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Conway
Olympic Medalist
Joined: 25 Aug 2001
Posts: 3570
Location: Northen California
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 Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2002 2:36 pm Post subject: Televising Track and Field |
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Was talking with a friend of mine this weekend and we both were hit by the following thought - Why can't track and field be carried on a channel like OLN ??? This is the channel that carrries bicycle racing among other things - Tour de France, Tour de Spain, other lesser races etc ... It is a 24 hour channel and often during its day runs "paid advertising" as do about half of the channels out there ... What would it take for track and field to get some air time ??? Most of the cycling that they televise takes foreign footage and adds American voice over !!! Why couldn't we get full coverage of track and field from Europe ??? The World Cup - which everyone except Americans will be watching next weekend ...
Just a thought 
Conway |
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Distance_Guru
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Joined: 09 Mar 2002
Posts: 1280
Location: Nebraska
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| Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2002 2:39 pm Post subject: |
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Anyone have an email or physical address where we could send requests for them to carry track meets (and maybe road races too) :question:
Since many of them don't make TV over here why not. I can't imagine that track meets have lower ratings than cycling races. It can't hurt to ask.
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Paul
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Joined: 28 Apr 2002
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Location: Oregon
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| Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2002 3:06 pm Post subject: |
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I think it would be reasonable to have the major XC races, too, but then who am I??    |
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Distance_Guru
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Location: Nebraska
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| Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2002 3:13 pm Post subject: |
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| wrote: | | I think it would be reasonable to have the major XC races, too, but then who am I?? |
Someone who's brain is working better than mine right now. How did I forget to mention X-C :question: Of coarse in fairness, the USATF national championships are usually on ESPN. I think they also show the worlds but I have never managed to catch them on. And my gut feeling says that the NCAA's also make it on the air although it's been a year or two since I've actually seen them on TV.
But it would still be nice if they'd get re-runs of the championships and maybe aired some of the bigger X-C meets (such as the NCAA Regional champs, the Chilli Pepper, or the big meet in North Carolina).
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Dan
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Joined: 22 Mar 1999
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Location: Salem, OR
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| Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2002 3:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | And my gut feeling says that the NCAA's also make it on the air |
Yeah, usually a month after the fact. Just long enough that most people have lost interest and the TV execs can conveniently write it off as proving their theory that no one cares to watch the sport on TV...
I don't know that I've ever watched the OLN -- what's that stand for, Outdoor Living Network? -- but it sounds like a perfectly reasonable suggestion. Maybe I ought to get moving on "the big wish list item" so we can also open up a Network TV suggestions forum. 
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Micah Ward
Olympic Medalist
Joined: 08 May 2000
Posts: 2152
Location: Hot&humid, GA
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| Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2002 4:42 pm Post subject: |
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Oh...ESPN does show track meets and road races and cross country meets.
Just like tonight when the GP final will be on at 11:00 PM. I'd love to watch it but I got to be up at 5:00 AM tomorow. So what are they showing in the prime time?
Figure skating, hunting, fishing and bowling for crying out loud 
Fox Sports South? Talk shows from 7:00 PM until midnight
On Saturday afternoon ESPN actually showed the National Jumprope Championships. F*****************K!!!!!!!
For road races and xc races they are almost always on at 2 or 3 in the morning or 2 or 3 on a weekday afternoon. So who can watch them?
Not to mention endless replays of the Worlds Strongest Man 1988, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 00 and 01!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's enough to make the Pope cuss. I need a drink. 
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Dan
Chief Pontificator
Joined: 22 Mar 1999
Posts: 9334
Location: Salem, OR
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| Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2002 4:45 pm Post subject: |
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And now you know how they arrive at their magical focus group and viewership stats that tell them there is no demand for increased running coverage...
Dan
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Conway
Olympic Medalist
Joined: 25 Aug 2001
Posts: 3570
Location: Northen California
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| Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2002 7:56 pm Post subject: |
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OLN is the outdoor life network ... I agree that ESPN could show more but they don't ... I was thinkin that a channel like OLN could use more exposure and additional programming options ... I wouldn't care if they showed track on the tiddly winks network as long as they could get more track on TV .....
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Paul
Olympic Medalist
Joined: 28 Apr 2002
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Location: Oregon
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| Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2002 8:36 pm Post subject: |
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I can't believe I missed the jump rope champs!! Micah, how come you didn't alert me?? Actually I think Regional XC championships would be great for TV. You can more energy out of them than a non-conference Pro football game (which I have lost interest in, anyway, except Oregon last year with Joey Harrington).
I think XC combines some of the best in athletics from the competitive standpoint, but I'm preaching to the choir here... maybe Running With the Buffalos should be on the national required reading list or something.
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Dan
Chief Pontificator
Joined: 22 Mar 1999
Posts: 9334
Location: Salem, OR
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| Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2002 9:06 pm Post subject: |
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How many XC races have you watched on TV? As much as I like it, I think it's one of the worst spectator sports there is (road cycling isn't much better, but at least it's all out in the open for camera crews) and lends itself poorly to limited-vision televising. Imagine those t&f close-ups of the top 2 athletes, but on a XC course and not being able to see the 100-300 people stampeding behind them... You lose the impact of the event. 
If you want to see something really dull, watch the XC championship tape the NCAA puts together for teams and families...
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Distance_Guru
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Joined: 09 Mar 2002
Posts: 1280
Location: Nebraska
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| Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2002 11:31 am Post subject: |
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| Micah Ward wrote: | On Saturday afternoon ESPN actually showed the National Jumprope Championships. F*****************K!!!!!!!
It's enough to make the Pope cuss. I need a drink. |
My sentiments exactly. Maybe I'm nuts but I love watching XC on TV. I like the racing, the usually nasty weather, and I think it's no more boring than many of the road races that do occasionally make the air ways. (Not that that's saying a hell of a lot, we've already been over how poor a job is often done on both track and road racing broadcasts.) But I will admit that I am biased, I'm a radical XC extremist.
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