Today, I found myself aimlessly exploring the depths of
YouTube as I tend to do several times a week. I reached the point where I began
watching a series of old SNL skits, and re-watched one of my favorite skits of
all time: NFL Intros. The skit was
aired a couple weeks after recent scandals in the NFL, such as that of Adrian
Peterson. The skit takes place in the beginning of a football game, when all of
the players normally say their name and the college they attended. However, the
writers put a spin on this tradition and rather than name the college the
attended, they have the players announce their specific crime. Some of the
crimes are absolutely hilarious (and a bit preposterous), but they help the
writers emphasize their point. In the skit, NFL
Intros on SNL, the writers use absurd parody and criticizing sarcasm which
ultimately allow them to criticize the state of the NFL and its players.
Absurd parody is used to give context for the skit – that is,
it is used to establish the skit not only as a football intro, but as a way to
mock the NFL’s scandals. For example, the very first player to introduce
himself proudly announces, “Derrick Watkins. Assault.” One of my personal
favorites was “Calvin Williams. Loitering with an intent to murder.” While
these introductions are great to just listen to for entertainment, they really
bring light to the number of scandals that were occurring at this point in the
NFL. Of course, the writers may have gotten a bit carried away, but they do
achieve their purpose in establishing the context for the scene.
In addition, the writers use criticizing sarcasm to condemn
the NFL’s response to the scandals. They do this with one simple line. One
announcer asks, “Will the players be discussing the punishments they’re receiving
for their offenses?” to which the other announcer states, “Well, there weren’t
any…” For there to be such heinous crimes being committed with no punishments,
there is clearly some sort of corruption going on. This serves as a comment on
the actual events in which the NFL did not take appropriate action against the guilty
players.
Ultimately, the writers of this skit effectively made their
point. They not only poked fun at the amount of scandals in the NFL, but
condemned NFL officials as well. Through a very funny skit, SNL produced a
memorable piece of social commentary.
Original Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5P_GqS30xg
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