A year and a half ago, Chris Wittyngham set out on a brave mission to normalize the use of the word “penis” in broadcasting.
But as it turns out, the former executive producer of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz was ahead of his time, as he has now publicly ended his quest to change the industry forever.
“I’ve given up. I’ve given up my revolution,” Wittyngham said on Monday’s episode of the Le Batard Show. “It’s been a year and a half. Not one other broadcaster on one other platform — you can make fun of me for being on Paramount Plus. There are plenty of broadcasters on platforms smaller than that that don’t use the word either. And so why am I going to continue? We made headlines. It turned into a thing on the show. This is a big program with a big reach, and yet, somehow, I was the only one. Yes, I’ve given up. I’ve laid down my sword.”
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Only Wittyngham didn’t need to make such a public proclamation. His actions on Sunday had already spoken volumes.
Calling the Serie A matchup between AC Milan and Atalanta, the Paramount Plus play-by-play man was presented with the perfect opportunity to say “penis” on air when Atalanta midfielder Aleksei Miranchuk’s cross attempt hit AC Milan defender Alessandro Florenzi in the penis. Yeah, I said it.
But rather than making good on his previous penis pledge, Wittyngham merely let the moment pass him by.
“No color commentary needed on that,” analyst Matteo Bonetti said during a replay. “I think we all felt that one a bit.”
“I’ll say that no play-by-play needed for that then,” Wittyngham replied.
You coward, @ChrisWittyngham. @LeBatardShow pic.twitter.com/ZwsWhaMG1s
— Luke (@gkluke1212) February 25, 2024
As Wittyngham explained on the Le Batard Show, he had actually said “penis” on the air during an MLS broadcast in 2022. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out to be the barrier-breaking moment he had thought it would be.
“I did it like a year and a half ago — it’s been a long time,” he said. “My goal was that eventually, the industry would change, and there would be a swarm of people that would come from behind me and realize that this is now acceptable. It’s not. I didn’t change a thing. Nothing happened. So why am I going to bang my head against this proverbial door and humiliate myself on television? I don’t want to do that.”
Wittyngham remains hopeful that another broadcaster will pick up the cause and if they do, he says he’ll follow suit. But for now, his fight has reached its end, with the sports broadcasting industry seemingly no closer to normalizing the use of the word “penis” than it was a year and a half ago.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.