The ESPN announcers for 1099 were appropriately laudatory and respectful of Tara, and the fact that they put a game against UOP on national TV shows that ESPN had their priorities straight--for once.
However, even more than most nights, the commentary was almost completely unrelated to the game. I want my sports announcers to discuss the strategy of the game, to be more knowledgeable about the game than I am and to share that knowledge so I can learn how to "see" the game in a deeper, richer way. They are "teachers" in the sense that they are teaching the viewers how to appreciate the game more. That did not happen.
Their utter disengagement with the play of the game was revealed toward the beginning--long before the blowout began--when they noted that Kianna Williams made a jumper--when it was Anna Wilson. Then they did this again. Sitting way upstairs and not court side I guess they thought that all smallish African American women who scored baskets on our team had to be named Williams. That is the kind of mistake that we would not forgive an announcer of a high school game.
But worse than the mistake itself is what it said about their attention to the game. They were not really paying very close attention. Many plays happened in which they talked right over the plays unremarked. If something spectacular happened then they would interrupt--sometimes after-the-fact--and note the spectacular assist or basket. But most of the time they were not truly "calling the game" at all. The video editors were doing a better job with replays and close-ups that highlighted plays and players, and some of the time the announcers did not even comment on the replays! They were too self-absorbed.
By the way, this board has been highly critical of ESPN for being more of a booster of UConn WBB than an even-handed sports network. And so it has been. But I wonder if part of it has to do with the differing personalities of Geno and Tara. Tara is so modest, so understated, and she does not interview dynamically. Geno is a made-for-TV personality. You could see the announcers desperately trying to get something out of Tara during the post game interview, and Tara looking pained, having to talk about her own accomplishments when she would much rather have been with her team. They won't have that problem with a blowhard like Geno.
However, even more than most nights, the commentary was almost completely unrelated to the game. I want my sports announcers to discuss the strategy of the game, to be more knowledgeable about the game than I am and to share that knowledge so I can learn how to "see" the game in a deeper, richer way. They are "teachers" in the sense that they are teaching the viewers how to appreciate the game more. That did not happen.
Their utter disengagement with the play of the game was revealed toward the beginning--long before the blowout began--when they noted that Kianna Williams made a jumper--when it was Anna Wilson. Then they did this again. Sitting way upstairs and not court side I guess they thought that all smallish African American women who scored baskets on our team had to be named Williams. That is the kind of mistake that we would not forgive an announcer of a high school game.
But worse than the mistake itself is what it said about their attention to the game. They were not really paying very close attention. Many plays happened in which they talked right over the plays unremarked. If something spectacular happened then they would interrupt--sometimes after-the-fact--and note the spectacular assist or basket. But most of the time they were not truly "calling the game" at all. The video editors were doing a better job with replays and close-ups that highlighted plays and players, and some of the time the announcers did not even comment on the replays! They were too self-absorbed.
By the way, this board has been highly critical of ESPN for being more of a booster of UConn WBB than an even-handed sports network. And so it has been. But I wonder if part of it has to do with the differing personalities of Geno and Tara. Tara is so modest, so understated, and she does not interview dynamically. Geno is a made-for-TV personality. You could see the announcers desperately trying to get something out of Tara during the post game interview, and Tara looking pained, having to talk about her own accomplishments when she would much rather have been with her team. They won't have that problem with a blowhard like Geno.