Monthly Archives: August 2012

ESPN unveils new slate of 30 for 30 videos: Bo Jackson, Ben Wilson, broke athletes

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Thankfully, ESPN is continuing its wildly successful 30 for 30 video franchise. The network recently announced the next round of documentaries, which will begin in October.

I’ll be paying particular attention to an Oct. 23 showing of Benji. It is about a Chicago high school star, who was regarded as the No. 1 player in the nation in 1984. I was looking forward to watching him play in my new assignment as a high school basketball reporter for the Chicago Tribune.

However, I never got the chance. He was killed in a senseless shooting.

Here’s the trailer for Benji and the other videos.

Here’s ESPN’s rundown for the videos:

  • Tuesday, Oct. 2, 8 p.m. – Broke (Billy Corben)
  • Tuesday, Oct. 9, 8 p.m. – 9.79* (Daniel Gordon)
  • Tuesday, Oct. 16, 8 pm. – There’s No Place Like Home (Maura Mandt and Josh Swade)
  • Tuesday, Oct. 23, 8 p.m. – Benji (Coodie and Chike)
  • Tuesday, Oct. 30, 8 p.m. – Ghosts of Ole Miss (Fritz Mitchell)
  • Saturday, Dec. 8, 9 p.m. – You Don’t Know Bo (Michael Bonfiglio)

Film summaries:

Broke (Billy Corben)

Broke explores the roads to fortune in American sports and eventually, the many detours to bankruptcy.  Bernie Kosar, Andre Rison and Cliff Floyd are among the athletes who talk openly about the challenges of managing their money in an era when big contracts don’t necessarily support bigger lifestyles. Sucked into bad investments, stalked by freeloaders and saddled with medical problems, many pro athletes get shocked by harsh economic realities after years of living the high life. A story of the dark side of success, Broke is an allegory for the financial woes haunting economies and individuals all over the world.

9.79* (Daniel Gordon) 2012 Toronto International Film Festival Selection

The 100-meter men’s final at the 1988 Seoul Games was the fastest and perhaps most thrilling sprint in Olympic history. But within 48 hours, gold medalist Ben Johnson had tested positive for anabolic steroids, and scandal reigned. This one race still haunts the eight men who took part. But what brought them to the starting line? And what happened to them since?

There’s No Place Like Home (Maura Mandt and Josh Swade)

On December 10, 2010, Sotheby’s auctioned off the most important historical document in sports history—James Naismith’s original rules of basketball. There’s No Place Like Home is the story of one fan’s obsessive quest to win this seminal American artifact at auction and bring the rules “home” to Lawrence, Kansas, where Naismith coached and taught for more than 40 years.

Benji (Coodie and Chike)

In 1984, 17-year-old Ben Wilson was a symbol of everything promising about Chicago: a beloved, sweet-natured youngster from the city’s fabled South Side, and America’s most talented basketball prospect.  His senseless murder the day before his senior season sent ripples through Chicago and the nation.

Ghosts of Ole Miss (Fritz Mitchell)

In 1962, the University of Mississippi campus erupted in violence over integration and swelled with pride over an unbeaten football team. Mississippi native Wright Thompson explores the tumultuous events that continue to shape the state 50 years later.

You Don’t Know Bo (Michael Bonfiglio)

Bo Jackson hit 500 ft. home runs, ran over linebackers, and—for a small window—he was the best athlete we had ever seen. You Don’t Know Bo is a close look at the man and marketing campaign that shaped his legacy. Even without winning a Super Bowl or World Series, Bo redefined the role of the athlete in the pop cultural conversation. More than 20 years later, myths and legends still surround Bo Jackson, and his impossible feats still capture our collective imagination.

Does new show foreshadow NBC Sports Network landing baseball? Kuselias to host evening show on new NBC Sports Radio Network

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Here’s some NBC Sports news that doesn’t involve the Olympics:

Yesterday, the NBC Sports Network announced a new weekly show in collaboration with Major League Baseball. Details below, but it made me wonder if this deal foreshadows an even bigger deal with MLB?

Frankly, if the NBC Sports Network wants to be a player on the cable sports front, it has to land a portion of the next baseball TV contract. The NHL isn’t a big enough anchor. It needs baseball to drive eyeballs to the network.

Obviously, the new program is a step to show baseball that the NBC Sports Network is serious about showcasing the sport. Couldn’t hurt, right?

OK, here are the details from NBC Sports Network:

Major League Baseball Productions and NBC Sports Group today announced a deal to collaborate on a new series titled Caught Looking, which will debut Wednesday, August 15, at 9:00 p.m. ET, with a new episode scheduled to air each subsequent week on Thursdays through October 4. Each original episode will be one hour in length and will air on NBC Sports Network.

Caught Looking will give baseball fans an exclusive look inside a specific weekend series, as Major League Baseball Productions cameras follow players, managers and front office personnel from both teams. Cameras will follow the two respective teams as they arrive at the ballpark, take batting practice, compete and prepare for each game. A different series will be featured in each episode, as the final eight weeks of the season unfolds.

“We’re committed to developing compelling behind-the-scenes programming, and our fans have consistently responded very positively to everything we do to bring them a closer view of our game,” said Chris Tully, Senior Vice President, Broadcasting, Major League Baseball. “We’re pleased to be working with the NBC Sports Group on this project, which will provide a unique glimpse inside the inner workings of multiple clubs during the stretch run.”

“Caught Looking is emblematic of the high-quality and exclusive programming we are developing for the NBC Sports Network.” said Jon Miller, President of Programming, NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network. “NBC and Major League Baseball have a long history of working together and we are very happy to be collaborating with Major League Baseball Productions on this endeavor.”

On November 8, NBC Sports Network will air a special postseason episode of Caught Looking which will feature the two teams playing in the 2012 World Series.

*******

Meanwhile, the new NBC Sports Radio Network is starting to fill out its lineup:

Dial Global (NASDAQ: DIAL) and the NBC Sports Group today announced the hiring of Erik Kuselias and Jon Stashower for the NBC Sports Radio Network. 

Erik Kuselias has been named the host of The Erik Kuselias Radio Show on the NBC Sports Radio Network which will air live, Monday-Friday, between 7pm-10pm ET. Jon Stashower has also been named as the morning anchor for the NBC Sports Radio National Updates which will air live Monday-Friday, 6a-11a ET. Each will launch on Tuesday, September 4th, along with other soon-to-be-announced programming.

Erik currently hosts the NBC SportsTalk show on the NBC Sports Network and previously served as co-host of Morning Drive on The Golf Channel. Prior to his arrival at NBC, Kuselias was the host of NASCAR Now on ESPN2 and The Erik Kuselias Show on ESPN Radio. He also hosted NFL on ESPN Radio during the NFL season, and served as a host for College Football Live. In addition, Kuselias hosted the Emmy-Award winning show Fantasy Football Now. A radio veteran, Kuselias also frequently co-hosted ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike in place of Mike Greenberg or Mike Golic.

Kuselias says “The opportunity to host a signature show on the NBC Sports Radio network is beyond exciting. I just put a calendar on my desk that counts the days until we launch! I believe ‘The Erik Kuselias Show’ will be a standard for the best mix of smart and fun sports talk radio.”

Stashower joins the NBC Sports Radio Network from ESPN Radio where he spent years becoming one of the most well-known sports update anchors in sports radio.

“I’m very excited to be joining the NBC Sports Radio Network”, says Stashower. “Having been there in the early days of both WFAN and ESPN Radio, I know there’s something special about a new venture taking off and being part of its growth.”

Chris Corcoran, Executive Vice President, General Manager adds, “As we kick off our exciting talent announcements for the NBC Sports Radio Network launching this fall, we are thrilled to have two tremendously talented sports minds and voices join our team and our lineup”

Rob Simmelkjaer, Senior Vice President, NBC Sports Group says, “Erik and Jon have impressive track records in sports radio, and we are excited to have them as two of the keystones of our new network.”

Objective? Hardly: There is cheering in press box in Europe

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My first trek to an international sporting event was the 1997 Ryder Cup in Spain. I remember being stunned what I saw in the press room during the first day of competition.

Members of the European media were cheering whenever one of the Euros won a match. Not just polite claps. No, full-blown cheers.

Now this isn’t to say every European in the room was waving the flag. There are some incredible golf writers on the other side of the pond who define being professional.

However, a Ryder Cup is covered by more than just beat golf writers. And I quickly discovered many of them never heard of the old adage, “No cheering in the press box.”

So I was hardly surprised by an excellent Wall Street Journal story documenting media members from various countries cheering on their teams with as much passion as the fans in the stands.

Charles Forelle and David Enrich write:

Minutes after British track-and-field darling Jessica Ennis sped over the finish line for a heptathlon gold in front of 80,000 spectators at the Olympic stadium Saturday, BBC sportscaster Steve Cram took stock of the jubilation—in the broadcast booth.

“We all stood on our feet and applauded,” Mr. Cram reported. “To a man, everybody in the broadcasting positions that we’re in—and there’s some hardened hacks in here as well…all stood up.”

And another passage:

As the Olympic hosts, the British press has been gearing up for an orgy of hometown plumping for years.

At the Velodrome Friday, Brian Moore, a sports columnist at the Daily Telegraph, leapt from his seat, bellowed and waved his arms each time the British men’s track cycling team whizzed by—every 30 or 40 seconds.

By the end of the four-kilometer race, Team GB had shattered the world record, and Mr. Moore had sweated through his light-pink button-down shirt.

Asked if he realized he was one of the loudest people in the Velodrome’s packed press section, he responded, “To be honest, I don’t really care.” Then the arena’s big screen flashed a shot of the victorious British riders, and Mr. Moore bounced out of his seat. “YEEAAAH!!” he screamed.

Yep, my old pal Jerome Holtzman, who wrote the classic, No Cheering in the Press Box, would not have approved.

 

Life after Boston Globe: College sports columnist ‘reinvents himself’ with new site; scores scoop with Calhoun

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Mark Blaudschun recorded a scoop Monday. He was the only person to reach an ailing UConn coach Jim Calhoun in the hospital.

Now, there’s nothing new about Blaudschun getting a big story. However, what is new is where his piece first appeared.

Blaudschun, the long-time college writer, recently took a buyout after 25 years with the Boston Globe. He has since launched a new blog called AJerseyguy.com.

Monday, his site posted the Calhoun story. The Associated Press picked it up, attributing Calhoun’s quote to AJerseyguy.com. That story then ran in the Boston Herald.

“It’s a new world, I guess,” said Blaudschun, once he stopped laughing at the notion of his site getting mentioned in his old rival’s paper.

Like so many other people in this business, Blaudschun, 64, finds himself in the position of trying to reinvent himself. He said he didn’t have to take the buyout offer from the Globe, but the deal was too good to pass up.

“I thought I had a couple more years,” Blaudschun said. “But you don’t know what this business is going to be like. I didn’t know if the offer still would be there.”

Blaudschun, though, still wants to work. So he decided to start a blog. College sports will be his main focus, but he will write about other sports.

“College sports is my comfort zone,” Blaudschun said. “But whatever strikes me as being important, I’ll do. I’ll see what happens. I want to have some fun with it.”

There are fringe benefits to his new lifestyle. His son, Jack, asked if he wanted to play golf this week.

“He said, ‘What are your days off?” Blaudschun said. “I said, ‘All of them.'”

*******

“Blau” and I go back nearly 25 years when we both were on the college football beat. There were a great group of writers that included Gene Wojciechowski and Chris Dufrensne of the Los Angeles Times, Ivan Maisel of the Dallas Morning News, Steve Wieberg of USA Today, Dick “Hoops” Weiss of the New York Daily News, Malcolm Moran of the New York Times, Tim Layden of Newsday, Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post, and others. Some pretty good talent there, present company excluded.

We were together almost every weekend during the college season. A lot of good times in and out of the press box. Blau still loves to tell the story of the my 5-wood slipping out of my hands and flying into a lake during a rain-drenched round in Florida.

For all the great games we cover, the memories that endure are of being with my friends in the sportswriting fraternity. I don’t miss the travel and deadlines. But I miss being with them.

 

 

 

 

 

Q/A with Jeremy Schaap: On missing Olympics; goal for radio show; and long-form journalism at ESPN

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Jeremy Schaap has one clause specifically written into his contract with ESPN: The network has to send him to the Olympics.

So why isn’t he in London? And why wasn’t he in Vancouver in 2010?

As fate would have it, his wife, Joclyn, gave birth to couple’s first child during the last Winter Olympics, and they welcomed a boy Monday morning.

As a result, Schaap had to stay home again and watch on tape delay on NBC like everyone else.

“I had to call and say, ‘Hey guys, you know that whole Olympic thing? Sorry about that,” Schaap said.

Schaap, though, has plenty to keep him busy. He is hosting his own radio show, The Sporting Life and is a correspondent for E:60, among his other endeavors.

The radio show finally is available on podcast. It’s terrific. It features excellent long-form stories and interviews that go way beyond the Tebow-Sanchez debate. The show is a nice refuge from the shrieking that dominates sports talk radio.

As was the case with his father, Dick, I’ve been a long-time admirer of Jeremy. His bio on ESPN’s site lists his many honors, which includes six Emmy awards. It makes journalists like me feel inadequate. Stop being so perfect, Jeremy.

When I started my sports media site, he was high on my wish list of interview subjects. I recently had lunch with him in New York.

Here is my Q/A:

Is it hard not to be at the Olympics?

Na. I relish it, but I’m pretty jaded about the Olympics in general. There’s still something about the Olympics. I grew up in a house where the Olympics were a big deal. My father did books on the Olympics.

In this day and age, they don’t have quite the same meaning that they had. During the Cold War, let’s face it, it was us against them. There was a drama that’s lacking today.

Some of the stuff the IOC does. The fact that they won’t honor the Israeli athletes. The thing that’s objectionable to me is that I suspect if it were any other country, they would do it. But because it’s Israel, they won’t do it.

The IOC ignores the Olympic charter. Not just the Arab world, but in most of the Muslim world, women aren’t allowed to compete. How can Saudi Arabia be in good standing with the IOC?

What is your objective with the radio show?

We’re trying to tell stories. Four segments and it ends with an essay from me. I do a lot of interviews with authors. The books that are being written are great stories. So much works goes into putting them together. I like the publishing industry. I’d like to help these guys sell a few books.

It’s also the only place where I have the opportunity to do those cultural interviews. People I’ve known for a long time who I want to have on. For instance, the Olympics. I’ve known Bob Beamon my whole life. So I have him on with (fellow Olympic great) Ralph Boston.

There are things that they make fun of me up in Bristol. There are things that are of interest to me that are of less interest to other people in the building. I always say you have to include (discus thrower) Al Oerter when you talk about clutch performers. They start laughing. I say, ‘Al Oerter won four consecutive golds and each time with the longest throw of his life. You can’t be more clutch than that.’

The radio show is Al Oerter for me. I get to talk about the stuff I want to talk about.

Is there a place for storytelling on radio?

There has to be a place for it. Look at the success of NPR. If we could come close to approximating what they do on those show, in terms of storytelling on radio, that’s great. The show gives us another platform to get some storytelling out there.

I think we’ve done good work. I’ve gotten a chance to do longer versions of the TV pieces I do. One I liked the best: I did a piece on the 20th anniversary of Douglas-Tyson. It was a long TV piece: 10-11 minutes. But we had so much good stuff we did a 20-minute version for radio.

What kind of feedback have you received?

The show has gotten a lot of awards. That’s a big deal in our business.

It’s niche programming for ESPN Radio. It’s certainly not a rating grabber. I know that. If they wanted ratings, they wouldn’t be putting this show on the air. Some of the affiliates probably air it between 3-5 in the morning.

Nobody does what we do on (sports talk radio). We’re different.

How do you feel about the podcast?

This is exactly the show that should be podcasted. It’s evergreen. You could listen to what we’ve done six months from now.

With all the work that goes into the pieces and all the storytelling we do, it’s nice to have an opportunity to push it into another platform.

Talk about your work on E:60. What do you have planned for the upcoming season?

We’re putting a lot of pieces together right now. There are a few I shouldn’t talk about because of the competition. I’m doing something on Rob Gronkowski. I’m doing something about a soccer team in Israel.

I like human rights related stories. That’s what I’m always looking for. Sports is the starting point, and it gives us this platform to do these kinds of stories.  We’re working on athletes and insurance. I think of health care as a human right. To me, that’s a human rights story.

The Arab spring is something that’s not often talked about on ESPN.  It gave us an opportunity to educate our audience about what’s going on in the Middle East through the story of a few soccer players in Bahrain who have been tortured by their government.

Does ESPN take full advantage of their resources to do the long-form stories? Should the network do more?

To me, that’s what I do. I understand, it’s not what drives the ratings, although we (E:60) hold our own. Our commitment to journalism is there. In the conversation about what’s on ESPN, the focus is going to be on the less edifying stuff. But I don’t think we’re there as a counterweight. I think there’s a sincere interest in doing this kind of journalism.

How do you feel about where you’re at during this stage of your career?

You do the work because you think it’s important and you hope that it resonates with people who watch. It’s a great platform. I don’t tell them this during negotiations, but I think I have the best job in the country.

Over the years, there have been opportunities to work full time in Bristol or to do the debate stuff. It’s not what interests me, and ultimately that’s not what they want me doing.

One baby arrived during Vancouver. The next during London. Should we put you down for baby No. 3 for Sochi in 2014?

No, that would be too fast. Perhaps, Rio for 2016.

 

 

 

 

Starting lineups: ESPN adds Joey Galloway to college football; Fox signs Evans, Martz as NFL game analysts

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One sign that football season is near: The networks release their broadcast pairings.

ESPN did some reshuffling with some of its teams, although the No. 1 crew of Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit remains the same. Joe Tessitore and Matt Millen will serve as the announcers for a new package of additional Saturday night games, primarily on ESPN.

Former Ohio State receiver Joey Galloway was added to the roster. He will work with Beth Mowins on ESPN2’s noon game.

Here’s the lineup:

Game Telecast Play-by-play Analyst Reporter
Saturday Night Football (on ABC) Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit TBA
ESPN College Football Primetime (Saturday) Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe
ESPN Saturday Prime Time Joe Tessitore, Matt Millen, Jessica Mendoza, Shelley Smith or Shannon Spake
ESPN2 College Football Primetime (Saturday) Mark Jones, Brock Huard, Jessica Mendoza or Shelley Smith
ESPNU Saturday Prime Time Clay Matvick, Matt Stinchcomb, Allison Williams
ESPN College Football Primetime (Thursday) Rece Davis, Jesse Palmer and David Pollack, Samantha Steele
ESPN and ESPN2 Friday Carter Blackburn, Rod Gilmore, Jemele Hill
ABC Saturday Afternoon Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman, Quint Kessenich
ABC Saturday Afternoon Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham, Jeannine Edwards
ABC Saturday Afternoon Bob Wischusen, Danny Kanell, Maria Taylor
ESPN College Football (Saturday afternoon) Dave Pasch, Brian Griese, Jenn Brown
ESPN2 College Football (Saturday afternoon) Beth Mowins, Joey Galloway
ESPNU Saturday Afternoon Tom Hart, John Congemi
ESPNU Saturday Afternoon Anish Shrof, Dan Hawkins
ESPNU Thursday (HBCU) Joe Davis, Jay Walker  
ESPNU Late Saturday (HBCU) Joe Davis, Jay Walker
ESPN Radio Bill Rosinski, David Norrie, Joe Schad
SEC Network (ESPN Regional Television syndicated games) Dave Neal, Andre Ware, Cara Capuano
BIG EAST Network (ESPN Regional Television syndicated games) Eamon McAnaney, David Diaz-Infante, Paul Carcaterra

********

Over on the pro side, Fox Sports has made some additions. Former Seattle and New England fullback Heath Evans will work with Sam Rosen.

Former Rams coach Mike Martz, who was dumped by the Bears as offensive coordinator after 2011, will team up with Ron Pitts.

A Fox Sports release also notes Erin Andrews will contribute to NFL coverage for the Thanksgiving Day game and during the playoffs.

Fox’s pairings:

Joe Buck, Troy Aikman & Pam Oliver

Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa

Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick & Laura Okmin

Dick Stockton, John Lynch & Jennifer Hale

Chris Myers, Tim Ryan & Jaime Maggio

Sam Rosen, Heath Evans

Ron Pitts, Mike Martz

 

 

Big day for Bleacher Report founders: Turner buys site for $175 million

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For all the millions of people who never make a dime off their site, there are the select few who hit it big. As in winning the lottery big.

Monday, the founders of the Bleacher Report cashed their ticket. Turner Sports bought the site for a reported $175 million.

Bleacher Report was founded in 2006 by four 20-somethings as an outlet for fans to discuss their favorite teams. From the San Jose Mercury News:

Within months, the site became a hit thanks to a legion of contributors willing to write about sports for free.

“Most of our contributors aren’t professional journalists. They’re lawyers by day, Giants fans by night,” CEO Brian Grey described in an interview last year.

Writing about sports for free? Wonder who in the world would do that?

OK, enough about me.

Turner needed a sports presence after SI.com shift over to Time Inc. From the release:

 

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. has acquired Bleacher Report (B/R), one of the fastest-growing sports digital properties on the Internet, it was announced today by David Levy, president of sales, distribution and sports of Turner Broadcasting. San Francisco-based B/R (http://www.bleacherreport.com) and its popular mobile offerings will now operate as part of the Turner Sports division.

 

B/R delivers original and entertaining sports editorial content and is a leading sports media destination, delivering over 10 million monthly unique visitors. The company has developed a next-generation publishing model powered by an expanding base of passionate and knowledgeable contributors who deliver high-quality content that readers crave at the team and topic level.

 

“Bleacher Report is a strategic acquisition that further enhances Turner’s portfolio of sports offerings, as well as reflects our continuing commitment to bring fans greater content across all screens throughout the entire year,” said Levy. “As brand builders and content providers, we were attracted to Bleacher Report’s fast growth to a leading marketplace position and a valued consumer destination. The site will continue to innovate and provide users and sports fans with branded news and information. With our expansive digital rights and resources, Turner will further ensure Bleacher Report’s continued growth and success.”

 

Levy added, “With the acquisition of Bleacher Report, we have added another dimension to our portfolio of digital and mobile properties that will enable us to offer our advertising partners integrated opportunities across all screens and demos that will enhance our ability to monetize sports programming throughout the entire year.”

 

“Bleacher Report was created to put fans first, and we are excited to integrate our innovative content publishing model and engaging multi-platform consumer digital media experience within Turner Sports’ world-class television and digital content portfolio,” said Brian Grey, in his newly-expanded role as chief executive officer, Bleacher Report & senior vice president, Turner Sports. “Together the portfolio will define how content creators, consumers and marketers come together around the sports team and topic content experience that fans will consume across every screen.”

 

Turner Sports currently manages digital properties on behalf of the NBA, NCAA and PGA, oversees ad sales for NASCAR.COM and has a strategic sales relationship with Yahoo! Sports. B/R will complement a preeminent collection of brands within the Turner Digital portfolio spanning entertainment, sports, kids, news and comedy destinations across broadband, mobile and tablet. The Turner Digital portfolio currently reaches 86 million unique visitors a month.

 

In addition to its digital portfolio, Turner Sports broadcasts a number of events year-round on TBS, TNT and truTV, including the NBA, MLB, NASCAR, the PGA Championship and the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. Its on-air roster of announcers and analysts includes Marv Albert, Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Reggie Miller, Steve Kerr, Shaquille O’Neal, Cal Ripken, Dennis Eckersley, John Smoltz, Ron Darling, David Wells and Kyle Petty, among others.

 

Grey will continue to oversee B/R’s day-to-day operations out of its San Francisco offices and will report directly to Lenny Daniels, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Turner Sports.  Together, Grey and Matt Hong, senior vice president and general manager of operations for Turner Sports, will partner in the overall management and integration of the Bleacher Report operations into the Turner Sports portfolio.

 

 

Hard Knocks debuts Tuesday: Can HBO make Dolphins interesting?

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The Miami Dolphins weren’t exactly HBO’s first choice for the return of Hard Knocks. The league knocked on a few other doors, namely the Jets. The whole Tebow-Sanchez thing would have been insane.

Rex Ryan, though, said no. At the end of the day, Hard Knocks is stuck chronicling the QB battle between Matt Moore, Ryan Tannehill and David Garrard.

It’s not exactly scintillating stuff, but knowing HBO’s folks, they’ll make it work. The first episode is Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET.

Here’s the trailer. Amazingly, no footage of Dolphin cheerleaders getting ready for the season. Don’t worry, the show is five weeks. If things get dull, HBO will cut to the cheerleaders.

Equestrian? Are you kidding when Bolt is running 100 meters? NBC needs to air more live during weekend

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Here is one way to get around NBC’s tape-delay approach to the Olympics.

Spend the weekend at a lake that has limited or no Internet access. Then watch NBC’s coverage at night as if it were live like I did.

What? Can’t get away for the weekend like I did. Well, then you’re screwed.

Once again, Twitter was on fire with angry tweets about NBC’s decision not to provide viewers live coverage of Usain Bolt’s bid for gold in the 100. One positive dividend is the entertaining tweets from #NBCdelayed and elsewhere:

@karljohn  Curiosity actually landed three hours ago, but NBC delayed it until after water polo.

@photoarmy1 Hey everyone NBC is showing live video footage of the landing right now….Neil Armstrong is about to step on the surface.

@bgtennisnation (Brad Gilbert)  Another major foot fault on NBC for not showing the 100 live no other major country would do that still shocked they would do that on Sunday

@EvilMikeTomlin “Usain Bolt leads the 100m after 50m, we’ll be back after this commercial break”- NBC

I think it is going to be tough for NBC to put out this fire. During the week, NBC can justify its line maintaining that people are at work and that it is more convenient for them to watch the big events at night.

But not on the weekend. In case you haven’t heard, viewers watch sports on the weekend. Lots of it.

NBC easily could have shown Bolt’s race live to a large audience. It began late in the afternoon on the East Coast in the U.S. The NFL does fairly strong ratings in that time slot with its doubleheader games.

However, instead of seeing the big race, viewers got taped coverage of equestrian. Yeah, I’m sure horse jumping was second choice on everyone’s list.

Meanwhile, Bolt’s race didn’t air until after 11 p.m. ET. By that time, you had to be on Mars not to know the outcome.

NBC definitely needs to reconsider its stance regarding weekend coverage of the Olympics. We’re conditioned to watch live on the weekend.

And don’t get started with the notion that you could have watched the race live via streaming. The picture quality isn’t nearly the same. Also, by late Sunday afternoon, most viewers need a forklift to pry them free of their big, comfy chairs. Why make it inconvenient for them to have to run to a computer?

As I said, I get the tape-delay approach during the week. But not on the weekend.

You need to be live on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, NBC.

And the latest from NBC:

Usain Bolt still leads after 75 meters. Back in a minute.

 

 

 

Sunday books: Dominique Moceanu reveals other side of gymnastics

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The U.S. women/kids gymnasts winning the gold medal Tuesday certainly was a great uplifting story.

However, Dominique Moceanu reveals in her new book that life as a top teenage gymnast isn’t all warm and fuzzy.

From the blurb on Amazon:

AT FOURTEEN YEARS OLD, Dominique Moceanu was the youngest member of the 1996 U.S. Women’s Olympic Gymnastics team, the first and only American women’s team to take gold at the Olympics. Her pixyish appearance and ferocious competitive drive quickly earned her the status of media darling. But behind the fame, the flawless floor routines, and the million-dollar smile, her life was a series of challenges and hardships.Off Balance vividly delineates each of the dominating characters who contributed to Moceanu’s rise to the top, from her stubborn father and long-suffering mother to her mercurial coach, Bela Karolyi. Here, Moceanu finally shares the haunting stories of competition, her years of hiding injuries and pain out of fear of retribution from her coaches, and how she hit rock bottom after a public battle with her parents.

But medals, murder plots, drugs, and daring escapes aside (all of which figure into Moceanu’s incredible journey), the most unique aspect of her life is the family secret that Moceanu discovers, opening a new and unexpected chapter in her adult life. A mysterious letter from a stranger reveals that she has a second sister—born with a physical disability and given away at birth—who has nonetheless followed in Moceanu’s footsteps in an astonishing way.

A multilayered memoir that transcends the world of sports, Off Balance will touch anyone who has ever dared to dream of a better life.