Jamie Erdahl
College BasketballBy Sean Keeley on

Pardon our French but there has been a very noticeable uptick in F-bombs during post-game interviews at both the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments this year.

And frankly, it’s fucking fantastic.

While everyone was rooting for Farleigh Dickinson on Sunday night, the FAU Owls pulled out a hard-fought NCAA Men’s Tournament victory that propelled them to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in school history. Could you really blame FAU star Johnell Davis for cursing during his post-game interview with Jamie Erdahl? Especially when it ended up leading to such a classic moment for both him and the reporter.

“I’ve been trying to prove this shit since day one. Oh…” said Davis.

“That’s alright! It happens to all of us. We’re on truTV, man,” quickly responded Erdahl.

It wasn’t long after that exchange that we were treated to Gonzaga’s Drew Timme explaining how he felt about the Zags needing to win to make it to the school’s eighth-consecutive Sweet Sixteen.

“I’m like, we cannot be the team that fucks this one up,” he said after the win that clinched that.

But this kind of unbridled excitement isn’t just for the boys. On Monday, Miami had a thrilling upset victory over 1-seed Indiana in Bloomington, thanks to Destiny Harden’s huge game-winning shot with seconds remaining. Afterward, when asked about the big play, she couldn’t contain the full weight of the moment.

“Coming into the huddle, [Associate HC] Fitzroy [Anthony], man. He did it again. He told me face-up and win the fucking game, scuse my language,” said Harden. “We going to the Sweet Sixteen because of him.”

And finally, we got access to the UCLA huddle following their hard-fought victory over Oklahoma to advance to the Sweet Sixteen and also got one more excited F-bomb for the road.

It’s always been understood that cursing on television, especially during sporting events, is a taboo that we’d rather not have happen. And yet, because of that, we often miss out on the true, raw emotions of the moment because people are guarding themselves against an errant F-bomb that could upset the children.

Whatever is happening this year, whether it’s purposeful or coincidental, has been a breath of fresh air. Our virgin ears are getting used to the notion that, in the midst of celebration, you can let yourself speak freely the way you would with friends and teammates, letting the audience in on how impactful the moment truly is for you. It’s great. It’s honest. And it’s long overdue.

Sure, we don’t need anyone going on a 20-curse tirade about how no one believed in them. But if a 20-year-old wants to share openly and passionately about one of the biggest moments in their life so far, and that happens to include an F-bomb, so be it.

So fucking be it, we mean.

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.

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