BBC Dumbing Down Sport

[BlueSkyNick]

Sports Review of the Year was dire !

For as long as I can remember, ('cos I'm under 50), I have looked forward to the second Sunday in December. Not only for the excitement and interest in finding out the winners of the various awards, but also for the excellent review of sports, including the minorities.

Several years ago, the BBC started to introduce a little light-hearted entertainment at some point of the show, such as a putting competition, which was fine in small doses. However, it has deteriorated over recent years, to the extent that this year was just about unwatchable.

All the major awards were predictable and for good reason, but too much time was wasted on trivial conversation and attempts at humour. For example,

- On Horse Racing, we had to watch two comedians (who I like in other contexts) doing an impersonation of Clare Balding and Willy Carson. THEN we had to sit through an interview of the comedians and the real people. How much actual racing did we see? So little I can't remember.
- On football, Claudio Ranieri didn't want to be asked about Sven taking his job. Then when Sven came on, he didn't want to be asked about it either !! There was nothing about the clubs outside the top three, apart from giving David Beckham yet more publicity. Gazza couldn't string two words together that made sense.
- On rugby, we were told how expensive it was to buy the replay of Jonny's kick, but there was nothing on club rugby, either national or european.
- Nothing about county cricket, little on golf, the F1 and rallying was mostly animated, etc etc.
- Snooker was an imitation of a movie I haven't seen, so didn't understand
- Nothing on other sports, where Brits have been successful, bowls? shooting?

Sailing got a mention by Sir Steve as a strong possibility of medals at next year's olympics, that was all.

And what's worse, I still have to keep paying my license fee, even if I did choose to turn it off!


Sorry for the rant. IS IT ME?


<hr width=100% size=1>I would give my right arm to be ambidexterous

 

[tcm]

um, i always felt that the socalled contest was a schedule-filler rather than a worthwhile event. Also, none of the sports people have a discernable personality other than perhaps frankie dettori, who is a bit much after five minutes. You are surely splitting hairs to say that the show has dumbed down, as it was always fairly dumb, but obviously encouraging that you have noticed!

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[Sybarite]

Re: Sport dumbing down radio...

Over here in France when we want to listen to something interesting all we get on R4 are interminable hours of cricket, the sport in which England has probably the worst international level of competence. Even when rain stops play we (if we choose to) still have to listen to a load of inane commentaries!

John

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[BlueSkyNick]

OK, so its gone from 'fairly dumb - but watchable' to 'seriously crap - and close to unwatchable'.

Whatever words one chooses, it has got significantly worse. What's more, it is not a one-off. Other sport entertainments programmes like 'Question of Sport' have been going the same way.

The BBC was once a leader in the presentation of sports, but have not been able to cope with competition from Sky, which is sort of understandable.

But that's no excuse for treating us all like complete idiots on the programmes they continue to show.


<hr width=100% size=1>I would give my right arm to be ambidexterous

 

[tcm]

R4 cricket commentary

ooh, i disgaree. Trueman, Johnners and co rattling away about trips to australia on ships in the old days must rank as the highlights of sports commentary - like the very best conversations they managed without any notable event, entertainment or sport whatsoever, which would have somehwat overshadowed their fascintating chat!

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[Twister_Ken]

Duhr!

All sport is dumb unless you are participating. Ergo, sports programmes are by definition dumber than the sports they report.

BTW how did the hay-in-one-end-manure-out-the-other deadheads manipulate things so that Pippa "Who's Dat" Funnell got in the top five?

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.writeforweb.com/twister1>Let's Twist Again</A>

 

[milltech]

Re: R4 cricket commentary

The Radio 4 cricket commentary is one of the greatest pleasures radio has to offer. Erudition, humour and conversation always good and occasionally exceptional. Like Cricket it is out of place in the wham-bam, goldfish-intellect world of instant gratification in which we live, and like Cricket, all the better for it.

<hr width=100% size=1>John
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.allgadgets.co.uk>http://www.allgadgets.co.uk</A>

 

[milltech]

I couldn't put it better myself, complete trash start-to-finish.

The Lady Wife forced me to sit through some even more inane trash earlier in the week called the Comedy Awards. Like last nights programme it would have been good, (or at least better), if they had cut down the garbage of under educated, self-important, overly lubricated and under-rehersed people in love with themselves (there's a word for them, I forget), and if they had managed to show at least one funny clip during the entire evening instead.

Jonathan Ross was OK, Ricky Someone (very funny), and some Yank talking about dignity while the camera panned round to show a mans arse, (doesn't sound a barrel of laughs but either it was very good or by then I was ready to laugh at almost anything just even slightly witty).

Everything else, absolutely everthing else, was dire beyond belief.

<hr width=100% size=1>John
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.allgadgets.co.uk>http://www.allgadgets.co.uk</A>

 

[Captain_Chaos]

I thought the most embarassing part of the programme was the bit with dirty Den talking about golf, or rather how he lost money at the bookies by not being able to pick the winner of any of golfs major trophies. I presume that this was someones idea of humour...pathetic.

The treatment of Claudio Ranieri and Sven was ill considered and the height of bad manners, certaiunly no way to treat a guest.

Sportsperson of the year has become a farce.

<hr width=100% size=1>My drinking team has a sailing problem

 

[Twister_Ken]

Blowers

Henry Blowfeld was on telly lately. I found it difficult to match his voice to the his image, because I'd always imagined him to look totally different. It was a bizarre experience.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.writeforweb.com/twister1>Let's Twist Again</A>

 

[milltech]

Re: Blowers

I'm pretty good looking on the telephone as well!

<hr width=100% size=1>John
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.allgadgets.co.uk>http://www.allgadgets.co.uk</A>

 

[janeK]

Re: Blowers

'It was a bizarre experience.' - cricket that is. Having been forced to listen to the cricket on R4 at work by a boss who is a fanatical fan. I must admit that the commentary is far more interesting than the cricket itself, not knowing the game and it's terms it's all gobbledegook to me. watching is like watching paint dry IMHO
But will someone enlighten me what is it about the preoccupation with birds - if its not pidgeons in the UK (Blowers in particular) its the commentators out in Sri Lanka with their the ravens on the pitch. then of course there's tiffin, food, buses, cups of tea and coffee passing the commentators position the list goes on - is it crickets lateral thinking?????
However a few months ago on R4 there was a really interesting conversation on the use of the 'box' and it's plus & minuses especially if you were to be hit 'mid-on' - the full description given had me rolling in laughter.
But forget the TV sports coverage - rather listen to the radio any day.

IMHO Steve Redgrave was the star of the show with his gracious acceptance speech but have to agree 'Sportsperson of the year has become a farce.'

<hr width=100% size=1>JaneK

 

[sailbadthesinner]

Re: Blowers

apparently when blowers was interviewed for TMS
he was taken in to the office and shown a picture of a racehorese on the wall and told you donot just describe the horse but the field and the trees and the sky and the frame
he has stuck with that line ever since on his commentary
on a personal note i love tms and often watch the telly with sound down and the radio on., sad i know

i learn't all this from desert island discs two weeks ago

<hr width=100% size=1><font color=red>if guinness is good for you. i must be very very good</font color=red>

 

[Peppermint]

Re:Which part of sport isn\'t dumb already?

The mass media have dumbed down most things from warefare through biology to economics. With spectator sport they were able to leave it alone and it dumbed itself.

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[tcm]

Re: Blowers

The brief R4 give themselves is to describe the experience of enthusiat visitor to the cricket match for someone who isn't there. Hence ravens (or is it a crow) on the pitch, cake, lunch, another match 20 years ago are all valid topics of conversation. Agreed bit boring at the actual match. Easiest is to watch edited highlioghts when something actually happens, probly get flamed for being such an instant-grat type but staying in all morning and hoping for rain seems a bit pointless. Tho not as pointless as a 0-0 draw in footie. Not much of a watcher really, i suppose...

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[Gunfleet]

Re: Sport dumbing down radio...

I like cricket but why don't you go Broadband and take your pick?

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[Sybarite]

Re: Sport dumbing down radio...

I'm not saying that there should be no cricket. I just believe it gets a completely disproportionate coverage in relation to a) other sports b) England as opposed to the other nations making up Britain - as in BBC.

Luckily I can listen to ADSL now. But I'm still limited to one room (my office), not yet having made the investment in WI-FI; nor can I get it in the car where in fact I listen to the radio most.

During the Rugby world cup final I told myself I would watch it on French TV and listen to it on R4 but - no transmission. I mean, one time recently, we had to suffer all day listening to a match not even involving England. (Something like Zimbabwe v. Sri Lanka or something equally obscure).

I did play cricket as a youth, even captained the local team. However as captain I was "invited" to play in the President's Eleven every Wednesday which involved nothing other than fielding all the time. My dislike of the game dates from then.

John




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[billmacfarlane]

The words "Sports" and "Personality" shouldn't really appear in the same sentence. Why on earth should an award be given to a sportsman just because he's got a "personality" ?What does that mean anyway ? Imagine if there was an award at the British Comedy Awards for sporting achievement. Stupid or what ? Is the award given for achievement or being a "Personality", which usually having the best media company working for you. As far as I'm concerned the programme is yet another one of th endless self congratulatory programmes that appear on the box. I didn't watch it last night and probably never will again. I gave up after DB won it instead of the deserving Ellen.

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[Twister_Ken]

Shame you didn\'t watch it

You missed the sight of Paula Radcliffe looking like a 6 foot hair grip wrapped in 3 feet of tinsel.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.writeforweb.com/twister1>Let's Twist Again</A>

 

[nicho]

Until she retired 3 years ago, Mrs Nicho was MD of a major TV production company that made, amongst other things, sports programmes for BBC, ITV, C4 and many of the Satellite TV stations. They produced programmes for BBC Grandstand in particular, including Motorsport, Yachting (eg volvo Round the World), Speedway, Cricket, Golf, Camel Trophy etc etc. In other words, she does know what she is talking about when it come to TV production, and used to attend the Sports Personality of the Year programme every year (whilst I sat outside freezing in the car!!).

She watched last nights programme with absolute horror. It was crass, poorly produced, poor in continuity, and full of quite rediculous asides (eg the Alistair McGowan sketch). She was horrified at the way Frank Bruno, Sven and Ranieri was embarrassed, and the fact that they brought a large number of sporting celebs down onto the couch, and then proceeded to ignore them!.

In other words Nick, no it isn't just you!!!

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