ITV Commentators

[Paddington Bear]

While we are talking about it, a pet hate is the commentary team 'explaining' an incident, and in doing so are talking over the ref giving the usually very different actual reason. What is wrong with 'let's listen to what the ref has to say'. Mind you, perhaps the refs should sometimes say less.

There does seem to be more talking these days in general. I seem to recall some earlier commentators saying that the trick was knowing when to talk, and when to let the action / game breathe.

A by-product of professionalism is that ex-players are not as bright as they used to be.

More generally I think we are all getting less articulate. If you see the ‘younger’ ex players of any sport on the after dinner circuit, nearly all need a broadcaster to tee them up with questions

[inactionman]

While we are talking about it, a pet hate is the commentary team 'explaining' an incident, and in doing so are talking over the ref giving the usually very different actual reason. What is wrong with 'let's listen to what the ref has to say'. Mind you, perhaps the refs should sometimes say less.

There does seem to be more talking these days in general. I seem to recall some earlier commentators saying that the trick was knowing when to talk, and when to let the action / game breathe.

A by-product of professionalism is that ex-players are not as bright as they used to be.

More generally I think we are all getting less articulate. If you see the ‘younger’ ex players of any sport on the after dinner circuit, nearly all need a broadcaster to tee them up with questions

Having spoken to my brother who was in TV production it's a lot harder than I originally thought - there may be other channels in the headphones and all sorts going on, timings etc to adhere to, and an agenda of sorts to cover off during the allotted period. Easier to let the broadcasting pro tee up the sportsman for a quick soundbite.

I also think we had a bit of a gilded age of raconteurs from the amateur days, where many would speak quite candidly at club events and were well-versed at getting up in front of well-oiled audiences for some banter. Footballers in particular are media-trained to an inch of their lives, and will generally not say anything contentions. Or, frankly, interesting.

[Sandstorm]

The tattooed sex offender again ?

Yep.

FUCK.RIGHT.OFF ITV !!!

Couldn't you find a rapist, or a wife beater for the coverage ?

Gareth Thomas settles case with ex-partner who accused former Welsh rugby star of 'deceptively' giving him HIV

Ian Baum had noticed the former sportsman was taking pills from bottles which had the labels ripped off but was told they were multi-vitamins, court papers say. Mr Baum claims he found out they were HIV medication after looking them up on Google.

Glad it's not just me, there wasn't even any down time when this came out. Just like it never happened.

LGBT+ representation on your sports show trumps all other considerations.

[Slick]

While we are talking about it, a pet hate is the commentary team 'explaining' an incident, and in doing so are talking over the ref giving the usually very different actual reason. What is wrong with 'let's listen to what the ref has to say'. Mind you, perhaps the refs should sometimes say less.

There does seem to be more talking these days in general. I seem to recall some earlier commentators saying that the trick was knowing when to talk, and when to let the action / game breathe.

A by-product of professionalism is that ex-players are not as bright as they used to be.

More generally I think we are all getting less articulate. If you see the ‘younger’ ex players of any sport on the after dinner circuit, nearly all need a broadcaster to tee them up with questions

Having spoken to my brother who was in TV production it's a lot harder than I originally thought - there may be other channels in the headphones and all sorts going on, timings etc to adhere to, and an agenda of sorts to cover off during the allotted period. Easier to let the broadcasting pro tee up the sportsman for a quick soundbite.

I also think we had a bit of a gilded age of raconteurs from the amateur days, where many would speak quite candidly at club events and were well-versed at getting up in front of well-oiled audiences for some banter. Footballers in particular are media-trained to an inch of their lives, and will generally not say anything contentions. Or, frankly, interesting.

Also, mobile phones

[Paddington Bear]

A by-product of professionalism is that ex-players are not as bright as they used to be.

More generally I think we are all getting less articulate. If you see the ‘younger’ ex players of any sport on the after dinner circuit, nearly all need a broadcaster to tee them up with questions

Having spoken to my brother who was in TV production it's a lot harder than I originally thought - there may be other channels in the headphones and all sorts going on, timings etc to adhere to, and an agenda of sorts to cover off during the allotted period. Easier to let the broadcasting pro tee up the sportsman for a quick soundbite.

I also think we had a bit of a gilded age of raconteurs from the amateur days, where many would speak quite candidly at club events and were well-versed at getting up in front of well-oiled audiences for some banter. Footballers in particular are media-trained to an inch of their lives, and will generally not say anything contentions. Or, frankly, interesting.

Also, mobile phones

Amateurism obviously lends itself to players with more interesting and well-rounded lives, but you get the same generational divide with cricketers as well. If you can get the older ones to put away ‘this one time I had a beer with Beefy’, they’re generally very engaging and articulate and happy to stand up on their own and talk about the state of the game for half an hour. Even someone like Alistair Cook needs a managed Q&A, by contrast.

Media training certainly a factor as well.

Overall though there’s across sports much more ‘chuminess’ between broadcasters and players, leading to as others have said a real reluctance to really criticise the players, which is massively to the detriment of the coverage. I’m not saying bring back Stuart Barnes, but a player of that era will be more confident speaking their mind than BBC’s trio of Danny Care (actually in the squad), Chris Ashton (ex teammate of just about the whole squad, mates with at least some of them) and Ugo Monye (mates with a bunch of them)

[Simian]

While we are talking about it, a pet hate is the commentary team 'explaining' an incident, and in doing so are talking over the ref giving the usually very different actual reason.

Yup. Does my head in.