| Televised Sports Steve Whitewater |
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game shows and ‘80s rock, women’s movies and the culinary talents of Rachael Ray. But it is perhaps sports that drives television in the biggest way, allowing billions of dollars to be
bench for an entire baseball season. There is some good and some bad to televised sports, and before you can say “Inside Stuff with Ahmad Rashad and Willow Bay,” here is a quick
spent documenting the travails of the Arizona Cardinals’ third-string quarterback and Don Zimmer’s ability to avoid the inflammation and irritation of hemorrhoids while sitting on a dugout
analysis:
bench for an entire baseball season. There is some good and some bad to televised sports, and before you can say “Inside Stuff with Ahmad Rashad and Willow Bay,” here is a quick
analysis:
Things we could use more of:
-The “Masters” theme music: This timeless melody announces the true arrival of spring after the harsh winter months that dominate everywhere in the world except for Augusta National’
s fairways and greens. Dave Loggins’ creation is used extensively in the television production of all four rounds of the Masters, aired on Thursday and Friday on USA and on the weekend
on CBS. It will be questionable as to whether weekday coverage will continue to feature this theme, as ESPN (like it has with everything else) has acquired the rights in 2008 for these
days. CBS will still produce, but something tells me that Chris Berman will not stand for the tune. (ESPN, please do not let Berman announce the Masters. He botches U.S. Open
coverage enough.)
Channels that show college football:
On any given Saturday, a laundry list of network and cable stations carry college football games:
-ABC (nothing screams a major showdown more than Brent Musberger exclaiming “You are looking live at the Horseshoe in Columbus!”)
-ESPN (and all its affiliates)
-CBS (Verne Lundquist still calls these SEC games- I’m surprised he isn’t living off his royalties from “Happy Gilmore”)
-NBC (Notre Dame home games)
-FSN (Big 12 games)
-Versus (Mountain West or Pac-10 games- the Stanford win over USC on this channel provided the most TV coverage for Jim Harbaugh since the days of handing off to Zack Crockett and
passing to Sean Dawkins)
-CSTV (Mountain West or Navy games)
-NFL Network (yes, it does)
-FOX (no game coverage until the BCS games)
If you are still hankering for more coverage, the Bethune-Cookman-Prairie View A&M game can be seen at 1:00 on HGTV.
Other sports coverage:
-TNT NBA Coverage: No offense to ESPN, but TNT provides the best basketball coverage and it is this person’s wish that it carried the NBA Finals as well. The new NBA season starts
next week and it marks the return of the best play-by-play voice on television (Marv Albert’s) and the best studio crew: EJ, Kenny, and Charles just make the games seem big, even if it’s a
Hawks-Bobcats encounter. These guys are funny, insightful, interesting, and colorful. Add in the great analysis by Doug Collins and the outrageous wardrobe of Craig Sager and you have
the best overall presentation on television. It is a true shame these guys don’t cover the Draft and the Finals too.
-Hockey coverage: Yes, I know: you are scoffing at the notion that hockey is still a viable sport in our increasingly football-driven society. And I understand the arguments: there is a
general lack of interest, the rules are too tough to understand, and the games are boring. But hockey provides good entertainment for the twelve people in the country who have Versus on
their cable package. It is fast-paced, provides great drama in overtime (if still tied after a five minute OT, a fan-friendly shootout occurs to produce a victor- if somehow still tied after a
shootout, the teams have potato sack races every other Sunday to determine the true champion), and shows off individual skill more than many sports. Although hockey is much more
exciting when viewed in person, I suggest taking a break on New Year’s Day from all the bowl games to watch the Penguins-Sabres game, which will be played outdoors: if offside
penalties and thousands of fans wearing Don Beebe jerseys don’t excite you, nothing will.
Things we could do without:
-Sideline reporters: Honestly, when was the last time that a sideline reporter asked or said anything that positively impacted the broadcast? The latest development in sideline questions
is “What were you thinking during that play?” I have yet to hear any athlete give a credible response to that question because none is possible. That question is worse than the box office
success of “Stealth.” Ask the players something definitive about the play, but don’t ask them to remember the mindset involved. These players are so skilled that they don’t stop to think;
they simply react and let ability take over. Does anyone else remember when Roy Williams was asked immediately after Kansas’s loss to Syracuse in the 2003 National Championship
game whether or not he would accept the North Carolina job, and he responded with an expletive on live TV? Can you blame him? Nice timing.
-Emmitt Smith: The new ESPN NFL analyst has stumbled and muttered his way through his debut season on Sunday morning and Monday night coverage. His opinions and insights are
actually valuable because he played against many of these players and, you know, he is the LEADING RUSHER IN NFL HISTORY. Instead, Smith has done little to help us forget his
former Cowboy teammate Michael Irvin, who preceded him on “Sunday NFL Countdown.” Here’s to hoping Smith improves his skills so that we don’t need to call on Tim Hardaway and
his amazing on-camera talents (and homophobia) to replace Smith.
-The FOX dancing robot: There is little that needs to be said here, but why is that robot dancing on the TV during advertising segments of the FOX NFL broadcasts? Why is it there? If
anyone knows, please inform me.
bench for an entire baseball season. There is some good and some bad to televised sports, and before you can say “Inside Stuff with Ahmad Rashad and Willow Bay,” here is a quick
spent documenting the travails of the Arizona Cardinals’ third-string quarterback and Don Zimmer’s ability to avoid the inflammation and irritation of hemorrhoids while sitting on a dugout
analysis:
bench for an entire baseball season. There is some good and some bad to televised sports, and before you can say “Inside Stuff with Ahmad Rashad and Willow Bay,” here is a quick
analysis:
Things we could use more of:
-The “Masters” theme music: This timeless melody announces the true arrival of spring after the harsh winter months that dominate everywhere in the world except for Augusta National’
s fairways and greens. Dave Loggins’ creation is used extensively in the television production of all four rounds of the Masters, aired on Thursday and Friday on USA and on the weekend
on CBS. It will be questionable as to whether weekday coverage will continue to feature this theme, as ESPN (like it has with everything else) has acquired the rights in 2008 for these
days. CBS will still produce, but something tells me that Chris Berman will not stand for the tune. (ESPN, please do not let Berman announce the Masters. He botches U.S. Open
coverage enough.)
Channels that show college football:
On any given Saturday, a laundry list of network and cable stations carry college football games:
-ABC (nothing screams a major showdown more than Brent Musberger exclaiming “You are looking live at the Horseshoe in Columbus!”)
-ESPN (and all its affiliates)
-CBS (Verne Lundquist still calls these SEC games- I’m surprised he isn’t living off his royalties from “Happy Gilmore”)
-NBC (Notre Dame home games)
-FSN (Big 12 games)
-Versus (Mountain West or Pac-10 games- the Stanford win over USC on this channel provided the most TV coverage for Jim Harbaugh since the days of handing off to Zack Crockett and
passing to Sean Dawkins)
-CSTV (Mountain West or Navy games)
-NFL Network (yes, it does)
-FOX (no game coverage until the BCS games)
If you are still hankering for more coverage, the Bethune-Cookman-Prairie View A&M game can be seen at 1:00 on HGTV.
Other sports coverage:
-TNT NBA Coverage: No offense to ESPN, but TNT provides the best basketball coverage and it is this person’s wish that it carried the NBA Finals as well. The new NBA season starts
next week and it marks the return of the best play-by-play voice on television (Marv Albert’s) and the best studio crew: EJ, Kenny, and Charles just make the games seem big, even if it’s a
Hawks-Bobcats encounter. These guys are funny, insightful, interesting, and colorful. Add in the great analysis by Doug Collins and the outrageous wardrobe of Craig Sager and you have
the best overall presentation on television. It is a true shame these guys don’t cover the Draft and the Finals too.
-Hockey coverage: Yes, I know: you are scoffing at the notion that hockey is still a viable sport in our increasingly football-driven society. And I understand the arguments: there is a
general lack of interest, the rules are too tough to understand, and the games are boring. But hockey provides good entertainment for the twelve people in the country who have Versus on
their cable package. It is fast-paced, provides great drama in overtime (if still tied after a five minute OT, a fan-friendly shootout occurs to produce a victor- if somehow still tied after a
shootout, the teams have potato sack races every other Sunday to determine the true champion), and shows off individual skill more than many sports. Although hockey is much more
exciting when viewed in person, I suggest taking a break on New Year’s Day from all the bowl games to watch the Penguins-Sabres game, which will be played outdoors: if offside
penalties and thousands of fans wearing Don Beebe jerseys don’t excite you, nothing will.
Things we could do without:
-Sideline reporters: Honestly, when was the last time that a sideline reporter asked or said anything that positively impacted the broadcast? The latest development in sideline questions
is “What were you thinking during that play?” I have yet to hear any athlete give a credible response to that question because none is possible. That question is worse than the box office
success of “Stealth.” Ask the players something definitive about the play, but don’t ask them to remember the mindset involved. These players are so skilled that they don’t stop to think;
they simply react and let ability take over. Does anyone else remember when Roy Williams was asked immediately after Kansas’s loss to Syracuse in the 2003 National Championship
game whether or not he would accept the North Carolina job, and he responded with an expletive on live TV? Can you blame him? Nice timing.
-Emmitt Smith: The new ESPN NFL analyst has stumbled and muttered his way through his debut season on Sunday morning and Monday night coverage. His opinions and insights are
actually valuable because he played against many of these players and, you know, he is the LEADING RUSHER IN NFL HISTORY. Instead, Smith has done little to help us forget his
former Cowboy teammate Michael Irvin, who preceded him on “Sunday NFL Countdown.” Here’s to hoping Smith improves his skills so that we don’t need to call on Tim Hardaway and
his amazing on-camera talents (and homophobia) to replace Smith.
-The FOX dancing robot: There is little that needs to be said here, but why is that robot dancing on the TV during advertising segments of the FOX NFL broadcasts? Why is it there? If
anyone knows, please inform me.