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Thursday, April 30, 1998

Access O'Brien

BOOK: Pat O'Brien demystifies professional terms for

non-athletes, speaks out on sports issues

By Stanley L. Johnson Jr.

Daily Bruin Staff

Have you ever been in a situation where you felt clueless, unsure or just plain dumb when it comes to knowing about sports? If your answer to this question is yes, then you are not alone.

Pat O'Brien, co-host of the television show "Access Hollywood," 17-year veteran sports commentator and author of "Talkin' Sports: A B.S.-er's guide," provides the reader with excellent facts, historical references and timely sports-related questions.

"Talkin' Sports" is conveniently broken up by month, allowing for a user-friendly experience. In each of the 12 different chapters, dominant sports are highlighted by season.

O'Brien writes, "In sports, January means two things. Football. And more football. And on the very first day of this football month, you will wake up to newspaper headlines screaming about college football. Even in churches around the country, they are talking football with sermons like 'Jesus is My Quarterback.' 'Touch-down, Jesus,' and 'It's Not Just a Game.' You get the picture."

"Talkin' Sports" even provides the reader with useful information about attending a sporting event for the first time.

For example, he provides practical analogies to help you get to your first game. "Going to your first sporting event can be as stressful as attending your first bar mitzvah. So as a novice attendee of sporting events, you will not want to make any glaring public errors while trying to impress somebody that you are a sports kind of person."

Have you ever contemplated what to wear to a sporting event? Well, fret no more. O'Brien provides valuable tips which are key to surviving the experience.

"If you are going to a Raiders game, tank tops and anything that says Marriott or Pepsi on it will do. A Green Bay Packers game screams for a down sleeping bag. I'm not kidding."

Women's sports issues are given equal consideration in "Talkin' Sports." O'Brien conscientiously articulates the role of women in sports.

An example of this kind of gender sensitivity can be seen in the way O'Brien shows how Sheryl Swoopes, who now plays in the WNBA, broke Bill Walton's points record in a Division I title game. Others have pointed to Swoopes' achievement. Few, however, have taken the time to point out that she actually surpassed NBA legend Walton's achievement.

Similarly, O'Brien tells the story of how Nancy Lieberman became a pioneer in women's sports by bringing college basketball (across gender lines) into the mainstream.

"Lieberman captained two national title teams at Old Dominion in Norfolk, Virginia, and was a three time Kodak all-American," O'Brien writes.

O'Brien's prose and diction are also meticulously chosen, so that he does not indirectly offend his female audience.

Traditionally, texts that deal with sports or sports-related issues often tend to cater to a male audience. However, O'Brien's text possesses a rare quality of sensitivity that indirectly eradicates the traditional sexist, misogynistic and patriarchal language that is prevalent in traditional sports-related prose.

Essentially set up for a layperson who struggles with sports related-issues, O'Brien's creative and witty prose allows the reader to become erudite instead of admitting that he just doesn't know what's going on.

"Talkin' Sports" is a cogent, well-developed, cleverly crafted text that affords its reader valuable facts and pertinent information pertaining to sports.

O'Brien's experience as a sports journalist makes this first-person narrative both believable and enjoyably honest.

Access Hollywood

Author, co-host Pat O'Brien.

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