Mary Carillo’s on-air rant about badminton deserves a medal.
With the Tokyo Olympics officially starting on Friday, the NBC sportscaster’s 17-year-old screed on the difference between how the sport is played on the world stage and at home has gone viral all over again.
Carillo’s monologue during the 2004 games in Athens began innocuously enough as she explained the equipment used by “the bad boys of badminton.”
But it then took a turn, with the former professional tennis player’s hilarious tale about a shuttlecock getting stuck in a tree at home.
Standout lines include:
Now there are kids from all over the neighborhood that have come into your backyard, and they’re emptying out your garage, throwing stuff at your tree, all right?
And:
Someone’s turned on the hose. Badminton is a water sport. They’re trying to get this thing down with a hose.
And:
Somehow, mothers from all over the neighborhood hear that badminton is being played at Mary’s house. They’re dropping off their kids, they know it’s an all-day affair. They know it’s gonna involve 17 other sports. They’re dropping off their kids, they’re leaving skid marks.
Check out Carillo’s take in all its funny fury here: