ESPN Masters Coverage is Abominable
Today is probably the worst golf tournament coverage I have ever seen and because it's the Masters it's that much more painful. It's not the problem of the ESPN commentators, it's the producer. When you cover a golf tournament you are expected to broadcast the play, not shots of the trees, the bridge, magnolias, and so many walks down memory lane that I thought I was watching the history channel for awhile.
The trend in the last couple of years is to focus too much on only a very few golfers at the top. If a player is a few shots back you're lucky if you see then hit two shots. I do believe the average viewer is like me. I want to see Justin Leonard and Vijay Singh and Padraig Harrington and the rest of the best golfers in the world whether they're on or not. I want to see as much as I can of the best golfers in the world on one of the best courses in one of the top four tournaments of the year. Not only is ESPN sticking to the leaders on the course and Tiger, but the producer has fallen in love with everything that has nothing to do with the live action.
It's getting to the point where you have to be online to actually know what's going on. If a top player like Retief Goosen isn't doing so well, why? Has he lost control of his driver, did he hit it in the water, did he take a double bogey somewhere? Why can't the networks let the camera show us the action and let it speak for itself. Why not get as much real footage on our screens as possible. I love Gary Player and I think it's great that Zach Johnson won last year. But don't take away from this year's actual play to take us back into the history books over and over. That's better handled later, or earlier, but not during the heat of play. By chopping up the coverage the viewer gets no sense of the overall unfolding of the competition.
The powers that be at Augusta have gone to extremes to have the Masters run and be covered the way they want. Maybe it's time for them to look at the Thursday/Friday contract with ESPN and let a network who will really cover the action take over next year.
1 comment:
I'm watching the Masters on BBC in England this year, and it's a nice change. Much less Tiger-cam (and Tiger adoration that inevitably comes with it). In fact, the commentators poke as much jovial fun of him as they reasonably can, something completely missing from American coverage. In any case, the commentators here seem to judge his play a little more reasonably.
Some focus is naturally paid to British players, who happen to be doing very well so far. There are still quite a few flashbacks and the slow pans around the lush scenery of Augusta. I think the venue sort of begs it, but I agree, I'd rather see any golfer sinking a fast curving putt for birdie or pushing a drive into the pine than several minutes of previous winners being awkwardly fitted with the green jacket.
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