Speed versus Vs.
April 7th, 2008 |
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Why do the commenters on Vs. make me feel like an idiot while the commenters on Speed make me feel like a genius?
I watched both the Bahrain Formula One race and the Tour of Flanders yesterday.
The guys on Speed who were calling the F1 race assumed that I had some knowledge of the sport and they spent the entire broadcast conveying their expert knowledge of both the drivers and the race. Even when I did not know what was going on it made for an enjoyable experience and made me want to study the sport in order to be caught up for the next event.
On the other hand, the guys on Vs. seemed to constantly want to “dumb down” the sport as if I had never even seen a bicycle before, much less a professional bike race. I think Paul Sherwin is OK, but he spends too much time repeating what Phil Ligget already just stated and both of these guys seem stuck with the same tired and played out euphemisms and metaphors. Plus there were numerous occasions when they don’t even seem to know what is going on with the sport. When Stijn Devolder was off the front late in the race Ligget referred to him as Tom Boonen’s former team mate. What the hell? Hey Phil, see that logo on the front their jerseys? It’s the same one.
Why should someone who has been a fan of professional cycling for 20 years feel like they know more than the broadcasters?
Phil and Paul should take a cue from the Speed guys and step up their game. Cycling is not that complicated but that does not mean that you have to treat the fans like morons.
14 Responses to “Speed versus Vs.”
Turn the sound off. Seriously.
I spent my time watching the race in the neighborhood tavern with five soda pops and a big ol’ burger with extra fries with the TV on mute. This is a little more difficult to pull off during the TdF when some of the faces in the front aren’t as familiar, but it only takes a minute or two for them to put identifying nameplates across the bottom of the screen.
Plus, I got to help one guy pick a domain name for his motorcycle school, and I also met some guy who says he races locally for “Giro Jacuzzi”, or some such thing.
have you looked around lately?
cycling is for jerks.
…of course f1 is for spanks.
but nascar, now there is racing!
the commentators are pretty smart, but they throw in a few “yee-haw’s” so the fans don’t catch on.
#48, yee-haw.
I think the bitching should start first with the frequency and second with the caliber of commercials during Vs cycling coverage. Cut down on the former and (as an afterthought) boost the latter and I’d be more content.
Better still, Vs could (and should) seek out a “sponsor” for a particular program. I’m guessing this isn’t possible, but I’d far prefer an occasional pop-up in the lower right corner saying that the program is brought to me commercial-free by Subaru or Gillete or whatever.
After that, let’s cut out the a-la Olympics lifestyle coverage. Some may disagree but I could certainly do without the token American-athlete life-story/interview…
The more I think about this, the more I realize that sportscasters (both play-by-play guys) in all sports dumb down the content, not just Phil and Paul.
I can’t watch most baseball on TV because Tim McCarver is full of s*** and makes up falsehoods in order to explain perfectly logical events. (Bert Blyleven is actually pretty good, though).
Linked to McCarver, but who also does football, is Joe Buck. If only the kid had one one-hundredth of the talent and eloquence of his father…
Smithers - could it be that you are and “expert” on cycling so no commentary will satisfy you? And conversly I assume you are not and “expert” on F1 so the commentators seem “better”? i.e.. maybe your point of view get’s in the way?
pls replace “and” with “an” in preceding post (twice).
Steve E,
Don’t you know by now? I am an “expert” on everything including commentary.
i got a comment - have you ever though tthat they arent doing the show just for you!>? maybe you dont realize this but cycling isnt exactly mainstream - shit football is andif you have ever watched a football game - they dumb down stuff all the time! i am a cycling fan like you- but my family doesnt understand cycling so when the commentators exaplin someting it helps them understand - i dont think that its a bad thing to try to explain the sport to those who aret so as educated on how it works! and now that i think of it - what exactly botthered you..you dont cite any examples in your complaint..what did they dumb down specifcally that bohered you so much…
smithers, did you ever cosider the chance that maybe ‘you are an idiot’ and formula one is for euro-wannabes… ralley car racing that’s sport worth spectating!
have you ever though tthat they arent doing the show just for you!
No.
you dont cite any examples in your complaint
Yea, I did.
did you ever cosider the chance that maybe ‘you are an idiot’
Every time I read this blog.
and formula one is for euro-wannabes
Just like pro bike racing.
maybe you’re not an idiot
What about cycling.tv?
maybe you’re not an idiot
maybe
What about cycling.tv?
never watched it, what’s your opinion on it?
Liggett is part John Madden, Michael Stipe. Like the former, he doesn’t necessarily have any clue what’s going on in front of him, and Paul Sherwen is his more-likeable Pat Summerall. But then just like an R.E.M. song, the words don’t mean much, they just kind of go along with the music.
I agree that Versus could spend more time on non-American riders, though — and not just the canned features they bring out about the winning rider (since we already know the outcome by the program airs). There are only so many good American riders, with or without Freddie Rodriguez.