[NASCAR]Another 1/2-Season of Fluffy Fox Sports NASCAR coverage
Well, another 1/2-season of fluffy FOX Sports coverage of NASCAR has come to a close, and I, for one, could not be happier it is over. On one hand, Rupert Murdoch's drones have revealed sports for what it truly is, entertainment. It all started with the flashy blue/red hocey puck in the NHL and has filtered all the way into NASCAR with "Crank it UP!", crappy sound effects, and uninspring music videos. *BLECH*. On the other hand, I really miss the 1980's type of coverage ESPN and TNN gave us. It wasn't tecnically great, but it was always about the sport.
I saw that TV ratings were down this year compared to last year. http://jayski.thatsracin.com/pages/tvratings2004.htm and Winston-Salem Journal
Mike Mulhern says it is down 5.6%, and the reason isn't clear. I have my guesses. First, Brian France's "Chase for the Championship" has made racing in the early season less relevant. Second, Dale Earnhardt Jr isn't Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan. That is, Jr is hugely popular, but he still hasn't dominated the sport like an icon should. If the guy won a championship and a few races other than Talladega or Daytona, maybe it would help the ratings. Finally, make the coverage interesting or cook it down to something more manageable. By the time we watch the pre-race show, the race, and the post-race interviews, it can eat up 5 hours of my afternoon. This isn't the Super Bowl every Sunday, and I don't have that amount of time to commit to watching a race. TiVo has become the race fans best friend. I may have to get one.
My ratings of the coverage crew are as follows:
Mike Joy - Tremendous Job. Great as always.
Larry McReynolds - Also a great job. My only issue with Larry has to do with more with NASCAR. NASCAR has repeatedly made it clear they are trying to migrate their image to something more mainstream and less L.A. (Lower Alabama). Larry is a great commentator, but his delivery doesn't mesh with NASCAR's efforts. They should either get Larry some Dale Carnegie help in his speaking, or stop the double-talk about image.
Darrell Waltrip - Please shut up. He was an excellent driver in his time, but nowadays he apparently gratifies himself to the sounds of his own voice.
The pit coverage/infield (Chris Myers, Dick Bergeron, Matt, Jeff Hammond) - Solid once again. However, Jeff Hammond needs to stay away from the fake beach for a week.
I saw that TV ratings were down this year compared to last year. http://jayski.thatsracin.com/pages/tvratings2004.htm and Winston-Salem Journal
Mike Mulhern says it is down 5.6%, and the reason isn't clear. I have my guesses. First, Brian France's "Chase for the Championship" has made racing in the early season less relevant. Second, Dale Earnhardt Jr isn't Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan. That is, Jr is hugely popular, but he still hasn't dominated the sport like an icon should. If the guy won a championship and a few races other than Talladega or Daytona, maybe it would help the ratings. Finally, make the coverage interesting or cook it down to something more manageable. By the time we watch the pre-race show, the race, and the post-race interviews, it can eat up 5 hours of my afternoon. This isn't the Super Bowl every Sunday, and I don't have that amount of time to commit to watching a race. TiVo has become the race fans best friend. I may have to get one.
My ratings of the coverage crew are as follows:
Mike Joy - Tremendous Job. Great as always.
Larry McReynolds - Also a great job. My only issue with Larry has to do with more with NASCAR. NASCAR has repeatedly made it clear they are trying to migrate their image to something more mainstream and less L.A. (Lower Alabama). Larry is a great commentator, but his delivery doesn't mesh with NASCAR's efforts. They should either get Larry some Dale Carnegie help in his speaking, or stop the double-talk about image.
Darrell Waltrip - Please shut up. He was an excellent driver in his time, but nowadays he apparently gratifies himself to the sounds of his own voice.
The pit coverage/infield (Chris Myers, Dick Bergeron, Matt, Jeff Hammond) - Solid once again. However, Jeff Hammond needs to stay away from the fake beach for a week.
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