During the first quarter of the Monday Night Football game between the Broncos and Chargers, ESPN called on a sideline reporter named Sergio Dipp to deliver a stand-up about Denver coach Vance Joseph.
Dipp’s primary gig is with ESPN Deportes, which was being simulcast on ESPN2 on Monday, and most of his experience comes in Spanish-language broadcasting. So we can probably forgive him for the fact that his report was… well, it wasn’t the best.
It’s hard to tell how much of Dipp’s performance was nerves, how much was the language and how much was just a guy having a bad day. Regardless, there’s nothing people on the internet love more than watching others mess up on TV, so Dipp quickly became somewhat of a social-media sensation.
https://twitter.com/CounterMoonbat/status/907446333119893504
Sergio Dipp is basically me at a bar when I try speaking to women
— Maybe: Luke (@lukebellus4) September 12, 2017
From now on if someone ask's were I was on 9/11 im going to need them2 specfy if they mean 2001 or when Amerca was introduced to Sergio Dipp
— PFT Commenter (@PFTCommenter) September 12, 2017
Me waiting for the next #SergioDipp appearance pic.twitter.com/AIZeXmnu9D
— Eddie Garcia (@Eddieonfox) September 12, 2017
Sergio Dipp walking into ESPN tomorrow pic.twitter.com/s8mY4mPkoL
— Don Juanson (@donjuanson34) September 12, 2017
Not since the llamas broke loose in Phoenix have I seen any living creature light Twitter on fire quite like Sergio Dipp.
— Michael Hurley (@michaelFhurley) September 12, 2017
Me: Wow, Rex Ryan might be the worst announcer I've ever heard.
Sergio Dipp: Hold my beer.
— Not Bill Walton (@NotBillWalton) September 12, 2017
Convinced this is some kind of practical joke, not real NFL broadcast. Sergio Dipp needed to add "boom goes the dynamite!"
— Ben Maller (@benmaller) September 12, 2017
The man's name is Sergio Dipp. And he's the only sideline reporter I ever want to hear from in any sport ever again.
— Ross Bolen (@WRBolen) September 12, 2017
One popular comparison was the college newscaster who made, “Boom goes the dynamite” an eternal meme.
Boom Goes the Dynamite Guy: I'll never be overshadowed.
Sergio Dipp: Hold my beer
— Freezing Cold Takes (@OldTakesExposed) September 12, 2017
That Sergio Dipp moment is the "Boom goes the dynamite" for the 2010s.
— Johnny Kinsley (@Brickwallblitz) September 12, 2017
Somewhere Boom Goes The Dynamite Guy is nodding in approval of Sergio Dipp's sideline report #MNF
— Never Ending Glory Podcast (@glorypodcast) September 12, 2017
Amid all the (mostly light-hearted) criticism of Dipp’s performance, plenty of people came to the reporter’s defense, pointing out that he was speaking on national television to millions of viewers in his second language.
Sergio Dipp went on TV and spoke in his second language. However he did, that takes guts.
— Ryan Rosenblatt (@RyanRosenblatt) September 12, 2017
Rip @SergioADippW all you want, but I respect anyone who can do live TV and report in a language other than their native tongue. You try it.
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) September 12, 2017
It didn’t go well, but you realize Sergio Dipp is speaking his second language in a pressure spot, right? Spanish broadcast on ESPN2.
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) September 12, 2017
To be fair, my Spanish is HORRIFIC and I can't imagine showcasing them on national TV.
I give Sergio credit, he's got guts.— Robert Flores (@RoFlo) September 12, 2017
Dipp, to his credit, seems to have taken the whole thing in stride.
https://twitter.com/SergioADippW/status/907441448370491397
https://twitter.com/SergioADippW/status/907452802808545280
Dipp is not the first bilingual reporter to have a difficult go of it on Monday Night Football. Previously, it has been John Sutcliffe who has taken an online beating for his stand-ups, as ESPN has attempted to promote ESPN Deportes on its main English-language broadcasts.
In the future, ESPN might want to ensure that its Deportes reporters are fully prepared for their English-language cameos before throwing them out there in front of live cameras, to avoid another situation like the one Dipp experienced Monday. Then again, Dipp looked to be having a blast out there and seems unperturbed by any of the response he’s getting. So maybe he doesn’t need us feeling sorry for him after all.
