Commentating certainly isn’t an easy job as it goes well beyond narrating the happenings in a game of footy.
The objective (aside from narration) is to keep listeners engaged and entertained and to essentially ensure that viewers don’t end up muting the broadcast due to some aimless, characterless commentary.
Those in the gantry go about achieving their objectives by developing personality-driven annotations or creating snappy one-liners, and of course, a signature baritone always helps.
However, their efforts at sounding snappy or clever are deemed to fail at times, and NBC’s broadcast of Tottenham Hotspur‘s game against Manchester City offers a prime example.
Spurs ended up surprise winners on the night as they grabbed a 3-2 victory. At the forefront of their impressive display were their forward line, consisting of Son Heung-Min, Harry Kane and new arrival Dejan Kulusevski.
Son grabbed 2 assists, while Kane and Kulusevski both got on the scoresheet. The performance gave a glimpse of new potential front 3 for Spurs, and the commentator on NBC’s broadcast had a nickname for them – ‘Triple K’. With the K’s standing for Kane, Kulusevski and the Korean (Son).
No way NBC just called the Spurs front line “triple K: Kane, Kulusevski and the Korean” 😭😭
— Curran (@CurranBoP) February 19, 2022
If it sounds a bit off, that’s because it certainly is.
While there’s no arguing with the commentator’s naming conventions, the nickname did lead to some raised eyebrows due to the existence of another ‘Triple K’.
Users online quickly likened the nickname to the Ku Klux Klan, the notorious white supremacist faction, who are also known as the ‘KKK’ (Triple K). If that wasn’t bad, referring to Son as ‘the Korean’ can also be perceived to possess racial undertones.
While there’s certainly a possibility for Kane, Kulusevski and ‘the Korean’ to be Spurs’ new front three, we’re almost sure there’s no chance of that nickname catching on.
