I have mixed emotions over what happened today in the Italy-Oregon game when the Oregon coach came out to chat with his son on the mound up 6-0 in the Top of the 5th. That’s Joel Jensen going out to have a chat. And then it happens. The moment ESPN is waiting for comes from Jensen’s mouth.
“I just came out to tell you how much I love you,” Jensen tells his son, Isaiah, adding that this is the last batter he’ll face.
There it is, the Kellogg’s moment ESPN will now use across the platforms.
Dad just trying to make his kid sob with one batter to go in a consolation game pic.twitter.com/ICee2j6xUB
— Busted Coverage (@bustedcoverage) August 22, 2016
Look, I get all the sentimental value of these “I love you” proclamations made when the coach is mic’d up and I’m not here to badger the coach. The problem I have is that this will now be used to market a cereal. Remember Cumberland (Rhode Island) Coach Davide Belisle’s speech to his kids? Yeah, it’s being used to sell cereal. Watch the Little League World Series this week. You won’t miss it.
Maybe Jensen forgot his mic was on. Maybe he knew it was on and he had this one shot to leave audio behind, his LLWS legacy.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dYm_uHmh54]
