Big Ten primer for Big Red

biggie said:
I swear you act like everyone is out to get your huskers. Heck, half the article was about the Michigan Man.
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Did you even read any of the links I posted up there? If you think saying his article wasn't funny and that he's going overboard is an overreaction then you haven't read the mountains of critiques raised against Reilly on the internet. On a scale of 1-10 my reaction is about a two compared to others, and yet you go on and on about this. Read those links. Read up on the reaction Reilly typically gets. Gain some perspective.

 
I'm issuing the Reilly Challenge.

Go find an article about the Huskers that hasn't already been posted, that is either more interesting or funnier or in any way better than Reilly's article and post a portion of it here so we have something else to discuss.

Winner gets a +1.

GO!

 
I don't have a problem with the article taking a bunch of jabs at Nebraska or at the Big Ten conference. The problem with the article is that it's not funny.

The Gaddaffi joke - not funny.

The tattoo joke - not funny.

The atomic wedgie joke - not funny.

Night crawler joke - not funny.

NU fans are all hicks joke - not funny.

could go on and on...

For comedy to work, there has to be some truth to it - the joke-teller has to expose some irony or absurdity in the real world, and he has to deliver it in a clever way. Usually, there's also something surprising about it, that takes the joke-receiver off guard, and that is what will make us spontaneously burst into laughter, that clever subversion of our own expectation.

Maybe my own biased perception of Nebraska makes some of these jokes seem untrue. But most of them are just so worn out (the fans are hicks, conference that sells tatoos, etc) that they're simply not funny anymore, if they ever were. There's nothing subversive or surprising about any of them. Honestly, the best opportunity he had to make fun of us that isn't completely worn out, at least to me, is Larry the Cable Guy. But he mentioned Larry the Cable Guy in the same sentence as Johnny Carson which was almost nice - that way it's like they cancel each other out.

Saying that Wisconsin is Nebraska except they have more wins than us isn't funny, because it's not true. I don't take offense to that, it's just poorly conceived and poorly written. I don't take offense to anything in the article, I'm not butthurt, it's just bad writing. It's less funny than Larry the Cable Guy himself, and that's saying something. If this guy wrote for the Daily Show he'd be fired before he even got a line on the air.

 
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knapplc said:
I'm issuing the Reilly Challenge.

Go find an article about the Huskers that hasn't already been posted, that is either more interesting or funnier or in any way better than Reilly's article and post a portion of it here so we have something else to discuss.

Winner gets a +1.

GO!
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I posted a link to that sweet video about Jamal Turner. That's worth, a point or at least an internet high five.

 
GSG5545 said:
knapplc said:
I'm issuing the Reilly Challenge.

Go find an article about the Huskers that hasn't already been posted, that is either more interesting or funnier or in any way better than Reilly's article and post a portion of it here so we have something else to discuss.

Winner gets a +1.

GO!
Click to expand...
I posted a link to that sweet video about Jamal Turner. That's worth, a point or at least an internet high five.
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I don't think that counts. You posted that before the official announcement of the Reilly Challenge.

Rule 3.4.2a of the Reilly Challenge Rules & Regs states (in part):

...the Challenge shall start at 11:41am, CDT, 07/21/2011...


However, since, to the best of my knowledge, the R&R weren't posted in a timely manner, I will award you a +1.

Since that's a "technical" +1, I'm still awarding another +1 to the next, better article. The Reilly Challenge lives!

 
Hercules said:
I don't have a problem with the article taking a bunch of jabs at Nebraska or at the Big Ten conference. The problem with the article is that it's not funny.

The Gaddaffi joke - not funny.

The tattoo joke - not funny.

The atomic wedgie joke - not funny.

Night crawler joke - not funny.

NU fans are all hicks joke - not funny.

could go on and on...

For comedy to work, there has to be some truth to it - the joke-teller has to expose some irony or absurdity in the real world, and he has to deliver it in a clever way. Usually, there's also something surprising about it, that takes the joke-receiver off guard, and that is what will make us spontaneously burst into laughter, that clever subversion of our own expectation.

Maybe my own biased perception of Nebraska makes some of these jokes seem untrue. But most of them are just so worn out (the fans are hicks, conference that sells tatoos, etc) that they're simply not funny anymore, if they ever were. There's nothing subversive or surprising about any of them. Honestly, the best opportunity he had to make fun of us that isn't completely worn out, at least to me, is Larry the Cable Guy. But he mentioned Larry the Cable Guy in the same sentence as Johnny Carson which was almost nice - that way it's like they cancel each other out.

Saying that Wisconsin is Nebraska except they have more wins than us isn't funny, because it's not true. I don't take offense to that, it's just poorly conceived and poorly written. I don't take offense to anything in the article, I'm not butthurt, it's just bad writing. It's less funny than Larry the Cable Guy himself, and that's saying something. If this guy wrote for the Daily Show he'd be fired before he even got a line on the air.
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i don't like to deconstruct humor, but you were spot on. very well said. and i think to further your sentiments, it was like he wanted to say something mean, but needed to add humor so it would not seem like just an assault on NU and B1G, but his attempts at humor were just atrocious. he wanted to make light of our recent hardships but was either too ignorant or too dense to make a joke about them, and we ended up with the highlighted line, "wisconsin is nebraska, but with better parties and more wins." lulz? that is so weak, and doesn't make sense. he could have said, 'nebraska should thank wisconsin for making red relevant again." or, "with wisconsin in the mix, people may not know who you're talking about when you say 'go big red.'"

i honestly can not believe that was front page at ESPN.com, his reputation must precede him and he was owed a favor.

 
A lot of Reilly's "humor" isn't funny because he gets his facts wrong all the time or makes wild assumptions, as was evident in the Nebraska piece. Some exaggerations were funny, others...weren't even exaggerations they were just dumb and wrong. He also ruins great sporting moments by pooping all over a great accomplishment (see Darren Clarke's Open Championship victory piece). Reilly used to be at least decent before he came to ESPN and became a caricature of himself.

I mean the whole "your spring game draws a bigger crowd (66,000) than Illinois games" part...well duh, Illini's stadium only seats 62,000! So, um, duh. Christ.

 
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he just wrote a decent article about tiger. not really funny, nor too insightful. however, he did manage to say some things that needed to be said, even if obvious: click here

 
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Holy offseason guys!

What has this turned into?

Despretly searching for something husker for us to read...

EDIT: any way we can transfrom this thread into a discussion of the Longhorn Network ???

 
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