Funny or Die video shows LeBron James taking Trainwreck co-stars to Swenson’s
July 13, 2015
Entering sports hibernation: While We’re Waiting
July 14, 2015Clevelanders generally have to look to Detroit for any hope of having their hometown compared favorably to another American city. Thanks to HBO’s John Oliver, however, Cleveland has been given a moment in the limelight at Cincinnati’s expense.
As part of a segment railing against public funding for pro sports stadiums, Oliver gave a sort of locker room pump-up speech to fans of assorted American cities, telling them that their homes are more than just hosts to football franchises. If a team should leave a city behind stadium-related politics — hits a little too close to home, no? — Oliver encourages them to define their worth in more than just sporting terms.
(In case the clip starts from the beginning on your device, this section of the sketch starts around the 16:30 mark. There’s also some foul language involved.)
“St. Louis, stand up,” Oliver beckons to a group of fans in Rams gear. “Stand up, St. Louis, and look at me! You’re more than just the Rams. You’re more than just the Rams! You’re a proud, Midwestern metropolis. You’re home of the St. Louis Arch!
“San Diego!” he says to a group of Charger fans. “You’re the second-largest city in California. That’s not nothing. That’s not nothing! That’s a solid number two!
It was then that Oliver turned his attention to Ohio.
“And you, Cincinnati. You’re the home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”
“That’s Cleveland,” a Bengals fan interjects.
“Well you’re the hometown of astronaut Jim Lovell and Emmy award-winning actress Carol Kane.”
“That’s Cleveland as well,” the fan responds.
“S***, I’m sorry…You might have to hang on to the Bengals.”
It’s all in good fun, to be sure (and just a minor portion of a typically well-done Oliver segment). In the netherlands of the mid-July sporting calendar, sometimes we need some friendly bad blood to keep things interesting — hell, we ran a feature on the Pittsburgh Steelers today.