NBC Values My Opinion about the Olympics ...

[dimmzy]

... so I'll be sure to tell them exactly what I think!

I've been a member of a media survey panel for a number of years (the $ is nice, but I'd rather shape television) Today, I was selected to give my opinion about NBC's Olympic coverage.

We all contribute to the Olympic effort in our own way.

[MarleysGh0st]

Well, I'm sure your input will be interesting...



About your new avatar: Is that you taking up MarleysNephew's challenge to show what you can do on the apparatus?

[ulysses5019]

Well, I'm sure your input will be interesting...



About your new avatar: Is that you taking up MarleysNephew's challenge to show what you can do on the apparatus?

Olga Korbut is on the bored?

[dimmzy]

Is that you taking up MarleysNephew's challenge to show what you can do on the apparatus?

You betcha. I coulda been a contenda ...

[dodgersteve182]

I was trying to watch the USA/Nigeria soccer match live this morning on their USA Network feed, but those announcers were terrible! They assumed that everyone watching was a soccer (don't call it futbol!) expert! I never did understand why a US player being red carded early in the game put us in a position of playing with one less player on the field for the entire rest of the game (if that was even the case)? And mid way through the second half the p by p guy kept saying "you are probably looking at the two teams that will go onto the quarter finals". Again without explanation. Then when the score of a concurrently played game changed he said "now the US team needs to try to score, there is more urgency now". Well if a team doesn't need to win a game is Soccer simply a pleasant stroll in the park? Most sports fans in this country like a little bit of tension and drama, maybe that's why as a spectator sport 80% of avid fans in this country think soccer sucks! Just pick up the frickin ball guys and throw it!
Also if you want to look like athletes, wear body armor and not those geeky soccer shorts, they look even fancier than tennis garb for men!
Eeeekkkkk!!!!!!!

[Thousandaire]

... so I'll be sure to tell them exactly what I think!

I've been a member of a media survey panel for a number of years (the $ is nice, but I'd rather shape television) Today, I was selected to give my opinion about NBC's Olympic coverage.

We all contribute to the Olympic effort in our own way.

No wonder the media is so screwed up.

[dimmzy]

No wonder the media is so screwed up.

Have I been dissed??

[The Snark]

... so I'll be sure to tell them exactly what I think!

I've been a member of a media survey panel for a number of years (the $ is nice, but I'd rather shape television) Today, I was selected to give my opinion about NBC's Olympic coverage.

We all contribute to the Olympic effort in our own way.

No wonder the media is so screwed up.

This is one.

[andrewjackson]

I was trying to watch the USA/Nigeria soccer match live this morning on their USA Network feed, but those announcers were terrible! They assumed that everyone watching was a soccer (don't call it futbol!) expert! I never did understand why a US player being red carded early in the game put us in a position of playing with one less player on the field for the entire rest of the game (if that was even the case)? And mid way through the second half the p by p guy kept saying "you are probably looking at the two teams that will go onto the quarter finals". Again without explanation. Then when the score of a concurrently played game changed he said "now the US team needs to try to score, there is more urgency now". Well if a team doesn't need to win a game is Soccer simply a pleasant stroll in the park? Most sports fans in this country like a little bit of tension and drama, maybe that's why as a spectator sport 80% of avid fans in this country think soccer sucks! Just pick up the frickin ball guys and throw it!
Also if you want to look like athletes, wear body armor and not those geeky soccer shorts, they look even fancier than tennis garb for men!
Eeeekkkkk!!!!!!!

I can't tell if this is straight up or not. The last few sentences make me think this is not on the level but I'll give it a shot.

I will not call it futbol. That's Spanish for Association Football, the official name of the sport. Football or soccer are the accepted names for the game in English.

Red Cards are given for certain types of conduct, usually violent. When a player is shown a red card the player must leave the game and cannot be substituted for. The team must play the rest of the game short a man. This is not a completely crippling penalty as team sometimes win despite being a man down.

In the Olympics, as in most soccer tournaments, teams are put into groups of four teams. Each team plays the other three teams in the group. The top two teams from the group advance to the next round. Teams get 3 points for a win and 1 point for a tie. Ties are an integral part of soccer. If you can't get over that then I would advise not watching soccer.

The standings before today's games were:

USA 4 pts ( a win and a tie in the first two games)
Nigeria 4 pts ( a tie and a win)
Netherlands 2 pts ( two ties)
Japan 0 pts (two losses)

USA played Nigeria and the Netherlands were playing Japan today. The final games of group stages are typically played at the same time to avoid teams knowing exactly what result they need.

Those standings meant that the USA and Nigeria would both advance as the top two teams in the group as long as the Netherlands did not win or if they tied. And the Netherlands were not winning until they scored in the 74th minute of the 90 minute game. That is why the announcers were saying for most of the U.S. game that both of these teams might be advancing. But once Netherlands scored, the U.S. needed to get at least a tie. I don't think that the announcers ever said that the U.S. needed to win, just that they needed to score to get a tie.

I don't understand why you say "Most sports fans in this country like a little bit of tension and drama, maybe that's why as a spectator sport 80% of avid fans in this country think soccer sucks! " There was a huge amount of tension in the second half of that game. The U.S. was pushing forward trying to get a goal knowing that if they didn't they were going home. The very fact that the game is so low scoring adds to the tension, it doesn't detract from it.

And the 80% number that you toss out is interesting. More people in the U.S. watched the World Cup final last year than any game of the World Series or NBA finals.

I don't know even know where to start with the pick up the ball or soccer uniform comments.

On the overall complaint about the announcers not explaining enough, I guess they figured that a game broadcast at 5 am EDT was only going to draw die-hard soccer fans or that there are enough soccer fans in the U.S. now that they don't have to dumb down the commentary.

[TheConfessor]

I watched the second half and found it pretty interesting, even though I don't know much about soccer.

What would have happened if the US tied Nigeria and Netherlands beat Japan? Then all three teams (except Japan) would be tied with 5 points.

I was trying to figure out how much of a contribution Freddy Adu made. He was on the team, right? Has he lived up to all the hype he received as a 14 year-old?

[TheConfessor]

I was trying to watch the USA/Nigeria soccer match live this morning on their USA Network feed, but those announcers were terrible! They assumed that everyone watching was a soccer (don't call it futbol!) expert! I never did understand why a US player being red carded early in the game put us in a position of playing with one less player on the field for the entire rest of the game (if that was even the case)? And mid way through the second half the p by p guy kept saying "you are probably looking at the two teams that will go onto the quarter finals". Again without explanation. Then when the score of a concurrently played game changed he said "now the US team needs to try to score, there is more urgency now". Well if a team doesn't need to win a game is Soccer simply a pleasant stroll in the park? Most sports fans in this country like a little bit of tension and drama, maybe that's why as a spectator sport 80% of avid fans in this country think soccer sucks! Just pick up the frickin ball guys and throw it!
Also if you want to look like athletes, wear body armor and not those geeky soccer shorts, they look even fancier than tennis garb for men!
Eeeekkkkk!!!!!!!

You could have switched over to Telemundo and watched it with different announcers. Or you could have pressed the mute button to watch it with no announcers.

[andrewjackson]

I watched the second half and found it pretty interesting, even though I don't know much about soccer.

What would have happened if the US tied Nigeria and Netherlands beat Japan? Then all three teams (except Japan) would be tied with 5 points.

I was trying to figure out how much of a contribution Freddy Adu made. He was on the team, right? Has he lived up to all the hype he received as a 14 year-old?

If the U.S. had tied Nigeria with the Netherlands winning, it would have depended on the scores. The first tie-breaker is goal difference but all three teams would have been at +1 meaning they had scored one more goal than they allowed. So the the next tie-breaker is total goals scored.

If the U.S. had tied Nigeria 2-2 with Netherlands winning 1-0, then it would have looked like this:

1. USA 5 pts, +1 goal difference, 5 total goals
2. Nigeria 5 pts, +1 goal difference, 4 total goals
3. Netherlands 5 pts, +1 goal difference, 3 total goals
4. Japan 0 pts

If the U.S. had tied Nigeria 1-1 then it would have looked like this:

1. USA 5 pts, +1 goal difference, 4 total goals
2. Nigeria 5 pts, +1 goal difference, 3 total goals
3. Netherlands 5 pts, +1 goal difference, 3 total goals
4. Japan 0 pts

The U.S. would have still advanced but that tie for 2nd place would have been tough to break. They tied 0-0 against each other and would have scored the same number of goals in their other games. It might have went to flipping a coin between Nigeria and the Netherlands.

[andrewjackson]

Whoops, I forgot about Freddy Adu.

He did not play today because he was suspended for receiving yellow cards (cautions) in each of the Japan and Netherlands games.

He has not lived up to all the hype but he is still a very good player especially for a 19 year old. He has been one of the best players on this Under-23 team taking part in the Olympics. He was signed by Benefica of the Portuguese League in 2007 and he played some for them last season in a reserve role. Benefica is a big club in Europe so it was seen as a big move for Adu to go over there. They are loaning him to Monaco for the upcoming season which runs August to May in France.

[BackInTex]

And the 80% number that you toss out is interesting. More people in the U.S. watched the World Cup final last year than any game of the World Series or NBA finals.

Where did you get those stats? I'm not saying they are not true, mainly because I can't remember who played in the WS or NBA finals, but I still question the stats. Was the US in the World Cup final? That might explain it.

Now, take the number of people in the US that watched the World Cup and back out those that are not US citizens.

[silvercamaro]

Now, take the number of people in the US that watched the World Cup and back out those that are not US citizens.

The television sponsors don't care about the citizenship status of viewers. They only want to sell their products.

(Yes, I do realize you were making a different point. I just don't think it should be tangled up in a discussion about soccer in the Olympics.)

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

... so I'll be sure to tell them exactly what I think!

I hope that you told them that you would like to see more coverage of men's swimming.

[dimmzy]

I hope that you told them that you would like to see more coverage of men's swimming.

But only if they swim in their little Speedos, not those onesies.

[TheCalvinator24]

I hope that you told them that you would like to see more coverage of men's swimming.

But only if they swim in their little Speedos, not those onesies.

How about a Water Polo player?




Montenegro's Team Captain.

[kayrharris]

Looks like he's on that same 9000 a day calorie diet as Phelps.

[dodgersteve182]

I was trying to watch the USA/Nigeria soccer match live this morning on their USA Network feed, but those announcers were terrible! They assumed that everyone watching was a soccer (don't call it futbol!) expert! I never did understand why a US player being red carded early in the game put us in a position of playing with one less player on the field for the entire rest of the game (if that was even the case)? And mid way through the second half the p by p guy kept saying "you are probably looking at the two teams that will go onto the quarter finals". Again without explanation. Then when the score of a concurrently played game changed he said "now the US team needs to try to score, there is more urgency now". Well if a team doesn't need to win a game is Soccer simply a pleasant stroll in the park? Most sports fans in this country like a little bit of tension and drama, maybe that's why as a spectator sport 80% of avid fans in this country think soccer sucks! Just pick up the frickin ball guys and throw it!
Also if you want to look like athletes, wear body armor and not those geeky soccer shorts, they look even fancier than tennis garb for men!
Eeeekkkkk!!!!!!!

I can't tell if this is straight up or not. The last few sentences make me think this is not on the level but I'll give it a shot.

I will not call it futbol. That's Spanish for Association Football, the official name of the sport. Football or soccer are the accepted names for the game in English.

Red Cards are given for certain types of conduct, usually violent. When a player is shown a red card the player must leave the game and cannot be substituted for. The team must play the rest of the game short a man. This is not a completely crippling penalty as team sometimes win despite being a man down.

In the Olympics, as in most soccer tournaments, teams are put into groups of four teams. Each team plays the other three teams in the group. The top two teams from the group advance to the next round. Teams get 3 points for a win and 1 point for a tie. Ties are an integral part of soccer. If you can't get over that then I would advise not watching soccer.

The standings before today's games were:

USA 4 pts ( a win and a tie in the first two games)
Nigeria 4 pts ( a tie and a win)
Netherlands 2 pts ( two ties)
Japan 0 pts (two losses)

USA played Nigeria and the Netherlands were playing Japan today. The final games of group stages are typically played at the same time to avoid teams knowing exactly what result they need.

Those standings meant that the USA and Nigeria would both advance as the top two teams in the group as long as the Netherlands did not win or if they tied. And the Netherlands were not winning until they scored in the 74th minute of the 90 minute game. That is why the announcers were saying for most of the U.S. game that both of these teams might be advancing. But once Netherlands scored, the U.S. needed to get at least a tie. I don't think that the announcers ever said that the U.S. needed to win, just that they needed to score to get a tie.

I don't understand why you say "Most sports fans in this country like a little bit of tension and drama, maybe that's why as a spectator sport 80% of avid fans in this country think soccer sucks! " There was a huge amount of tension in the second half of that game. The U.S. was pushing forward trying to get a goal knowing that if they didn't they were going home. The very fact that the game is so low scoring adds to the tension, it doesn't detract from it.

And the 80% number that you toss out is interesting. More people in the U.S. watched the World Cup final last year than any game of the World Series or NBA finals.

I don't know even know where to start with the pick up the ball or soccer uniform comments.

On the overall complaint about the announcers not explaining enough, I guess they figured that a game broadcast at 5 am EDT was only going to draw die-hard soccer fans or that there are enough soccer fans in the U.S. now that they don't have to dumb down the commentary.

That was great! I learned more in 2 mins from your post than in 45 mins of listening to the announcers on USA! The Usual "futbol" et. al. stuff is the same b.s. you hear on the sports shows on radio and sunday on espn, just venting some frustrations.
I was going to go on the net to figure out what the heck they were talking about but at 4 30 am pdt, I figured I would go back to sleep.

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

Looks like he's on that same 9000 a day calorie diet as Phelps.

[ulysses5019]

... so I'll be sure to tell them exactly what I think!

I hope that you told them that you would like to see more coverage of men's swimming.

I thought the bored gals wanted less "coverage".

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

... so I'll be sure to tell them exactly what I think!

I hope that you told them that you would like to see more coverage of men's swimming.

I thought the bored gals wanted less "coverage".

We want more coverage of less coverage!

[Harry Sachs]

I hope that you told them that you would like to see more coverage of men's swimming.

I thought the bored gals wanted less "coverage".

We want more coverage of less coverage!

More David Lines!!!!!!

[Bob Juch]

I thought the bored gals wanted less "coverage".

We want more coverage of less coverage!

More David Lines!!!!!!

David Lines is my cousin; he lives in Somerville, Massachusetts.