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Eurosport commentary

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Just for the record, of your 89 posts, 42 are complaining about Eurosport's coverage in some way, shape or form. 3 of the 7 threads you've started are complaining about Eurosport's coverage.

We've heard plenty about what you don't like about it, what DO you like about it? Who do you think would be a better commentary team? How would you like them to cover the sport, catering for both the casual and the dedicated fan?
 
and to all the "you try finding a pro-cyclist who is available to do the job" replies...

Eurosport dont seem to have any trouble finding co-commentators for all the races so that doesnt add up.

Why dont they ask a local club racer to commentate ? he has more experience / knowledge than Harmon has. I am sure viewers would rather listen to a national racer than Harmon guessing and repeating riders names in the breakaway - which he repeats from info he is being fed.

I remember listening to David Vine commentating on the Skiing and it was also an insult - the guy had never even put on a pair of skis. He finally got ousted and we got an ex-pro Martin Bell, who now hosts Ski Sunday - AND HAD NO FORMAL PROFESSIONAL COMMENTATING EXPERIENCE. Its not rocket science !!
 
Libertine Seguros said:
Just for the record, of your 89 posts, 42 are complaining about Eurosport's coverage in some way, shape or form. 3 of the 7 threads you've started are complaining about Eurosport's coverage.

We've heard plenty about what you don't like about it, what DO you like about it? Who do you think would be a better commentary team? How would you like them to cover the sport, catering for both the casual and the dedicated fan?

I dont need your stats thanks about my Eurosport grouse.

I know Mr harmon reads these complaints so I hope he realises he isnt fooling anyone !
 
Jul 24, 2010
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Cycle Chic said:
and to all the "you try finding a pro-cyclist who is available to do the job" replies...

Eurosport dont seem to have any trouble finding co-commentators for all the races so that doesnt add up.

Why dont they ask a local club racer to commentate ? he has more experience / knowledge than Harmon has. I am sure viewers would rather listen to a national racer than Harmon guessing and repeating riders names in the breakaway - which he repeats from info he is being fed.

I remember listening to David Vine commentating on the Skiing and it was also an insult - the guy had never even put on a pair of skis. He finally got ousted and we got an ex-pro Martin Bell, who now hosts Ski Sunday - AND HAD NO FORMAL PROFESSIONAL COMMENTATING EXPERIENCE. Its not rocket science !!

Are you aware your arguments are all over the place?

You think commentators should have professional commentating experience, but that professional commentating experience is irrelevant. You think cyclists can commentate because it's not rocket science, but commentators can't talk about cycling because apparently it is rocket science.

Incidentally, you have no professional commentating experience, and following the logic from the first part of your last post (the 2nd part, of course, argues the opposite), that means you are not entitled to talk about commentating.

Seriously, just stop.
 
hatcher said:
Are you aware your arguments are all over the place?

You think commentators should have professional commentating experience, but that professional commentating experience is irrelevant. You think cyclists can commentate because it's not rocket science, but commentators can't talk about cycling because apparently it is rocket science.

Incidentally, you have no professional commentating experience, and following the logic from the first part of your last post (the 2nd part, of course, argues the opposite), that means you are not entitled to talk about commentating.

Seriously, just stop.

What I am stating is - you dont need experience to be a commentator but you do need professional experience in the sport you are commentating on. I gave Martin bell as an example of that....Sean kelly, Magnus backstedt, Brian Smith, they have all picked it up easily enough.

And...I do have commentating experience on BBC Grandstand - I was a professional snowboarder and I had no problem commentating on a race alongside another ex-athlete.
 
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Cycle Chic said:
I remember listening to David Vine commentating on the Skiing and it was also an insult - the guy had never even put on a pair of skis. He finally got ousted and we got an ex-pro Martin Bell, who now hosts Ski Sunday - AND HAD NO FORMAL PROFESSIONAL COMMENTATING EXPERIENCE. Its not rocket science !!

For a start Graham Bell hosts Ski Sunday, not Martin. Secondly, he is the host, not the commentator - that's Matt Chilton (a professional commentator who also does other sports)

There's a massive difference between a host, a lead commentator and a co-commentator.
 
Mambo95 said:
For a start Graham Bell hosts Ski Sunday, not Martin. Secondly, he is the host, not the commentator - that's Matt Chilton (a professional commentator who also does other sports)

There's a massive difference between a host, a lead commentator and a co-commentator.

Yet again - what business does Matt Chilton have to commentate on ski racing ? how can he possibly tell us what is going through the mind of a professional skier ? or all the other facts and details that we should be hearing.

Why do we need this "middle man" ?? just because he has a nice voice to listen to ?
 
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Cycle Chic said:
What I am stating is - you dont need experience to be a commentator but you do need professional experience in the sport you are commentating on. I gave Martin bell as an example of that....Sean kelly, Magnus backstedt, Brian Smith, they have all picked it up easily enough.

And...I do have commentating experience on BBC Grandstand - I was a professional snowboarder and I had no problem commentating on a race alongside another ex-athlete.

None of Bell, Kelly, Backstedt, or Smith commentate. They co-commentate, which is an entirely different skill.

The traditional set-up, as used by just about every sport in the world is a professional commentator describing the action, and a co-commentator (color analyst in America) analysing what is going on.

There is a reason you have never heard Smith, Kelly, Backstedt, Graham Jones together, and you will never hear Kirby, Harmon, or McCrossan together. They do different jobs.

You are starting from a faulty premise, that most commentators are ex-athletes. They are not. Not even close.
 
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Cycle Chic said:
Yet again - what business does Matt Chilton have to commentate on ski racing ? how can he possibly tell us what is going through the mind of a professional skier ? or all the other facts and details that we should be hearing.

Why do we need this "middle man" ?? just because he has a nice voice to listen to ?

You tell us. There is a reason that the vast majority of sports use that system.

edit:in fact, i'll tell you. It's because riding a bike is different from talking for 4 hours. Getting punched in the face is different from talking for 12 rounds. Commentating is bloody hard.
 
Jann Post, commentating the worlds on norwegian national broadcaster NRK, read the top ten, and remarked that Boasson Hagen finished ahead of the spanish sprinter Oscar Gomez. Anyone on eurosport capable of that?
 
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zapata said:
Jann Post, commentating the worlds on norwegian national broadcaster NRK, read the top ten, and remarked that Boasson Hagen finished ahead of the spanish sprinter Oscar Gomez. Anyone on eurosport capable of that?

"Of course, he's already descending while the others are still going up the climb, so of course he gets to go faster, so of course the time gap is "false", it's much bigger than what the REAL gap is. When the chasers start descending the gap will of course become much smaller. That's when we'll know what the real time is."
And that's not even in the top 5 worst lines by that commentator. So yes, quite capable of that :D

Seriously the people complaining in this topic have no idea how bad some of us other countries have it
 
Cycle Chic said:
as stated - any Belgian would be better than Harmon !

Michel Wuyts has no professional cycling experience. Therefore by your rule he should not be allowed to commentate.

Only professional cyclists should commentate. Except for the point where some of the best known commentators in the history of sport had no experience playing or competing in the sport they were calling. They were "career commentators" who struck up a broadcasting relationship with the "expert analyst", i.e. the guy who had been there and done that in the sport, but who wasn't a commentator.

The only sports where they don't use the "play-by-play man + analyst" approach are the ones where the general pace of the event is very, very slow, enabling everything to be analysed and removing the need for somebody to call the action directly. Cycling has the problem of long periods like this where you might feel two experienced ex-pros might be better - but there's a very good reason why you never hear Kelly, Backstedt or Smith call the sprint - and it's not because Kirby and Harmon talk over them. It's that they're not commentators.

isso - how's Paulo's friend Robert Jesinquingue doing these days?
 
Oct 29, 2009
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Cycle Chic said:
What I am stating is - you dont need experience to be a commentator but you do need professional experience in the sport you are commentating on. I gave Martin bell as an example of that....Sean kelly, Magnus backstedt, Brian Smith, they have all picked it up easily enough.

You mean like Murray Walker widely regarded as one of the best commentators ever, except he was never a professional racing driver.

Or maybe John Motson, I've heard he's not too bad at football commentry, can't seem to recall him playing too much though...

Two examples off the top of my head, I'm sure there are many many more. A good commentator is someone who is passionate, knowledgeable and articulate. Being an ex pro has **** all to do with it.
 
The Cobra said:
Two examples off the top of my head, I'm sure there are many many more. A good commentator is someone who is passionate, knowledgeable and articulate. Being an ex pro has **** all to do with it.

Yeh, most of my preferred sports callers have had a full career in the media and never played any sport at at a professional level.
 
issoisso said:
Chilling out at the beach with Jenninge Aizênga, Tadége Valgevéque and Ganech Brágekovíque

Libertine Seguros said:
Tadége Valgevéque has plnty of time to chill out at the beach these days I guess.

i heard all of them have signed for greeneidge for next year. on a serious note tho the man prolly didn't have access to the best school education as many people with about his age so i cut him some slack there, still is a god awful on everything else.
 
Cycle Chic said:
I dont need your stats thanks about my Eurosport grouse.

I know Mr harmon reads these complaints so I hope he realises he isnt fooling anyone !

I really doubt Harmonn reads this forum.

Just listening to 2 minutes of Harmonn talk about doping, eg his cheering on about how clean Gilbert and Cadel are, tells you this is a man who has never been anywhere near the clinic;)

But more to the point often Harmonn will ask questions that have been covered on the forum, so we already know the answer.

Eg, why is Evans not riding FW. Why is Duarte not on the startlist. When wast he last time Aprica was in the Giro. Etc.

Believe me I pay attention as to whether these people read our post. Harmonn, I am pretty sure does not.

You can tell from the little things.
 
man i wish the portuguese eurosport guys could read this forum so they could learn something about cycling.

at least they are good at entertaining you while the race is going on and i can discuss cycling as much as i want here so i don't really get bothered by their lack of knowledge.
 

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