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Please Let Lee Corso Retire
Published:
College Gameday is going to Columbus in week 1 for a matchup between Ohio State and Notre Dame. Jack Harlow, who has nothing to do with either school, will be the guest picker, so good job by ESPN giving us a relevant celebrity on the program.
There was no official Gameday for the “week 0” games we just watched, but they did some different preview clips with the hosts while Lee Corso did some broadcasting from his house:
https://twitter.com/BourbonAndBeer/status/1563533232892968961?s=20&t=cmOVOH7OJG2chmPSvnqpVQ
He’s really struggling, isn’t he? He’s 87 years old.
There’s nothing fun about this. Everything about this sucks, and Corso deserves better.
Corso’s cognitive function hasn’t been the same since he suffered a stroke in 2009. He made a miraculous recovery and return to College Gameday just a few months after his stroke, but his trademark zip has faded. He’s also nearly 90 years old, and while there’s no doubting his enthusiasm for College Football, little evidence exists to suggest we all keep doing this.
It all reeks of exploitation and it just feels extremely dirty. For all that Corso has done not only for the game but for how we savor the flavor of feasting on Saturday slates, he deserves so much more than to be someone we awkwardly wait to stop talking.
Agree with all of that. You want to remember somebody for their best moments, not their worst moments. I’m not sure who is responsible for this, though. Does Corso want to keep working? Does ESPN insist on trotting him out there? Seems like somebody in his circle and/or at the network should have stepped up and put the kibosh on this, like “hey it’s been an amazing career, maybe we take a step back from television.” They could still do some pre-recorded segments with him, or let him do the headgear still, or be involved with the show in a lesser role, but it’s tough to watch someone in obvious decline go out there and try to make it work. Let this man retire with some dignity.
Remember the good ‘ole days:
This was peak Lee Corso. Its all been downhill since. Feel bad for the guy, hes a legend. pic.twitter.com/b7SX3MO31o
— FFBuck (@FFbuckCLE) August 28, 2022
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com