Derrick Brooks accomplished a lot as a NFL Linebacker with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Before that, he was quite the acclaimed college football player with the Florida State Seminoles. As a broadcaster though, I am anything but impressed. Whenever I hear that stupid “adversity” cliche perpetrated by coaches and athletes, my eyes roll. If you see my eyes roll from that…good, you should see that I am disgusted.
Get better at talking! Do a better job with the thinking and understanding stuff.
Journalists and media people say that “adversity” crap all the time too. So they are no better.
Derrick Brooks isn’t the only person to do this, it’s just in this specific instance, he’s the most egregious.
Watch about half-way into this video, Derrick Brooks previewing the BCS National Title game, as Derrick Brooks says the word adversity four times in a 15-20 second span.
Making fun of the shopworn adversity cliche is not anything new, and it’s not just a problem with Derrick Brooks. This past season, sketch comics Key and Peele did a send-up of the adversity bit with a fictional NBA player who is made up to look (whether intentionally or unintentionally) like Deron Williams. I would have posted the vid for that immediately after I saw it, but Comedy Central still hasn’t out it online yet.
With Florida State on television every other second, it means FSU icons are on TV every other second. That unfortunately means instances like this with Derrick Brooks are on TV all the time.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and very often writes The Sports Bank.net ,which is partners with Fox Sports. Read his features stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Listen to him on 1620 The Zone. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks). His work has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including The Washington Post and ESPN 2