Lead Blog for 10/26 "The Champions" and SNL
Saturday Night Live has given us
some of the greatest and most quotable moments in comedy history. SNL has
given us everything from “Night at the Roxbury” and “The Spanish Inquisition”
to “More Cowbell” and “I’m on a Boat.” So
many comedians have started their career at SNL
before going on to become superstars in the world of comedy. Even more comedians have been guest hosts of
the show. Saturday Night Live alums include the likes of Will Ferrell, Eddie
Murphy, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Jimmy Fallon, and so many more. We have even seen full length movies such as A Night at the Roxbury that were
inspired by SNL skits.
A
few months ago, I was watching an episode that was being hosted by former NBA all-star
Charles Barkley when the sketch in the link above came on. Entitled “The Champions”, the skit is set up
like a real sports talk show where elite athletes recount their experiences and
inside knowledge about the sport that they were paid millions upon millions of
dollars to play. Joining Charles Barkley
in the skit are Alex Rodriguez and D.C. Timmons (played by Kenan Thompson). We are introduced to the three and it is
revealed that Timmons was said to be the “hardest hitting man in the NFL.” D.C. immediately launches into an attack on
A-Rod and Barkley saying that he admires them both for “playing their little
games.” He then goes into talking about
how “football is war… if you get knocked out seven times in one game, ‘next
time better make it eight sucker!’ But
hey, you know what they say, if you wanna run with the big dogs, stay out the
kitchen, because your kitchen is full of dogs Greg.” The incongruity theory best describes lines
like these where D.C., with his apparent brain damage, has completely butchered
and mashed together the sayings “if you can’t run with the big dogs, stay on
the porch” (or any other variations of this saying) and “if you can’t take the
heat, get out of the kitchen.” He then
starts calling everyone else on set “Greg” even though no one is named
Greg. The line that gets me every time I
see this skit is when Timmons says “you wanna talk about runnin’! Man, the football field is 100 yards long! That’s 100 feet!” He then follows this profound bit of knowledge
with “you gotta get woke, its 2007!”
Then, they begin to discuss injuries which is when D.C. reveals that he
has fake teeth, a prosthetic arm, and an eye which he claims is made out of
sugar. All of these catastrophic
injuries resulted from “nine games spread out over the course of seven seasons
due to injuries and a death in the family.”
The death in the family was actually Timmons’ himself who was “only dead
for a few minutes.” Overall, the skit is
a good example of the type of humor that can be classified under the superiority
theory. We tend to feel as if
professional athletes have everything going for them. They are all multimillionaires that play a
game for money. This skit, by using a
fictional, retired NFL player in sharp contrast with other real, retired
professionals, has a way of making the viewer feel superior to these athletes
(D.C. in particular). As with most late-night
comedy, the relief theory also comes into play.
These skits serve as a way to address and bring attention to real and
important issues in today’s society.
Because of the brutality that existed in the NFL for years, numerous players
have died from their brain injuries. “The
Champions” draws attention to this issue while making a joke out of it to break
some of the tension and seriousness surrounding the situation. Most Saturday
Night Live skits use all three theories of humor while also remaining short
and addressing issues in society. As a
result, the show has remained popular for generations and is now in its 43rd
season.
One point of clarification: the Spanish Inquisition is Monty Python, not SNL (that will be 60k dollars, please--please tell your parents you are learning very important things). And now for something completely different.
ReplyDeleteI love how at first no one is laughing at the skit, in part because it's uncomfortable, in part because the jokes just come too quickly. I think this kind of comedy shows the difference between incongruity and comic incongruity--it's hard for the audience to place the comedy at first but once they understand what it's mocking it becomes easier to laugh.
Do you think this is too mean to be funny? Definitely it does seem to verge on just the making fun of people with disabilities.
ReplyDeleteWhile the skit is on the verge of being offensive, as most successful, late-night comedy tends to be, it is notably less offensive than other comedies that make fun of disabled people (Ben Stiller's "Simple Jack" from Tropic Thunder for example). I think one of the main targets of the skit are those who argue against the new rules that have been put in place by the NFL to avoid these types of injuries and resulting disabilities. This is most apparent when A-Rod and Barkley express their concern for D.C. and their relief about the new rules which D.C., as some retired NFL veterans have done, claims are "ridiculous." The skit has a way of making this "football players must be tougher than everyone else" view look ridiculous.
DeleteI think that's a convincing explanation! And I agree.
ReplyDelete