Just as long as Vitale and Musberger are not within earshot.
4
Grant Hill, former Duke star, assigned to the "objective" team? While no doubt a classy, knowlegeable and well-meaning commentator, he simply has a clear conflict of interest if this trio is meant to be objective.
2
This Kentucky/Wisconsin game is so intriguing to me. Probably the best two teams in the country, with, inarguably, some of the best players in the land. I think Bo Ryan comes with a game plan similar to Mike Brey and Notre Dame. The Badgers, though, have the horses to finish it off. Should be very interesting, that's for sure. The SH blog has a tremendous breakdown of that game and how wisconsin can beat Kentucky, def worth the read: http://straighthoops.com/beating_kentucky.html
2
Anybody that has watched regional sports network coverage or listened to a local radio call of their team can appreciate the more insightful and informed commentary. And the bias is with the content discussed and emphasis on the mood of individual plays, not the interpretation of what is happening in the game. Funny how people are given more options for watching and yet still manage to complain about everything.
2
How about a final four that is broadcast on a channel that doesn't require satellite or cable?
The Twin Cities metropolitan area includes western Wisconsin. And yet we cannot watch the game because we don't have cable or satellite.
What ever happened to putting the game on CBS?
The Twin Cities metropolitan area includes western Wisconsin. And yet we cannot watch the game because we don't have cable or satellite.
What ever happened to putting the game on CBS?
8
How about on the internet, for the legions of us who have abandoned cable entirely?
4
I second that opinion. I also do not have cable (very little choice about to whom to give hundreds of dollars.) If they can cable-cast on three channels, why not four? The same can be said for the NCAA football championship games. It is all about the dollars and to heck with the fan.
5
Me thinks thou dost protest to miuch.......What's wrong with preaching to the choir ??? It's only a game.
Regardless, the whole NCAA tournament is insufferably unwatchable, do to the total devotion to stuffing commercials, promos, brand-dropping, and sponsored nonsense into every possible pause in the action, including manufactured pauses in the action. It is really impossible to watch these shill games, even moreso with no pause from partisan promotion of some branded thing or another.
5
Simply...ridiculous.
How about a broadcast with less talk, especially irrelevant or inane color commentary? Also how about after a spectacular play they show a replay of that play rather than the previous one? Surely with today's technology they can do instant replay.
Regarding the game itself, what will eventually kill the viewing is the excessive amount of commercials, especially the media time outs, and the numerous time outs and deliberate fouls during the last two minutes of the game. If these aren't fixed, the game will collapse by its own weight
Regarding the game itself, what will eventually kill the viewing is the excessive amount of commercials, especially the media time outs, and the numerous time outs and deliberate fouls during the last two minutes of the game. If these aren't fixed, the game will collapse by its own weight
13
Well I am a lifelong Duke fan and I can tell you, this concept repulses me. Objectivity is key to good sports calling. Notable exceptions: some of the old school radio guys for teams like the Cubs and Pirates. You can't help but love their thinly veiled hope.
6
Sliding down the path towards more separatism in our country, now people wish to hear biased team announcers call the game. Seriously? Whatever happened to reveling in the sport and spirit of competition while rooting for one's team? May be next year we can ask republican presidential candidates to call games of those teams based in red states and democratic candidates to call blue state games.
18
Yes, I'm glad to see this view from Donutrider. Can anyone imagine having to suffer through Kentucky's extremely biased senator Mitch McConnell rant on and on about what a great job, or a lousy job, this coach or that (Obama) coach is doing? We need to keep in mind our pressing need to have more community conscious people in the USA and not so much partisan brinksmanship. Games are games, but (extreme) partisanship in any form narrows the mind. Root for a good basketball game that demonstrates the outstanding skills of both teams, congratulating the winner gladly, no matter who wins. Kentucky fans should not be depressed if a beautiful game is played and Kentucky is beaten by a better team that day, ending in 38 and 1 or 39 and 1. If Kentucky ends up undefeated with 40 wins, we would only hope that an undefeated season causes less gloating and partisanship in Kentucky. I'm not sure I could stand to have to listen to Mitch M. say one more boastful word about Kentucky superiority, anywhere, anytime. He would surely attempt to score more political points via a basketball game. Great for Kentucky, but not for the rest of the States.
1
No surprise here. TNT/truTV will be no strangers to 'homer' broadcasting. Their parent, TBS, has been 'biasing' the broadcasts of MLB playoffs for years. The announcers don't even bother to disguise their favorites - they are shills with microphones. If I am forced to watch a TBS game, I just mute the sound.
5
I understand why they brought Team Stream back for another year, but some of us had hoped Turner Sports might borrow an idea from the college football championship game and devote one channel to a coaches roundtable. It's not for everyone, but, particularly if you can round up a few guys who coached against one or both teams they can really add some perspective to the game. They wouldn't have the constant stoppage of play that football offers for quick analysis, but it still might be worth a shot, especially if they got some big names.
Curious to see if the TV audience is expanded by this or merely divided among the three channels.
Either way, the networks sell three times as many ads.
7