watched the uk feed...excellent broadcast. it was belize/usa...80% crowd noise, 20% quiet out of the way announcer. it was the anti-twellman. we should circumvent the system and make this our default broadcast of choice.
We should. Fox flat out sucks and I have zero confidence they'll get their shit together going into next cycle. Hell, we have to listen to GuJo in the semi final and the final of this GC. It's just amateurish. And this broadcast duo tonight was awful. When Fox takes over for ESPN, it needs to be on the same level as ESPN. ESPN is the standard. NBCSN is below ESPN but well, well above Fox.
Yup let's go anti-american while watching an american game and say screw you to foxsoccer who has graciously been providing americans with HD soccer matches from all over the world.
Get out of here with the anti American crap. It's about standards. Are they near the standard of ESPN which currently has most NT rights this cycle? Answer is a resounding no. Until then, looking for the best broadcast is not anti American at all.
I felt similarly about UniMas. Barely noticed the announcers...probably helps that I don't speak Spanish.
Say whaaaaaa. No chance, NBCSN definitely has the best commentators in the game and arguably the best production value too. They are class.
I don't understand what was wrong with the broadcast. It was good quality and and there were no issues with the feed. I have been a foxsoccer customers for a long time now and it used to be a lot worse, but at least they were providing Americans with a way to watch their favorite teams. I am not someone who will complain about every little thing I find. If you don't like foxsoccer, then stop watching it. No one forces you to watch it.
No way. ESPN with Darke/Maca is better than NBCSN and Arlo/Martino. I didn't say there's a big gap though. The big gap is between NBCSN and Fox. And here's what it boils down to for me. NBCSN paid 30M for MLS rights and their announcers and production is damn good. I don't disagree with that. But Fox paid 470M+ for our NT rights and their production/announcing is maybe 30% of NBCSN. My huge problem is when their investment is monumental compared to what NBCSN invested in MLS, the production/announcing should be at least similar but in reality should be clearly superior, given the difference in investment.
I disagree with the first part but totally understand the second. Pretty frustrating, but what can you do. Not that I think they'll get it together but the bright side is that they have a while to get it down. Anyway, good post.
Well we demand better when there are clear examples of excellent broadcasting. the example is martin tyler. every US soccer announcer needs to watch hours and hours of him being very quiet and prescient with their quotes and ideas in the game. he is brilliant. he doesnt have to babble on incessantly.
That's not what you said above. You said anti American. What you said here is fine. And you assume I have a problem with everything foxsoccer and don't respect what its done. I watch FSC all the time and have had a foxsoccer2go subscription for years($20 per month). I appreciate what they've done, but standards for NT broadcasts are different. You're lumping different topics together then making assumptions.
Problem is foxsoccer is a considerably smaller company than the likes of ESPN and NBC. I doubt they have the budget that those two have. They can't afford to always have the best announcers.
it's not even about having the best announcers. it's about having the right announcers. the best broadcasts, bar none, are the ones that let the game do the talking. i really think the babbling/prattling is an american thing. it's an nfl/mlb thing. it's a game where you have to fill a lot of dead space. soccer is not like that. the bombastic announcers are not really what you want. the gujo's of the world cannot live up to the expanse of the field, the fluidity of the play. i really think soccer would catch on x2 faster with the right production.
I'm gonna miss Darke/Maca. Will really miss Darke for our NT games and there isn't anyone who can come close IMO aside from Healey as a replacement. And I am looking forward to the EPL on NBC and seeing how Arlo does. But IMO, Darke, Healey and Arlo are far and away the top announcers we have doing NT/MLS games in this country and frankly nothing Fox has put out there comes close. And given Fox has invested more than either, that's a big issue to me. And that doesn't even get into production.
I like him. Like a player, I consider him a top prospect and hope he does well with NBCSN. Might take a bit of time but he has the tools which not many American announcers have when it comes to this sport. But I'd also say it's another example of NBCSN immediately going and getting another good broadcaster and they wasted little time replacing Arlo. IMO makes the GuJo experiment look that much worse for Fox. If you want to give a guy time, break him in, let him grow into a role, then pick a guy who knows the game and already has proven experience announcing the game, ala Strong.
Fox got the rights for a lot of the soccer matches when they were dirt cheap. They have no real incentive to put on an amazing product. NBC and now ESPN has invested quite a bit of money to get the Premier League and World Cup and they stepped up the quality. Now with Fox, we will see if they continue to build off of Champions League and EPL on Fox, in which the product was much better than what Fox soccer has ever produced with National Team Games. Fox soccer basically copied English streams for EPL games. I am just happy that the scam that was Fox soccer will now not get in the way of watching EPL games.
At least GuJo, while very amateurish, at least recognizes that fact and is willing to learn, and he's also willing to let the game breathe as well. I think he'll get better. Least we're not dealing with Dave O'Brien and Marcelo Balboa. Or John "Shimmy Shimmy Coco Puffs" Harkes. Though I wouldn't mind if they brought back Jack Edwards at all
This bolded part is his best trait no doubt. He has good goal calls precisely because he lets you hear the fans announce it in the stadium with their roar. Hope he stops saying "the football." Its killing me.
I watched the Panama-Mexico broadcast. Loved it. The single broadcaster concept is preferable for soccer imo given the relative lack of gaps in game action. This particular broadcaster was excellent in his understated commentary.
I believe fox soccer is a part of fox sports. Part of the network that is considering a multi Billion dollar deal for the La Dodgers for a decade or two.