ESPN STINKS!

[mariam]

false alert.
I just want to have the honor of starting the mandatory 'espn sucks' thread. *takes a bow*

check out the quote on the front page:
"While you lose some viewers, you stand to gain much more when you bump matches to later in the day, because that's when the level of households using TV is greater. The rule is to bring the most compelling tennis to the widest audience. If that means showing Americans on tape delay, we'll do it."
-- ESPN Senior Vice President of Programming Strategy Len DeLuca on ESPN's tennis broadcasting strategy for 2005.

FIRE THIS GUY! NOW! I have never heard anyone say they are satisfied w/ ESPN coverage, so I never get this ratings BS.

I also read that on the man's side, they are going to focus on federer...argh. I guess it's better than nothing. scoreboard watching, anyone?

[ccm]

false alert.
I just want to have the honor of starting the mandatory 'espn sucks' thread. *takes a bow*

check out the quote on the front page:
"While you lose some viewers, you stand to gain much more when you bump matches to later in the day, because that's when the level of households using TV is greater. The rule is to bring the most compelling tennis to the widest audience. If that means showing Americans on tape delay, we'll do it."
-- ESPN Senior Vice President of Programming Strategy Len DeLuca on ESPN's tennis broadcasting strategy for 2005.

I also read that on the man's side, they are going to focus on federer...argh. I guess it's better than nothing. scoreboard watching, anyone?

well done, mariam!

not surprised, but i'm still not over it either!

yup, nothing like a tape-delayed final for "compelling". . .

as for scoreboard watching (a staple of canadian tennis fans). . .is there an AO web radio with play-by-play commentary, like Radio Wimbledon?

[onewoman74]

You should be happy that they're showing tennis at all. Tennis fans know their coverage stinks. I have TTC so I get to see tournaments ESPN doesn't cover. Too bad that ESPN has three of the four Grand Slams. We're going to have to deal ESPN until some major change occurs. Oh, btw don't forget Brad Gilbert is adding his winning personality to ESPN...lucky us!!!

[ChrisM]

Oh, btw don't forget Brag Gilbert is adding his winning personality to ESPN...lucky us!!!

that sucks......he needs to shut the hell up from "makin' statements" and spare us the oxygen

[ChrisM]

as for scoreboard watching (a staple of canadian tennis fans). . .is there an AO web radio with play-by-play commentary, like Radio Wimbledon?

I hope so... I seem to think there is.

mariam, you've got it easy... at least you get espn straight from the tap. ccm and I, and all other Canadian fans w/o illegal American satellite, have to deal with TSN tape-delaying and cutting espn's already tape-delayed and cut coverage. It's ridiculous.

[onewoman74]

Hey, Chris I agree with you about Gilbert. He'll talk about everything else, but the split w/ Roddick. He's made very general comments so far. We'll see how long that lasts.

Also he might use ESPN to promote his services. I heard he wants to work w/ Venus and Serena, but we know that will never happen.

[mariam]

well done, mariam!

hey, just wanted to get a head start, cuz you know it's coming. lol
in ESPN's defense, the final is going to be played @ 3:00 AM ET. i know y'all are huge tennis fans, but I don't think you'd stay up that long to watch safin paste hewitt ( carrying on w/ my safin apologist title )

I can't believe they are putting that impostor gilbert on ESPN again. No it's not enough that we get to listen to Chris Fowler( if he says gaucho one more time, I swear to god I'm gonna throw something at the TV), Chris Drysdale, Pam Shriver, and Patrick McEnroe. You just HAVE to add brad gilbert in there to drive the annoyance level through the roof.

Espn tennis commentator crew=the true inspiration behind the mute button.

onewoman74, contrary to reports, tennis channel doesn't exist. if it does, the two people who have it are REALLY lucky.

I hope we do get a live feed much like radio wimbledon which was excellent. Chris, I heard TSN was good...hmmm, probably when you got eurosport feed that's when it was good.

[ccm]

just checked out the AO site - happy days, it looks like we'll get "AO radio" live; also "AO tv" - though i seem to remember that being really early days, technology-wise. . .

b-rad is beyond my tolerance level, generally, but it would still be fun if he were able to dish it up, pat cash-like. naturally though, we won't get any good dirt on air.

[ChrisM]

I hope we do get a live feed much like radio wimbledon which was excellent. Chris, I heard TSN was good...hmmm, probably when you got eurosport feed that's when it was good.

yes, tsn has occasionally shown ... well, bbc I think, maybe not eurosport...which is it when the stats are shown with horizontal coloured bars?... and this past year, some tennis channel broadcasts as well. But they are almost always guilty of the slice-and-dice, and when espn has already taken the knife to something, it's unpleasant. You can literally watch the clock and figure out the winner ahead of time (even in a nailbiter) based on the kinds of cuts and the time remaining before the 17th sportscentre broadcast of the day.

btw I would definitely stay up all night to watch a best 3-of-5 final live.

a few years ago tsn brilliantly showed the wimbledon semifinals live and with very few commercial interruptions (either the bbc/eurosport coverage, whichever one it was) while nbc was waiting to broadcast tape. It was absolutely charming....hardly any voices at all, just hushed whispers once or twice a game, the unique sound the ball and racquet make together at Wimbledon, amplified inside that court, and the cyclops going off every five seconds. I swear you could hear people eating strawberries.

[onewoman74]

Espn tennis commentator crew=the true inspiration behind the mute button.

Ain't that the truth!!!!

Miriam-maybe you need to move to NYC to get TTC. I hope they expand it across the country this year. They do have some good tournaments and some of the commentators actually talk tennis and not bullshit. It's quite refreshing.

[jsnj]

I prefer ESPN's main crew over USA's Ted Robinson & John McEnroe tandem. I'll take Patrick over John's commentary anyday. John emotes on the obvious and then just repeatedly criticizes the player getting beaten. Patrick seems to see the intangibles and subtleties more. Robinson is just plain ole annoying and in the last few years seems to opine with indignation as if he actually knows what the hell he's talkin about. HE DOESN'T. Tracy Austin has a bimbo voice, but her analysis is usually pretty much on the mark.

Always have liked Carillo. Though she tends to get on her moral soapbox more & more as she gets older which sometimes can be annoying. I like Pam Shriver and tend to find myself agreeing with her analysis for the most part. Mary Joe is OK. Not much negative or positive. She's just there.

Drysdale is pretty harmless and still just seems to play the role of drama/hype builder in an effort to sell the match more. I find that more amusing than annoying.

Luke Jensen seems to think that a tennis commentator's job is the same as a Head Coach at a junior tennis boot camp. Trying to give instruction after each point. I literally use the mute button on him. Mal Washington comes across as arrogant and always tries to prove himself right. "Remember what I said earlier in the set. Now see, if you notice that's exactly what so & so is doing". That's very annoying.

As far as ESPN and their live and taped matches. What I don't understand is if you want to show the taped match to the widest audience, why does that interfere with broadcasting it live at 3 in the morning? Just simply repeat the match in the afternoon or evening. I can't imagine that what airs usually in the wee hours of the morning will get higher ratings than a live tennis match. They've gotta know that if the match is tape-delayed, most watching know who won already.

[BeerMe]

People that write "You're lucky they're showing it at all blah blah..." are part of the problem. Tennis fans are the only people that put up with taped sports then say "We're lucky we get to see it at all!"
Losers.

[jsnj]

Tennis fans are the only people that put up with taped sports then say "We're lucky we get to see it at all!

What do you mean by "put up with"? What's the alternative? Does not putting up with it mean not watching? If there are no viewers then tennis will be shown even less, so what's your proposal? Numerous complaints obviously don't work with ESPN as they've had many. So not putting up with it means doing what exactly?

[mariam]

onewoman74-I'm fine where I am. I'm not moving to NYC just to get the tennis channel.

Idon't know what the alternative to watching the horrible coverage is but here is the thing: they continue to put out the crappy coverage w/ tape delays and horrible commentators, and we continue watching it. so they all think, well people must like watching james blake vs. mardy fish on tape while an unreal 5-set match is going on live...
personally I sit through the nobody-gives-a-sh*t-about american player of the day to see the 30-second highlights of good matches that they manage to squeak in. LUCKY US!

and if you like patrick over john, you my friend, are in the minority.

[di-10S]

Tennis fans are the only people that put up with taped sports then say "We're lucky we get to see it at all!

What do you mean by "put up with"?


i think "put up with" as they never tape a noon baseball game and show it at 8pm for the 'bigger audience'. They do very little for what they consider a small number of tennis watchers. If the US open Series showed anything was that if you show it people will watch it.