This past weekend, the NFL successfully delivered it’s batch of games without any major disasters. I personally enjoyed the games quite a bit. Just having football on TV as scheduled in early September made me feel right for the first time in a while.
Steve Czaban’s hometown ‘Skins/Football Team even won their opener against Philly. With that stage set, Czaban opens his Monday afternoon radio show to say this past weekend isn’t all good due to all else going on in the world.
I’m not here to hear about all else that’s wrong in the world. If I wanted all that, I’d listen to NPR or some Fox News Radio station.
Sad Stevie can go sit in the corner with Debbie Downer and Negative Nancy.
This pandemic has all of us a little down. Our lives have been turned inside out like a dirty sock… Some of us more than others, and even our most beloved sports radio hosts are not immune.
I’m a big fan of Steve Czaban, his crew, and his content. I’ve been a listener in various formats for over ten years, and I’m happy that he’s still on the air (The Team 980 AM in DC). Since the start of the pandemic format (various producers, co-host Scott Linn broadcasting from home, non-stop COVID churn), Czaban comes off to me as an increasingly crotchety, Fox News-charged, closed-minded complainer.
I recall open, light, sports/entertainment-centered dialog happening on his show, with discussion that explored different angles to every topic.
I get that COVID is a drag that affects everything, including sports. I understand that months back, we had no sports to talk about, but now there is enough going on to push COVID and mask talk to the margins of the show’s topics.
Czaban just seems to act differently than what I remember liking about him. He’s entering his mid-50s and is old getting older. Maybe this change is permanent.
I used look forward to laughing while listening to Czaban’s show, but now I’m more likely to have my finger ready on the skip-ahead button when Czaban gets on one of his b**** sessions.
I hoping once things drift back toward normal, Czaban’s old style will reemerge. On the other hand, maybe this is now who Steve Czaban is as a 50-something year-old radio host whose world is changing around him regardless of what he thinks. Maybe the fun vibe just won’t ever return to what it used to be.
Regardless, I hope Czaban gets his mental health checked out. The doom and gloom that has become common on his show is a reflection of his personal state. As soon as he cheers the f*** up, the better my listening experience will be, which is all I really care about.