild but he is acting off of pure emotion which is what a lot of analyst fail to do...this is college basketball baby!!!

Answer 7

While I understand how people find him annoying, I admire his enthusiasm and passion for the game. I mean, he's an old guy now, yet he still gets so excited over the game.

Answer 8

Dick Vitale is everything that is wrong with college basketball.

Answer 9

HE IS SICKENING, HE KISSES COACH K'S BUT TOO MUCH. AND TO THINK I USED TO LIKE HIM.

Answer 10

gootta love that guy