Pardon the Interruption is a sports lover dream. Can you recall all of the heated debates and arguments that you have had over your favorite sports teams and sports issues? Wouldn’t it be nice to see two professionals go at it in the same manner that you and your friends debate over what team or player is the best? Well, the guys at Pardon the Interruption are no different from you and me. They cover all of the sports subjects from “who’s the best quarterback in the league?” to “why is Dennis Rodman wearing a dress this week?”
Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser are the hosts of Pardon the Interruption (or PTI, as most people call it). They are the two entertaining, outspoken, liberated journalists of the show who can talk about anything and everything. And they most certainly do that during their 30 minutes of airtime each and every weekday evening at 5:30 on ESPN.
Tony Kornheiser is the beloved, elderly, facetious host of PTI. And while he is considerably older than Michael, Tony is certainly not the more mature of the two. He brings a certain flare to the analyzing of sports topics. He always offers a point of view that stems from both the school of objectivity and the good old days of sports. When speaking on a specific sports topic he focuses on how the athlete has affected their own legacy and their fans. He also puts a cynical look on some sports issues by wondering how the issues will affect the psyche’s of other people in sports or how an issue may or may not affect his fantasy team. But all in all, Tony is more of a fan than he is a journalist. Not to say he isn’t a good journalist, because he is absolutely one of the best, but it is his fan-like disposition and inquisitiveness of sports that makes his journalistic reporting such a wonderful entity.
Michael Wilbon is a whole other character. He is definitely the more frenzied and rambunctious host of the two. Michael tries to portray himself as an absolutely objective journalist, however, he knows that he basis a lot of his analysis off of his conversations with athletes and his gut feeling as to what he believes is or is not the case. And there’s nothing wrong with that, because his opinions are well informed and are not in any way trying to be biased or inequitable. Michael is also the host that is more likely to get fired up about his opinions. When he really believes somebody is being treated unfairly or to graciously by the media, Michael definitely will step out and step out to say what he believes the rest of the sports world needs to here. He is also a native Chicagoan, and his heart definitely lies with Chicago sports, so he is always backing his Northwestern Alma Mater and his beloved Bull, Bears and Cubs.
Besides the two hostesses’ wonderful personalities, the show itself brings another element to the program. PTI’s segments are some of the most interesting and entertaining ones in the world of sports television. Whether it’s “Five Good Minutes” with an athlete or journalist, or if they are doing the over under on how many more ears Mike Tyson will bite before he retires, the show’s segments are sure to be entertaining. So tune into ESPN every weekday and have fun with the guys from PTI, and enjoy listening to them discuss the hot sports topics of the day along with the millions of fans and professional athletes who watch the show everyday. Hey, after you watch an episode maybe you’ll have just that much more ammo to fire back at any of your friend’s arguments.
