
Kirk Herbstreit Not Making a College Gameday Pick Because of "Objective Journalism" Reasons is Goofy
Another college football post. I meant to do this one the other day but just didn’t get around to it.
Not sure if you were watching College Gameday on Saturday morning, but during the picks segment Pat McAfee and Kirk Herbstreit had a brief exchange that, for the life of me, I cannot find on video. But this tweet kind of sums it up right here:
Kirk Herbstreit not making a pick on the game he's calling remains one of the last bastions of objective journalism.
McAfee: "I think you are allowed, you just choose not to."
Herbstreit: "No, they tell me I'm not allowed to."
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) September 2, 2023
This has been a thing for years on College Gameday. Herbstreit is one of the hosts, but he also does the TV broadcast for one of the marquee, primetime games. So when it comes time to do predictions for that game, he abstains.
Chris Vannini thinks this is “one of the last bastions of objective journalism,” which is silly because Kirk Herbstreit is not a journalist. He’s a broadcaster and he’s doing color commentary.
Herbstreit is not:
- a coach, and has no say in game planning, preparation, or decision making
- a player, and not on the field or playing in the game
- an official, and can’t throw flags or pick up flags
- a sideline reporter, interviewing coaches at halftime or doing any kind of actual reporting
Etc., so on and so forth. Herby is analyzing a game. Nothing that he says or does on College Gameday or in the television booth has any actual impact on the game itself, so it’s goofy to think that picking a winner somehow influences his ability to call said game. Captain Obvious would also point that just because Herbstreit THINKS Florida State might win, that doesn’t mean he WANTS Florida State to win. You are simply asking an expert to give his expert opinion, which in no way compromises the ability to be objective on the broadcast itself.
So assuming “they” is ESPN and ABC leadership, “they” should chill out and let Herby just make a pick. Who gives a shit anyway? Every fan base already thinks that Herbstreit hates their team and is biased to begin with, so the “perception” that he’s in the tank for someone or some program is laughable. Let Herby be Herby. Pat McAfee knows what’s up.