I've always felt uneasy about the ESPN Monday Night Countdown Jacked Up! segment. They do it every Monday night, showing a collection of hits from the previous day's games. Tom Jackson narrates a clip of a hard hit, then he and the rest of the jock-turned-commentators on the set scream "Jacked Up!" It's not exactly the most intellectually stimulating program on television. Paul Zimmerman of Sports Illustrated once wrote,
You ever watch that "Jacked Up!" thing before the Monday night game? Some poor guy gets leveled with a kill-shot, and the yahoos in the studio all yell, "Jacked Up!" I think I wrote this last year but I'll repeat it, if you don't mind. Those network commentators were born into the wrong era. They'd have been right at home in 17th or 18th Century England, enjoying a nice outing at a public hanging. And when the trap is released and the poor guy is hung, they'd all yell, "Jacked Up!"
In the past I've agreed with Zimmerman: I always thought Jacked Up! essentially celebrated cheap shots and injuries, making it the closest thing basic cable had to a snuff film. But before tonight's installment of Jacked Up!, Jackson and Chris Berman made pains to preface the segment by telling the viewers, "nobody got flagged, nobody got hurt." Apparently there's a policy in place that Jacked Up! won't include any hits that caused injuries or drew penalty flags. This is a good thing, I guess.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-12-2006 @ 6:35PM
erik said...
"Jacked Up"...Is that english? It's the type of English taught at "The U" I'm sure. I agree...Its as classless as endzone celebrations and is glorifying unnecessary roughness. ESPN is going that way and its sad.
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9-25-2006 @ 1:38PM
Jim said...
Hold on, this is football, a contact sport. "Glorify unnecessary roughness" Give me a break, why are you watching the game ... to see some kindler, gentler tackling. I don't like to compare football to war because it is a game, but none the less it is a violent struggle for field position and advancing upon the other team. This is not flag football and if you don't lay the wood to some guy he will probably lay it to you as he's running you over. A good clean shot should be highlighted just as much a touchdown pass, it's part of the game.
And you can keep that condescending, 'Is that english?' comment to yourself, apparently they didn't teach capitalization at whatever school you went to.
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10-02-2006 @ 6:54PM
Lisa said...
You are kidding me, right? I agree with the last comment. Last time I checked, football was a contact sport. No matter what you do, you are going to see hits like the ones hightlighted in "Jacked Up." "Intellectually stimulating"????? I do not watch football to be "intellectually stimulated." I watch it for the excitement of a hard-hitting contact sport. While I do not necessarily wish for any NFL player to be injured, I enjoy seeing a recap of some hard hits from games that are not televised in my area. I have seen similar collections of old NFL films set to music. The only difference is there were no commentators adding "Jacked Up!" to the recipe. Personally, I enjoy seeing "Jacked Up!" as do the rest of the NFL fans that I know. This group includes some very professional people. Also, as for the comment about "classless endzone celebrations," ever since games of any kind have been played, celebrating after a score has occurred. I do agree that endzone celebrations should be short & tasteful, I think the NFL has gotten a tad bit anal about the subject.
GO STEELERS!!!
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10-16-2006 @ 9:06PM
Willie Beamon said...
Paul Zimmerman= Comment #1= BOGUS
It's a free country so both of you should probably be deported to a country where you lose appendages for such idiocy. "Jacked Up" is raw uncut entertainment. It's at the very core of football, it's the allure of the game! It is beyond me how you can embrace football without embracing earth-shattering hits. If you put on the pads and step onto the field, you recognize that you could potentially be "jacked up" and the subject of momentary ridicule all in the name of fun. You elitist trash make me sick, 'Is that the type of English taught at "The U"?' Yes, I bet you would have rather Tom Jackson remain in servitude and not learn English at all. I guarantee I'm much smarter than whoever you are that had the audacity to type the aforementioned comment and left click. It's too bad you will probably never get jacked up because you are very deserving. In the words of Mike Ditka, I suppose being a "bed-wetting mama's boy" is punishment enough: you can't get up and walk that off.
WHO DEY!
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11-07-2006 @ 4:35PM
Jonathan Pierce said...
The first comment is just stupid. Jacked Up is one of my favorite parts of Monday Night Football.
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11-13-2006 @ 8:16PM
Franklin Kool Aid said...
This stupid segment steers clear of their favorite white boys.
Peyton Mannign got his ass handed to him when Indy Played the Redskins. The Indy Star had an article about it, but Monday Night Countdown avoid their golden boy like leprosy.
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11-18-2006 @ 4:01AM
Mike Young said...
Give me a break..! It's part of the game. If you don't like the hitting watch bowling or poker..
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11-20-2006 @ 3:30PM
Kathy said...
From a female's point of view, My husband and 2 sons and I all gather around the tv to watch "Jacked Up". It just a replay of the weekends greatest "hits" We are not glorifying the violence. It is nothing more than mindless entertainment. There is nothing to analyze, nothing to take a stand on, just plain old fashion entertainment. The "boys" at ESPN did not cause any of the hits so leave them alone. I love "jacked up" and I look foward to it every monday night.
Kathy
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11-22-2006 @ 2:16AM
Joe Kegger said...
whoever wrote the first comment sucks
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11-27-2006 @ 2:48PM
bakka said...
No matter what do you say about this , it is one of the most exciting sections of those boring monday night football and by the way this week is gonna the best cause all 5 jacked up will feature the stinkers quarterback Big Ben . He didn't look that big to me yesterday where he got drilled by my bulldogs the balti more ravens also known as THE "O.C".
Next on the list the Bungals and all their trashtalkers .....
See ya
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11-28-2006 @ 1:53PM
Debra Eichler said...
I'm a 44 year old mother of 2 boys. My husband, boys and I all look forward to "jacked up" each week! We love our hard hitting baltimore boys. Even the girly-girl I am knows a good clean hit when she sees one. It's a parents job to be a role model and teach our children the difference between good and bad sportsmanship not ESPN or the NFL. I just wish I could find the 5 highlights online Tuesday morning. My kids never get to stay up late enough to see the No. 1 "jacked up" at half time. Debra
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12-02-2006 @ 10:22PM
Dan said...
Jacked Up is definitely worth watching. It's a game highlight reel...nothing more, nothing less. Just like any other highlights, they show parts of already played footage. Some highlights choose to show turnovers and touchdowns. Jacked Up chooses to shows sacks and hard hits. Whether you watched it during the actual game (like real fans do) or caught the HIGHLIGHTS on Jacked Up, what's the difference?!
GO SKINS!
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