When Charissa Thompson recently confessed to inventing sideline reports during games, it made Jim Lampley reflect on the evolving landscape of sports broadcasting. Approaching the 50th anniversary of his first national TV appearance, Lampley recalls his beginnings as the original sideline reporter.
On September 7, 1974, at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, he pioneered this role during the UCLA-Tennessee college football game alongside ABC’s Keith Jackson and Bud Wilkinson. This milestone marked the inception of a position that has since become a staple in sports television, highlighting the significant changes in broadcasting over the years.
“If I pulled a stunt like that back in ’74 with Keith Jackson, I’d be terrified of a hatchet coming down on my neck,”
Remarked 74-year-old Jim Lampley, known for his 30 years as the voice of HBO boxing and extensive Olympic Games coverage. Reflecting on Charissa Thompson’s admission of fabricating sideline reports, Lampley expressed disbelief at the idea of a sideline reporter inventing quotes and reports instead of delivering genuine observations.
He hopes Thompson receives feedback that discourages such casual and self-congratulatory behaviour in the future. Now that is indeed a tough assumption. But we guess there is some grain of truth.
“When I started doing sidelines for college football, interacting with legends like Bear Bryant and Woody Hayes, the thought of making up quotes from them never crossed my mind,”
Exclaimed Lampley.
He expressed concern about the comfort level in fabricating reports, attributing it to the omnipresence of sports television. Lampley urged a reexamination, emphasizing the responsibility that comes with the privilege of being close to events, a privilege granted by the financial power of network television. He found Thompson’s actions too casual, self-congratulatory, and a disregard for the gravity of the platform. And some of his points are good.
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