Football commentary pet peeve: "Game-changing" holding play

[legend42]

What bugs me is kind of the opposite. When a midgame 2nd and 10 play goes for 12 yards, then the announcer casually says "but it looks like a flag is going to bring this one back."

Then they barely even mention who the penalty is on, show NO replay, and just move on like it's no big deal, even though the drive is essentially killed. I sometimes go back on Tivo to look for the infraction, and often it's a complete phantom hold or just generally a flag that shouldn't have been thrown- that might have changed the whole game. It's more a problem with the structure of football than a fault with the announcers, but it still drives me nuts.

[Jack of Arcades]

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To say the play would have been small without the holding penalty is dumb.

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But to say the play would've been big without the holding penalty is equally dumb. Even if a corner on the opposite side of the field is held, that could be the difference between a 15 yard gain and a 60 yard touchdown.