Just finished watching via DVR. Great result on the track.... The coverage was God awful. I mean really bad. I miss David Hobbs and that crew. ..and I have not really kept up with the cars either. That cage they put on them is about as ugly as the coverage. Rough times in F1.
You appreciate something when you lose it. I remember everyone complaining about NBC coverage. ESPN is even worse. Bring back the NBC crew!!!!!!!
The frenetic screaming at start made it sound like he was calling a horse race...hated it Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
As I said before, this operation actually made me miss Leigh Diffey. That's how bad they were. You get what you pay for, and it's obvious that ESPN didn't pay much for this set-up and they aren't investing diddly-squat of their own production costs. Of course, it's pretty well-known that ESPN has been cutting back on staff for a few years now, so I don't know what we should have expected. This is what we have . . . . Our choice? Watch it or don't watch it.
I think you're being too kind. These guys are supposedly professionals running multi-billion dollar operations with the newest technology. They should get it right every time. Sort of like expecting Haas to be able to do pit stops....even at the first race of the season.
Apparently there has been a ton of social media blasting ESPN. So far all they've done is apologize for the "technical" problem in the pre-race and "are working" to make sure it doesn't happen again Its clear they do not get it. In the end the technical problem was the least of the issues.
EXACTLY No excuses. You never get back your first impression. This was supposed to be months of preparation. Obviously ESPN wanted the rights or they would not have bought them ESPN had something to prove to F1 watchers. What they proved is they don't give a crap.
I too greatly miss Hobbs, Machett, Diffy and Buxton. New crew might improve after doing it for a few years but I have my doubts. Wonder why they didn't stay with the proven team? Too much money or something else? Hope the expertise Hobbs, Machett, Diffy and Buxton accumulated over the years doesn't go to waste.
Part of the problem with F1 fans in the U.S. has been that we've always been willing to settle for less than the best coverage, just to have *something*. In this era that shouldn't be necessary, but it's apparent that Liberty still clings to that old paradigm, at least for the time being. I really thought these guys would be better than that.
Look at what ESPN does with other sports it carries. If they did this to any other sport they would be vilified. Why should F1 followers be treated with so little care? ESPN is not some podunk cable outfit. In fact you could have said that about NBCSN years ago when they got into the sports biz. Last night Grandpa was asleep at the wheel!
The US is into BALL sports, which personally I can't stand. They talk so much about stinking ball sports you think they are actually playing. What do you think I am a dog? chasing balls around!
I know......just Crofty is soo pro Lewis. He got quiet after Lewis gave a final go at it. Brundle is more anti-biased, fair minded IMO.
In that case, I am part of the problem. I have never cared much about who was calling the race, just as long as I could see it. Thus I never really complained about the quality of the coverage. I thought that Bob Varsha and Leigh Diffey were both fine. Remember, I started following F1 in 1967, and for many, many years there was NO coverage on American TV; in fact it was often hard to find out in the Monday newspaper who had even won Sunday's race, let alone who finished 2nd, 3rd, etc. (If someone got killed, well, that was covered fully.) I was watching the replay this morning/afternoon at a sports bar with the sound off and closed captioning. Maybe that was the best solution - get the answers to what was happening without having to listen.
Actually, that's the way I watch the NFL games when certain broadcast crews are working. Anyway, we're stuck with it. Sad but true.
I've been cruising other F1 forums as well as Facebook comments and there's near universal agreement that this setup SUCKS!
I don't see the viewers/fans as the problem. I see the broadcasters taking advantage of our historically low expectations as the problem. And it has less to do with the booth announcers than it does with moving broadcast schedules and pre-emptions to accommodate other sports over F1, etc.
No one likes that a business doesn't give a crap about its customers. That's what we are -- customers. ESPN paid for F1 coverage. You have to wonder why they did it after last night.
I could be mistaken but I thought ESPN sold the time to Liberty and merely manages the transmission and possibly the advertising .
Ahhh, then we should simply call the whole sordid affair "bad management"! Not that ESPN hasn't been plagued by such.... Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
