(Team Canada’s Scott Niedermayer : he’s no Evan Lysacek, but he’s trying very hard just the same)
Who amongst us hasn’t been frustated by the National Broadcasting Company’s penchant for joining Men’s Olympic Hockey coverage moments after the games have begun? Try the New York Post’s Larry Brooks, who argues, “If you are one of those people who has been endlessly whining about missing the first four minutes or so of Canada-Norway and the first three minutes or so of Team Jagr-Team Gaborik, you sound childish.” WAAAAAH!
Hockey is not being disrespected by NBC. Viewers who happened to be home during the day and would have enjoyed watching Lindsey Vonn go for it live in the downhill, they were disrespected. Sports and competition are being disrespected by NBC, but hockey does not measure among the victims.
I have never quite understood why people who love hockey are so consumed with validation from the masses who simply do not appreciate the sport. Of course NBC isn’t devoting three hours of a preliminary-round hockey game between the U.S. and Canada on its prime commercial network.
To expect otherwise is lunacy, and to protest the network’s decision by playing the lack-of-respect card is counter-productive.
Yes, it is unfortunate that the enticing matchup will not be available in HD while it is televised on MSNBC, presumably from start to finish. Anyone who wants to watch — maybe not DirecTV people, actually, which would be unfortunately commonplace for them, given the ongoing dispute that has kept Versus dark all season — can watch, just as every single game in the tournament has been and will be televised.
Live, by the way. As will the gold medal game be next Sunday on NBC.
I’m posting this while in the UK, ironically, a country with far less interest in ice hockey than the United States, and tonight’s US/Canada tilt is scheduled to be shown on the BBC — in high def. If Sidney Crosby isn’t considered a bigger ratings draw than Lindsey Vonn, fair enough, but we’re also talking about a game that should be a far more enticing showpiece for the sport than all of the Winter Classics combined. And let history show that Brooks is not necessarily a company man, what with the open plug for MSNBC programming (albeit the sort that doesn’t feature Non-Metallic K.O.)
Hockey fans spend half their time complaining that the game doesn’t get enough exposure and the other half complaining about what happens when the game gets more exposure.
jason you don’t make one bit of sense stop shooting up before posting it magnifies your lack of intellect. This was a major dropped ball by NBC again, a disgraceful station.
Even people who shoot up can manage basic punctuation. And/or recognize the distinction between a TV network and a TV station.
NBC killed it on that Crisis of Conformity skit on SNL a coupla weeks ago. therefore NBC always my favorite station to watch on tv. again.
You must live in Phil Mushnick’s house (or at least his time zone), since, if not for the fact that the hockey game was mercifully exempt from NBC’s smorgasbord of tape-delayed and collage coverage, I’d still be in the middle of the second period. The lack of HD was irksome but that’s my provider’s fault as much as MSNBC’s.
I love it that so many people are p.o.’d at nbc over the usa canada hockey presentation (lacking). NBC could easily have shown it in hi def live on one of the channels they use for the curling and minor type hockey games. They did, in fact show a few games on cnbc or mnbc or whatever the other call letters are in HIGH DEF so the argument that they couldn’t devote 3 hours to the game doesn’t fly – they could have shown it live – the truth is it would have destroyed their reggular plans to show all that other olympic coverage which would have been on regular nbc. But at least we could have had a choice on what we wanted to see in hi def. Suffice to say i watched the usa canada matchup in low def in lieu of seeing nbc’s prime time mixed up mumbo jumbo fiasco coverage of skiiiiiiinnnnggg.
NBC believes that looking up figure skaters’ skirts will outdraw hockey coverage, and they believe right, although they should have realized early that a Canada-U.S. match-up would have drawn high ratings
Gotta luv Larry Brooks (an Idiot). So Far I have heard this dribble
and Ratings Dribble as NBC’s Excuse for it’s Very Poor Hockey Coverage.
So I ask Larry and all those Other ‘masses’ this simple question.
Where does Hockey Rank in terms of Most popular Sports in
America? Where does Ice Dancing, Curling, and other events like it Rank?
Last time I checked NONE of those events are Covered AT ALL other
than the Olympics. They do not even have a FRACTION of the Followers
Hockey does. Mr. Brooks makes it seem like people in General Favor
these types of Sports over Hockey, when in fact Hockey Destroys them in
interest ALL year EVERY year. Notice how much Ice Dancers get paid for
salaries for their Sport. This would also infer that the Ratings for a MUCH
MORE POPULAR SPORT would also be much higher. Mr. Brooks is a lunatic
if he believes that garbage he wrote. And NBC has insulted Men
EVERYWHERE by airing such events as Ice Dancing on Network TV and
miring Hockey on MSNBC. This is in spite of the fact that NBC has heavily
talked about the 1980 Miracle on Ice and Freely admits that it is the
GREATEST American Winter Olympic moment in History. Shame on NBC.
And Shame on Mr. Brooks for saying such ridiculous and Idiotic things.
I find NBC’s obsession with Curling to be odd. It’s on all the time. It’s on right now. And as a result, all the out-of-work indie-slackers in town (Omaha) have become indoctrinated in the sport, to the point where more people were watching the coverage of the Canadian women’s Curling team than the band on stage at The Waiting Room Friday night. Then again, that says more about us (and that band) than NBC, I suppose.
If they’d only kept Leno at 11:30 they’d have all the HDTV money they need … F’n Conan!
man in LA i watch all that shit on hi def MSNBC. just last week i was complaining about Time Warners interface. but now i will STFU and enjoy my high def MSNBC that no one else in the country seems to have.
Curling is a huge sport in Canada, some would say even more than hockey. Perhaps that’s why they’re showing it so much.
I’m just glad I got my Biathlon coverage last week, though I think they should change the rules and have the guys shooting while they ski. That would, you know, draw in most of the meth tweakers who’ve posted on this thread.
Your an idiot!!
Well, Brooks (and I) were wrong about one thing – the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Friday’s USA game will air on NBC rather than CNBC, and live in all time zones (today’s USA game did not).
Presumably that will also be true for the gold medal. What would be kind of shitty is if they go back to tape delay if the US is not involved.
A few things:
Jules, if “you’re” (contraction for “you are”) going to call someone an idiot, you should a. identify who “you’re” calling an idiot, and b. probably use the correct form of “your.” It kind of undermines your own intellect level when you butcher one the three words in your post. I found it hilarious though…
JS: I agree with nearly everything you had to say, but I’m fascinated to hear about the process with which you determine which words get capitalized and which don’t.
Rog: Curling a more popular sport in Canada than hockey? Now that’s the most preposterous thing I’ve heard in the calendar year so far.
At least NBC is using a knowledgeable, competent play-by-play announcer for hockey games. Hey, it could be Bob Costas, NBC’s poster boy for what’s wrong with network sports coverage.
Now if NBC could just find a competent director for their hockey coverage. The one they’re using today must be one they borrowed from ESPN…too many sophomoric close-up shots of individual players, including those on the bench, while something more interesting is happening on the ice.
Hey, at least there aren’t any idiot spectators banging on the glass as there are too often in NHL games!