Penn Relays Coverage Sooooo Much Better

Yeah, I gotta agree with Guppy. The London feed on Universal Sports was very very far from great.

I have to admit I only watched a few races, but the errors were too numerous to count. Lewis Johnson seemed in way over his head, even when discussing his own event (800m). Ato tried to fill in some gaps during the 4x8, but it was awkward and often incorrect ("Penn State, with an anchor who has split 1:48, has to like their chances leading over Texas on the anchor of this 4x8" - meanwhile everyone who has tuned in or even just seen results of collegiate races for the last year knew that Jacob Hernandez was going to eat him alive).

An excuse often used was that "it is difficult to pick out the athletes from our position". I have a hard time understanding how it is that I can go to Penn Relays as a now part-time track geek, sit in the upper deck, and know at least the killers on each major squad by sight, but professionals with Olympic and WC experience, with Walt Murphy in their ear doing spotting for them, cannot get the names or teams right?

At a lotta those meets the annoucers live in L.A. and are in a Hollywood studio adding their sound to what they see on the tube at the same time you see it. There just isn't enough money to cover the airline, hotel, food, etc. expense for annoucers when the meet directors have to pay those items for the elites, celebrities, and USATF/IAAF/NYRR/BAA/EliteRacing/ChiMara bigshots on the infamous T&F gravy train.

Lotta wrote:

At a lotta those meets the annoucers live in L.A. and are in a Hollywood studio adding their sound to what they see on the tube at the same time you see it. There just isn't enough money to cover the airline, hotel, food, etc. expense for annoucers when the meet directors have to pay those items for the elites, celebrities, and USATF/IAAF/NYRR/BAA/EliteRacing/ChiMara bigshots on the infamous T&F gravy train.

This may occasionally be the case, particularly for the US coverage of some of the European meets, which is often clearly just Dwight in the studio. It was obvious on Saturday that Lewis, Carol, Ato, and Walt were in Philly.

they don't care about someone who isn't in contention. when ritz runs with the leaders, they'll get his name right. he wasn't announced on the line, who cares about him.

at penn they were getting the names of the people leading the race wrong. AND THE TEAMS. FSU and Texas A&M are NOT the same school.

The spotters were on the track. The rest of the annoucers were in Hollywood.