Cover the Games: A Simple Answer

 

The crowd at Trumbull High School for the 2020 FCIAC Girls Basketball Championship

It was a very quiet day around the homestead and I hoped to catch up on stuff.

I need a new phone case (hint: I didn't find any at a reasonable cost) so I decided to go walk around Danbury, CT.

While there, I got a message that the FCIAC girls basketball quarterfinals weren't being covered by any broadcaster. Now, this doesn't surprise me but it still saddens me. To be clear, next Saturday's boys quarters will likely also not have coverage.

Now, let me repeat part of that again: I was walking around Danbury, CT looking for a cell phone case and running menial errands. Down at Staples High School, in Westport, CT, four girls basketball games proceeded without broadcasts.

Oh, they had great Twitter and print coverage without a doubt (including Shawn Sailer). But nobody -- no students, no professionals, broadcast the games.

And I was shopping. I bought milk, coffee, food at Stew Leonard's, and a shower curtain liner. I also got gas for the car.

Sad.

Now, I'll be on the semis and finals (girls and boys basketball, and I'm also supposed to be on hockey as well). 

Look, I need to make a living and pay bills. That is 100% true. But I also could have brought Robcasting to Staples High Shool and called all four games. Yes, money would be best (and only fair) but a polo shirt, any other swag, and my meals aren't too much to ask. I called a game one time at Fairfield Ludlowe as a favor and I got a gift card for dinner to say thank you.

In short, you could also promote Robcasting with a banner or something to say thank you. You could have the public address announcer mention the broadcast. Basically, you could pump me up a bit. 

All would work as a form of "payment."

I want the athletes to get coverage, even if it's just audio or a minimal video. Often, you having me call the game does me a favor by getting me out of the house and giving me something to do. It's a win-win and I feel like I'm doing something good.

This is the exact approach I'll use for the CHSGHA girls hockey playoffs in March. I lose money on those games but if people appreciate it, I deal with it.

I've done it with plenty of others as well.

Still, and I can't repeat this enough, it should be a paid gig.

And while I'm talking, playoffs and championships should be handled by professionals. There are exceptions, of course, but I can cite too many examples of broadcasts that were and are unacceptable.

At the end of the day, I'm one of the few who cares. Thus, it's my problem.

To that end, I'm messing around with my new ESPN+ subscription. I wanted to see and hear some baseball. I've tried out two college games. 

Sheesh.

The first game featured a terrible sync up between audio and video. Then there was the commentary, provided by "Mr. Radio Voice." Having "the voice" doesn't always mean using "the voice." Just call the damn game.

The second game has a questionable choice of camera placement, not to mention shaky camera work. The broadcaster has some chops but is raw. He'll get better.

In both cases, the broadcasters are being repetitive. Change that up a bit and it will be better. Don't just say, "The pitch," before every...ahem...pitch. Or, "Here's that 0-2," before the 0-2 pitch each time. 

There's a reason Doc Emrick used over 150 different terms for a pass in a broadcast. While that's extreme, variety is a delightful spice of broadcasting.

Being original is great but don't necessarily try to reinvent the wheel. Not that I know anybody like that *cough* *cough*.

So, to recap: four FCIAC girls basketball playoff games happened in Westport. I went shopping in Danbury, drove through two snow squalls including one in a whiteout, and am now watching poorly-produced college baseball games from my couch. 

Oh, and I took a nap at one point.

I'm old. Remember?

The crowd at Wilton High School for the 2020 FCIAC Boys Basketball Championship