Olympic TV coverage...thoughts?
 

I noticed the CBC rating for the the Olympics are woeful, and losing in the mens hockey is not going to help.

My view is that the coverage sucks and they are getting what they deserve.

Too much fluff, not enough action. I dont want to watch commentators talking to camera and analysing the hockey over and over. For many sports this should be their time in the sun every 4 years, maybe it would be nice if they actually got more than cursory coverage in among the hockey and other "medal prospects"

Even the NBC coverage is better, and they seem to focus almost exclusively on how the Americans got on (as is to be expected of US coverage of world events)

Makes me pine for the BBC, but thats probably rose tinted memories. I guess GB doesn't have a lot of medal prospects, so they take a broader view of the games as a whole, but as I remember it they at least spent more time showing the sports than over analysing one or two of them, or showing fluff pieces on the athletes mum back home or video postcards of the locations.

There is also a big double standard going on, how come professional hockey players can represent there countries, but professional figure skaters cant. The IOC should really make their mind up about this and apply it across the board.

Im not sure what the answer is, pro skaters might make it interesting, but on the other hand its clear that to some of the snowboarders for example that this is "just another competition" on the pro circuit, and thats not right in my opinion. Thats the danger of letting in pro athletes to boost ratings, if its not the pinnacle of that sport, then I think it just dilutes the "Olympic spirit" down, and the thing that makes it worth watching for me is the drama of the athletes knowing that 4 years is a long time to wait for another shot at the top.

Anyway, rant over :o

Re: Olympic TV coverage...thoughts?
 

Canadian coverage of the winter olympics has always stunk. I well recall a Swiss woman of my close acquaintence screaming at the TV that she wanted to see the winning run, not Steve Pod-****ing-borski falling for the hundredth time. If a US skier finished in the medals she'd watch the race on US TV and see the winner, if a Canadian the Canadian channel, if neither country finished in the medals, often the case of course, the TV would show some feature on Ken Read's breakfast rather than the race. Canadian news generally is incredibly parochial, arguably worse than American.

Still, as we often read here, people don't move to Canada to watch television.

Re: Olympic TV coverage...thoughts?
 

i watch eurosports (as i'm still in uk) and they've been the best of all fo the tv people and unbaised too so get to see every sport and most of the matches etc... and their commentators are very good too..

Re: Olympic TV coverage...thoughts?
 

I haven't paid any attention at all this year (not that I usually pay much anyway). I just couldn't care less. I can't even remember where it's taking place! It's so comfy and warm under my rock. :)

Re: Olympic TV coverage...thoughts?
 

Coverage has been pretty good on the Beeb, especially with digital TV, where you can choose from three different events to watch (although one does seem to be a continuously circulating olympic news stream). Most of the smaller 'minority' events have at least been shown for a few minutes which is better than nothing, IMHO.

Plus, Eurosport's coverage has been 24/7, so whenever there's nothing else on, you've got the opportunity to flick over and catch something you might not have seen before ;)

Ta,

Mike.

Re: Olympic TV coverage...thoughts?
 

What I would like to know is how a group of girls who love playing hockey (unpaid), can go to the olympics and win gold for Canada. yet a group of boys who are classified as the "best atheletes and hockey players" in the world and are paid millions of dollars every year for their so called talent, cant manage to win a game! :mad:

I hope the coaches of the mens team and wayne are notably embarrassed by this and rectify the problem for 2010! We are the laughing stock of the world!

Re: Olympic TV coverage...thoughts?
 

Because for the men its just another game, a distraction from the pursuit of the stanley cup, but for the women its the pinacle of their sport.

Most of the women going "unpaid" in fact play for the WNHL or WWHL, having come through as basically full time atheletes in the college sysytem, on nice scholarships, so not only do a lot of them play for money, they got a nice free education out of it too.

By the way, there is a professional national womens league in Canada, not very national, but there is a team in Vancouver in additon to the "central region" ones.
http://www.nwhlhockey.com/
In adition to that there is the WWHL, which I guess is why the NWHL has nothing in the west
http://www.westernwomenshockeyleague...&leagueID=3639

Re: Olympic TV coverage...thoughts?
 

Most of the world has not heard of ice hockey. Those who have a mild interest will doubtless assume it was fixed ; after all, the favourite lost and that the team director's wife is a gambler. Either way, it's no big deal.

Re: Olympic TV coverage...thoughts?
 

You know, you sound just like my logical sensible husband (who is an avid hockey fan and player)....it isnt the end of the world......I dont know ....I was so upset that they played so badly I would have liked to given them all a good slap across the face or something! ;)

Re: Olympic TV coverage...thoughts?
 

Yes, and it showed it was "just another game" for them. They were a disgrace and some of their paycheck should go to charity because they played so badly!

My point about the women is that they are not being paid as well as the men and in fact I guess the CBC got it wrong then because they said yesterday that they were "unpaid". I hadnt realized that myself!

But I guess the other annoying part is the way everyone is making excuses for them....oh they're feeling fragile.....or not use to the big ice or the time difference.....for heavens sakes....they're men!

Next time we'll send the girls in to get the job done.

Re: Olympic TV coverage...thoughts?
 

This is now one of HB's favourite rants about the CBC (he tends to have specific rants about certain subjects). Having some Greek heritage, he was all keyed up to watch the opening ceremonies at the Athens Olympics. However, during the march in by all countries, the CBC decided to start calling Canadian athletes milling around the arena on their cell phones, asking how it felt to be part of the Olympics. There was an incredible amount of static and yelling “I can’t hear you,” followed by a lot of yelling in our apartment because HB wanted to see the parade of nations and not some Canadian youth gushing inanities.

So yes, I have to agree that the CBC coverage is absolutely terrible and focuses on “Canadian content” to the exclusion of everything else. It’s quite depressing that they still get primary broadcasting rights (I assume only one station gets these, I’m not sure though?)

Re: Olympic TV coverage...thoughts?
 

Well I'm going to disagree with most opinions here and say that I think the CBC coverage is very good compared to US coverage, and even the Beeb - I was back in the UK for the last summer Olympics, and it was as bad as watching the US stations. I work during the day, so the evening condensed versions are just great for me.

As for the hockey - it just astounds me that pros are allowed to compete in the Olympics, which is supposed to be the best of amateur athletes. This "dream team" stuff is ridiculous. I am a hockey fanatic, but the bunch of overpaid millionaire hockey players (when they feel like putting in the effort) got what they deserved. Both the US and Canada teams. I thoroughly enjoyed the women's hockey, and they well deserved the win (and no more crap about running up scores, please). The junior championships, likewise. Now all the excuses are starting - US players saying they had to deal with booking their own flights, hotels, etc. Awww, poor babies.

The spirit of sportsmanship is alive and well in the US - watching CNN this morning, they commented that Norway and Canada are neck and neck for medals. The idiot male newscaster said "Go Norway, Go". And they wonder why we treat them with disdain?

Rant over.

Re: Olympic TV coverage...thoughts?
 

Maybe its because about half the registered female hockey players in the world are Canadians (most of the rest are in the USA). If you can't make a world-slaughtering team from a talent pool that big, you really should be quite embarrassed.

I saw Hayley on a TV ad lat night. She's much better looking with her helmet on.

Re: Olympic TV coverage...thoughts?
 

I saw that ad. I was a bit shocked that a woman hockey player would have a husband.

Re: Olympic TV coverage...thoughts?
 

Firstly this should be no excuse for the "boys", but consider this, the girls play together all the time they are a team. Plus the caliber of the opposition for the women is much, much weaker than for the men.
The "boys" are a team in name only, they are thrown together less than a week before the Olympics begin and are expected to gel and play together like they've always been together. That doesn't always happen.

Not everyone agrees with Bruce Dowbiggen from the Calgary Herald but he has some things to say in today's paper that hit the mark for me at least.

Read the piece yourself and see if some of what he is saying isn't true.

Cheers
Steve